Dan Skelton takes Lycetts Leadership Award
2021 LYCETTS LEADERSHIP & LYCETTS TEAM CHAMPIONS AWARDS WINNERS ANNOUNCED
The National Trainers Federation (NTF) is delighted to formally announce all the winners for the 2021 Lycetts Leadership Award, the Lycetts Team Champions Award and the Farm & Stable Award for Innovation & Wellbeing. The awards celebrate the British racehorse training yards with the highest standards of employee management, who demonstrate outstanding leadership qualities and implement innovative working practices.
- Lycetts Leadership Award: Dan Skelton
- Lycetts Team Champions Award: Richard Phillips Racing
- Farm & Stable Award for Innovation and Wellbeing: Eve Johnson Houghton
The Lycetts Leadership Award is an exciting new addition in 2021, designed to shine a light on and showcase the most exceptional leadership qualities and leaders within our racing yards. The best leaders innovate, educate and motivate, lead with empathy and respect, achieve excellence in their field and inspire those around them. In order to judge the overall winner of the Lycetts Leadership Award, the judges conducted yard visits to each shortlisted trainer. The judges assessed their skill and abilities as a leader to decide the overall winner.
A formal prize giving for all winners will take place on Breeders Day at Sandown Park Racecourse on Wednesday 15 September. Winners and guests will enjoy hospitality and a presentation of prizes. Dan Skelton and Richard Phillips Racing each win £4,000. Eve Johnson Houghton’s team wins £2,000 of fabulous Farm & Stable products.
Judges were particularly impressed by the standard of entries following another challenging and eventful year for the industry. The runners up and winners in each category demonstrated exemplary qualities in leadership, management and teamwork, ultimately benefitting all staff, the horses, owners and sponsors.
Peter Burnet, new to the judging panel this year, commented,
“The judges were delighted with the very high standard of entries this year. From those who have entered before, to those involved for the first time a picture of effective teams, led by committed leaders emerged across the field. They show that a well led team delivers results.”
Excellence Award Winners
Sponsored by George Smith Horseboxes, the Excellence Awards form the basis for the Lycetts Leadership Award and recognise the specific management areas trainers are excelling in.
- Inclusive Recruitment & Effective Induction Systems – Andrew Balding
- Ensuring a Safe Working Environment – Dan Skelton
- Development & Training – Dan and Claire Kubler
- Reward & Recognition – Nick Alexander
Runners up
The standard of entries was extremely high and the NTF would like to acknowledge the runners up in each category.
Lycetts Leadership Award Shortlist
- Nick Alexander, Andrew Balding, Ruth Carr, Dan and Claire Kubler, Suzi Smith
Lycetts Team Champions Award: Runners up
- Ruth Carr Racing
- Kubler Racing
- Jamie Osborne
Farm & Stable Award for Innovation & Wellbeing: Runners up
- Ruth Carr
- Jamie Osborne
Rupert Arnold, Chief Executive, NTF commented, “In our fourth year of the awards, we were thrilled to see the diversity of stories, anecdotes and videos that emerged in the entries. Each painted such a brilliant picture of why working in our industry and with great people is so rewarding. It is clear from the entries how staff are nurtured and developed, how diverse skill sets are encouraged, and how yards are managed with the safety of staff and horses at the forefront. Lycetts Awards accredited and winning yards are inspiring and progressive businesses that our industry can be proud of.
“The Lycetts Leadership Award was an important development for 2021, giving us all the opportunity to recognise the outstanding leadership skills flourishing in our industry, and under the most challenging of circumstances.
“Thank you to our members and their staff that took part this year and gave us so much to be inspired by. Congratulations to all our runners up and winners.“
On behalf of sponsors Lycetts, Piers Plunket said, “Lycetts Insurance Brokers are delighted to be supporting these awards again and we offer our congratulations to the winners and to everyone that entered. Celebrating all the teams and the leaders makes the racing industry so wonderful to be a part of and we look forward to the prize giving on the 15th September at Sandown.”
