Do you know an Employee Share Plans Champion?

Chances are, if you've worked in the share plans industry for even a couple of years, the answer is YES.

So why not nominate your personal champion for ProShare's ESP Champion of the Year award? There can't be any nicer way to acknowledge the guidance, leadership, inspiration and expertise of a figure in the industry who's taken time to help you and/or help people whom you know.

When I introduced this award category three years ago now, I had in mind a couple of my former bosses who really helped inspire me to be a better version of my professional self and, in doing so, opened my eyes to opportunities for progression in our industry. Were it not for their wisdom and encouragement, I might have taken a different career path. People like that don't grow on trees, as the saying goes. Their influence can make all the difference to our working lives and the choices we make so they are to be treasured, in my view.

Previous winners of the ESP Champion Award are:

2015 - Pam Roffe, of Royal Dutch Shell;

2016 - Francis O'Mahony, of BT Group; and

2017 - Sheila McFadden, of Lloyds Banking Group.    

So how to make a nomination? You don't need masses of resource or time to pull together a compelling and worthwhile nomination. And you definitely don't have to write thousands of words! (Trust me, the judges will thank you for a concise nomination.) What you do need is:

1. a clear, well-articulated reason for your choice of nominee;
2. a handful of testimonials from people who've worked with or for the nominee - we can keep these confidential if wished or we can cite them in the winners' book; and
3. a spare five minutes to submit the nomination online - nominations will open later this month, and will close in September. That's it!

Ultimately, the recognition of our peers is the greatest accolade that any of us can aspire to. Tell us: who's your ESP Champion?