The awards, which replace the long-running Staff Excellence Awards, are focused on recognising people and teams that consistently promoted the organisation’s values of customer first, integrity, innovation, courage and passion.

Institute director Kerry Penton said after the ceremony that the awards had recognised some of the organisation’s highest achievers over the past 12 months.

“You really get a sense of the whole organisation at events like today,” she said.

“They make a difference every day. To be able to be nominated and come through the selection process is a huge achievement.”

The overall award, the Recognising and Rewarding Exceptional Service and Talent Award, was won by the institute’s values team, comprising Leanne McGrath, Patricia Milo, Steve Forbes-Taber, Margaret Sutherland and Carla Jenkins for their work in helping the organisation manage change during the past 12 months of upheaval.

Mr Forbes-Taber said the group’s members travelled to every campus at the institute – with some as far away as Mildura – to help manage the change process, which has been difficult at times for staff. 

“The institute adopted five core values and it was a matter of disseminating and instilling those values,” he said.

“You had values on one part, but staff were going through a lot of change. A lot of it was change management workshops.

“Some people will resist and resist and then they’ll run away from that change – it was a tough environment.”