The 2024 winner is Charleigh Churchill of OCS Amika Guest Services
Jo Tattum, Head of Partnerships at Moneypenny, Principal Partner and Judge for Corporate Receptionist of the Year, announced that Charleigh Churchill of OCS Amika Guest Services was the winner of the Award for 2024 and the recipient of the coveted trophy.
Charleigh tells us how it feels to win
“I did not expect this at all. It’s been an incredible journey and I’m so grateful for all of the people I’ve met along the way. I’m so honoured to have won Corporate Receptionist of the Year 2024.”
Shortly after receiving the trophy, she was clearly delighted with her achievement. She goes on to pinpoint the key qualities that all fantastic receptionists have and goes on to share a few tips for anyone considering entering the competition next year.
“Do it. Do it. Don’t think twice. Do it. It sounds so daunting. And trust me, I know it is. I went back and forth on the application process. It was a new thing for my company and myself. But do it. It’s an opportunity you will never, ever regret.”
Awards for 2nd & 3rd Places plus Highly Commended Finalists
Jo Tattum went on to announce that, ‘the judges wanted to make three further awards for exceptional individuals with a 2nd place, a 3rd place plus a highly commended, from the ten finalists who attended the assessment day. This was because it was so difficult to separate each of them.
2nd Place Finalist
Jennifer Heyworth, Rapport at Bank of America
“I have a natural inclination towards helping others and enjoy the dynamic nature of customer interactions.”
3rd Place Finalist
Leah-Emelia Tenorio, ISS Livv
“I take great satisfaction in finding unique solutions to daily challenges and providing a helping hand.”
Highly Commended Finalist
Lily Bramwell, Portico at Evelyn Partners
“I love how rewarding it is making a client’s experience the best it can possibly be.”
Welcome to this special awards event
Greg Mace, Chief Experience Officer at Riverstone and Founder of Corporate Receptionist of the Year opened the award event by saying, “welcome to this special awards evening dedicated to recognising the exceptional contributions of corporate receptionists across the UK & Ireland. Our previous winners have been wonderful ambassadors, and this year saw a record number of exceptional entrants, making it difficult to choose the final ten.
I enjoyed meeting the finalists at the assessment day, where they excelled in interviews, role plays, and team exercises. Tonight, we honour your dedication, hard work, and positive impact. Your commitment to excellence is truly inspiring.”
It’s a pleasure to celebrate
Dirk Talsma, Managing Director of Rapport and Restaurant Associates Venues, Chair of Corporate Receptionist of the Year says, “it’s a pleasure to celebrate and recognise the 10 best receptionists in the corporate front of house sector across the UK and Ireland.
Now in its 5th year, the competition continues to grow in prestige. This year saw record participation with nearly 70 applicants, making the achievement of our 10 finalists even more special.”
Previous winners have enjoyed career success
Derek Williams, Head Judge and Founder of the WOW! Awards, says, “all the judges found it tough to choose a winner, highlighting the competition’s rigour in evaluating every aspect of being a Corporate Receptionist.
This challenging, sector-specific award celebrates incredibly talented finalists who should be very proud. Previous finalists have enjoyed career success, and it’s my pleasure to be part of the judging process.”
Highlighting the crucial role of receptionists
Jo Tattum, Head of Partnerships at Moneypenny, Principal Partner and Judge says, “Moneypenny is proud to support the Corporate Receptionist of the Year Awards, highlighting the critical role of receptionists.
As a judge, I sought candidates with agility, adaptability, excellent communication, passion, and personality. This year’s entrants excelled, demonstrating the high standards we celebrate in our own team at Moneypenny.”
See all ten finalists
Exceptional front of house receptionists working in the corporate sector for 2024. “All the finalists were simply incredible and should be very proud of their achievements. We hope that this competition will attract more talented individuals to our sector of the hospitality industry,” says Dirk Talsma, Chair of Corporate Receptionist of the Year Award.
Ever wondered how the ten finalists are selected?
We have developed an open, rigorous and independent judging process. 70 applications were submitted by the 1st March 2024 deadline and each individual had to complete a detailed questionnaire, endorsed by their manager. Then upload their CV and a short 45 second video to bring alive their personalities.
Once the deadline for applications had passed, the organisers ensured that they all complied with the rules of the competition and created a long list of the best 20. These were then sent to the panel of 16 independent judges, who each submitted their scores. From which the 10 finalists were selected to attend the assessment day on 19th April 2024.
What happened on the assessment day?
Each finalist took park in a traditional interview, a role play, a phone play and a group exercise to see how they behaved as a team. They all enjoyed the day, as they met and talked to others at the top of their profession as well as meeting two previous Corporate receptionist of the Year winners.
They learnt a lot from the experience and commented on how all the judges put them at ease, so that they could perform at their very best.
Face-to-face and phone role plays
Two previous winners of Corporate Receptionist of the Year and one of the judges developed two face-to-face role play scenarios that would really challenge and test each of the finalists on the assessment day. It takes really talented individuals with ice-cool nerves, to serve two separate ‘actors’ at the same time, with one being ‘stressed-out’ and difficult to deal with; in two separate scenarios, under exam conditions lasting up to 20 minutes.
On judging the phone role play, Jo Tattum from principle competition partner, MoneyPenny says; “ Corporate receptionists need to be agile, adaptable and have first class communication skills. In addition to these qualities, I was on the look-out for passion and personality. Our 10 finalists this year absolutely delivered!”
Group exercise tests team dynamics
The group exercise revealed how each of the finalists behaved when in a team. Split in to two teams, each had to build a tower out of spaghetti, sticky tape and string, then place a marsh mallow on the top. The tallest one, won.
The panel of judges were divided into pairs and each pair marked each of the finalists on one of four pre-defined skill sets or traits, and then their scores were combined to find the best performing individual
What do the judges look for?
They look for receptionists with real personality and a passion for what they do, and especially for those who enjoy engaging with people from different walks of life. It is even better if they share the organisers excitement for this industry, for showcasing the career opportunities, and for inspiring future generations of receptionists.
If you work in the Corporate Sector and would like to observe for the whole or part of the Assessment Day for 2025 are welcome and encouraged to get in touch with the organisers.