HIGHER PURPOSE

Rachael Steed introduces the winners of the Finlays United Awards

The Finlays United Global Recognition Awards celebrate the incredible contributions of our people worldwide. They seek to recognize and celebrate individuals who are living our values and delivering on our purpose. This year was the fifth edition of the awards and we received an amazing 532 nominations – a real testament to the great work our people are doing each and every day.

HIGHER PURPOSE

ACTING FOR THE LONG-TERM AWARD

This award celebrates people who have “done the right thing today for a better tomorrow”. This means ensuring we look after our people, the planet, and always seek to make Finlays and our partners stronger for the future.

Winner: Tom Blackwall, Finlay Beverages

Tom Blackwall was recognized for his leadership on La Celia, a low-carbon coffee produced solely by women. His dedication over the past four years has led to this coffee being stocked by Sainsbury’s, one of our biggest U.K. customers. Tom is continuing to build La Celia’s success by increasing the number of farmers involved from 16 to 32, with a view to using this project as a blueprint for our wider business.

TAKING ACCOUNTABILITY AWARD

This award is for those who have taken ownership of their words, actions and results. It recognizes people who have done what it takes to get the job done, delivered for our colleagues, customers or partners, and, who are accountable for their actions.

Winner: Paul Houlker, Finlay Beverages

Paul Houlker was recognized for winning business with one of the U.K.’s biggest supermarket chains. Starting from scratch, Paul worked with the customer and internal stakeholders to build engagement and showcase the benefits of partnering with Finlays across Tea and Coffee.

SAFETY CHAMPION AWARD

This award is for those who have demonstrated excellent safety leadership and exemplify our Always Safe ethos.

Winner: Kapila Navaratna, Finlays Colombo

Under Kapila’s leadership, our Haldummulla team in Colombo maintained a 100% safety record, completing 295 safe days out of 295. Kapila’s focus on safety and risk management fostered a culture of accountability and responsibility.

DELIVERING OUR PURPOSE AWARD

This award recognizes those who have delivered on our Purpose of “Empowering our customers to create a world where every sip brings joy”.

Winner: Sally McCarthy and Tom Blackwall, Finlay Beverages

Sally and Tom supported Sainsbury’s, one of our largest U.K. customers, in moving its tea offering to Fairtrade, representing a significant step forward for the industry. Their efforts contribute to a world where every sip brings joy across the supply chain.

SUCCEEDING TOGETHER AWARD

This award recognizes those who have collaborated to deliver excellence and have valued each other’s contributions. This value is all about teamwork, support, encouragement, recognition and leveraging the wealth of expertise that exists at Finlays.

Winner: A Cross-Functional Team from Damin

This team, including Yang Yuanwang, Wang Xiangyue, Zhang Shuguang, Chen Yizhen, Zhang Li, Xu Huiwen, Liu Jia, Liu Bohu, Zhang Yalan, Zhu Wenjia, Zhou Zhichao, Gao Zhumin, Zheng Huoxiong, Huang Nanhu, Zhang Xiaoliang, and Cai Yongyu, delivered a remarkable revenue increase with a key customer. They worked tirelessly on new projects, including innovative offerings and competitive flavor profiles.

DOING BETTER EACH TIME AWARD

This award is for those who have challenged themselves and others to build a stronger Finlays. It recognizes people who have found better ways to do tasks,
who have delighted our customers or stakeholders, and who have been ambitious in their goals.

Winners: Commercial Team from Finalys Solutions

The team, comprising Ryan Collins, EJ Sousa, Mike Dascoli, Marisa Bouley, and Don Noah, secured new business with a key customer. This achievement marked the first sale of a finished solution from the tea extract portfolio, setting the stage for future successes.

Congratulations to all the winners, finalists, and nominees for their outstanding achievements and contributions to Finlays!

Rachael Steed

Group Head of HR