Finalists for Excellence
22 September 2009
Liverpool John Moores University has been announced as a Finalist in the prestigious EFQM Excellence Awards for 2009.
The announcement follows a rigorous application and assessment process involving a week-long site visit to the University by eight assessors in June this year. Their findings were then examined by a jury of leading European Business leaders and a total of 14 Finalists in various award categories and from across Europe have been announced. LJMU is one of the finalists in the Large Public Sector/Not-for-Profit category. The final awards will be made on Monday 28th September at a gala dinner in Brussels.
The EFQM Excellence awards have been running since 1992, with just 39 award winners in all categories up to 2008, including some of the biggest names in Europe – BMW, Nokia, Bosch to name but three. The process assesses all aspects an organisations performance, in terms of leadership; strategic management; management of people, partnerships, resources, and processes. The standards are very high, and in some years awards have not been presented because the overall standards have not been met by any finalist. “It is a very tough competition,” says Paul Evans, LJMU’s Director of Business Excellence, who knows exactly how tough having acted as an award assessor in Europe for nine years with several assignment organisations being eventual finalists and winners. “Organisations getting to the finalist level in Europe are universally accepted as world class. It is a huge achievement for the University, irrespective of whether or not we go on to win a special prize or full award next week.”
The achievement builds on LJMU’s success as a winner of the UK Excellence Award in 2008. “In football terms, the UK Award was like winning the Premiership – right now we are in the European Champions League final,” says Paul.
Vice-Chancellor Professor Michael Brown commented: “The Board of Governors and Strategic Management Team have set out a clear agenda for LJMU to be a well-managed and strategically- different University. Being an EFQM Excellence Award finalist one year ahead of plan is a strong demonstration of our abilities in this regard; and a massive compliment to the skill and dedication of all our staff in embracing a very different way of managing a University.”
