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In celebration of 'No Disposable Cup Day' earlier this month, we’re delighted to announce that the winner of our 'Design a Travel Cup Competition' is Nathaniel Warren (with help from his daughter). The group-wide competition sought to combine creativity with sustainability, engaging and educating our colleagues on this important topic. The winning design, that will now be fabricated into a real travel mug, visually combines both the essence of our brand and our commitment to nature. It's through initiatives and awareness events like this that we hope to continue to have a positive impact on the environment, encouraging others to do the same and strive for a more sustainable future. Congratulations Nathaniel!
Well done to Autumn Roberts-Mills, Lina Kalai, Charlotte Lau, and Ridhi Singla for completing their GAIN internship with us last Friday, after 6 weeks in the investment team. We were lucky to have them working with us! During their time at XPS, they displayed impressive composure with their presenting skills and organised a fantastic fundraising initiative in the London Office supporting the mental health charity Mind. GAIN UK helps young women & non-binary students begin their investment management careers. We look forward to welcoming more GAIN interns to XPS in the near future. Thank you to Nkolika Ezepue and Cindy Lo for their help in organising this programme and for supporting the interns throughout their time at XPS.
We've been exploring Ayurveda this month for our monthly XPS Wellness Hour! Colleagues got involved by watching a video on an introduction to Ayurveda, participating in a guided meditation and practicing ayurvedic cooking as an extension of our South Asian Heritage Month celebrations. It's an example of how our colleagues continue to foster a culture of wellness and inclusivity.
This year, our colleagues celebrated South Asian Heritage Month (SAHM) by exploring and engaging with the diverse cultures that make up the South Asian community. We shared stories on our community pages and held celebrations at our local offices - with lots of delicious food to share! Held between 18 July - 17 August, SAHM is an annual celebration of the richly diverse traditions, and contributions of the South Asian community.
Mentoring is a vital instrument to empower individuals and help them become their best selves, which is why we were delighted to not only celebrate our first company-wide 'My XPS, My Mentoring' scheme, but also the achievements of programme participants during our first 'Mentoring Wrap-up' event at the end of June. Congratulations to our first ever Mentor and Mentee of the Year award recipients, our highly commended nominees and all others nominated! It's thanks to the commitment and enthusiasm of all the participants that the mentoring scheme was a success - so much so that we are looking forward to accepting another round of applicants for the next year . Mentor of the Year Winner: Bea Patel Highly Commended: Robert Evans Mentee of the Year Winner: Johnathan Adams Highly Commended: Lorrie Charles
Big congratulations to our 9 XPS colleagues who have been shortlisted for the Professional Pensions 2024 Rising Stars Awards ⭐ The star worthy XPS finalists are: ▪ Trainee of the Year: Emma Coleman, CFA and Leah Magee ▪ Actuary/ Consultant of the Year: Caroline Cavanagh ▪ Actuarial/ Advisory Trainee of the Year: Laura Maginn ▪ Administrator of the Year: Stella K. ▪ Investment Trainee of the Year: Hugh Carrington and James Kidd, CFA ▪ Excellence in Customer Service and Communication Award: Tori J Watson ▪ Mentor of the Year: Laura Johnson XPS Group has also been shortlisted for the Organisational Award for Supporting Development and the Organisational Award for Training Scheme of the Year. Good luck to all the finalists!
Our Values are at the heart of everything we do, guiding every step we take. That is why it's important for us to celebrate the individuals who embody these principles in our annual Values in Practice awards! The awards cover our XPS Values: "We are ambitious"; "We are expert"; "We are agile"; "We are helpful"; and "We do the right thing". Individuals are nominated and selected by their colleagues and it's a celebration of the spirit that propels us forward! Congratulations to this year's winners: - We are AGILE - Sophy Black - We are AMBITIOUS - Claire Geekie - We are EXPERT - Finlay Whitehead - We are HELPFUL - Jonathan Gracey - We DO THE RIGHT THING - Alison Gurr - XPS INCLUSIVITY CHAMPION - Emily McgGurk - New award category: XPS COMMUNITY AWARD - Elaine Rippon and Wendy Alexander
XPS recently had the pleasure of hosting a group of enthusiastic students for a week long work experience, facilitated by the Education Business Partnership. Over the course of the week, the students learned about careers in investment, actuarial, pensions administration and central functions. We take immense pride in collaborating with the Education Business Partnership, an organisation dedicated to motivating and equipping the next generation of professionals.
We appreciate any opportunity to celebrate our employees, so we'd like to introduce you to Samantha Hobbs, Managing Consultant, chair of our Health and Menopause Network, winner of the 'Do the Right Thing' XPS Values in Practice award in 2023, and a valued member of XPS Group. Watch this video to find out what led her to a career in pensions and what motivates her in her role.
In July we welcomed XPS's newest interns, Autumn Roberts-Mills, Lina Kalai, Ridhi Singla and Charlotte Lau, to our London office. They will be completing a six-week internship, which has been made possible through our partnership with GAIN UK. GAIN helps young women & non-binary students begin their investment management careers. We look forward to following their journey and hope to see them fulfilling graduate positions with us in the future. Thank you to Nkolika Ezepue and Cindy Lo for their help in organising this programme and for supporting the interns throughout their time at XPS. Welcome to XPS!
