A Cwmbran woman was among top Welsh employers and HR professionals who were recognised at the second annual Wales HR Awards on Friday evening.

Rhiannon Fitzmaurice, of HWM, was named Best HR Professional - Construction/Manufacturing/Engineering, at the event hosted by journalist and broadcaster Sian Lloyd.

The awards – created in 2017 by Newport-based recruitment agency Acorn and commercial law firm Darwin Gray in partnership with the Wales HR Network - saw companies from every corner of Wales attend the event at the Exchange Hotel in Cardiff.

Bluestone Resorts, Bangor University and specialist IT support provider CircleIT were also among the evening’s success stories, with winners announced in 11 categories, including the new HR Star Award, introduced this year to recognise a professional for an outstanding contribution to HR in Wales.

Acorn’s director of operations for South Wales Maria Larcombe said: “It’s been absolutely fantastic to see so many excellent HR professionals come together to showcase the talent within HR in Wales. The standard of entries has been superb and we have some really deserving winners.

“Once again, it’s been a pleasure to host the awards alongside Darwin Gray as partners of the Wales HR Network and I’m looking forward to seeing what our winners and the profession as a whole can achieve in Wales over the coming months.”

Darwin Gray’s Head of Employment Law and HR Fflur Jones said: “As the Wales HR Network’s annual flagship event, the Awards is a fantastic platform for bringing together HR professionals from all over Wales and across different sectors to recognise and reward their achievements.

“We can all testify that HR is a not an easy profession and isn’t known for being glamorous. However, it is a profession full of dedicated individuals and teams who work hard and quietly achieve great things. It has been wonderful to bring some acknowledgement and celebration into HR, shining a spotlight on the hard work and dedication that often goes on behind the scenes.”