Young communicator's pride

20/01/2006

Joanne Dye won the Young Communicator of the Year Award at the prestigious Chartered Institute of Public Relations North East PRide Awards.

Joanne, 30, from Houghton le Spring and now living near Ryton, Gateshead, collected her coveted trophy at a glittering awards night at the NewcastleGateshead Hilton Hotel. (19 Jan).

She works in Northumbrian Water’s Communications and PR team based at the company’s head office in Durham.

The PRide Awards are the only UK PR awards that showcase the best PR work being carried out in the regions.

Joanne said: “I’m thrilled and honoured to win this award. It’s great to be recognised by fellow professionals and now I look forward to building on my experience to go on to greater things.

“I work as part of a tremendously talented team for a terrific company and this award is a tribute to the support, training, help, advice and guidance which has been readily given since I started work with Northumbrian Water ten years ago.”

Initially Joanne worked as an administrative assistant before moving on to secretarial and personal assistant duties and then joining the communications team about three years ago.  

PRide Award judging is tough for this category. Senior practitioners from the North East reviewed entries to select those who went through to the second round of judging. Shortlisted candidates were then interviewed by a panel before winners were chosen.

Joanne shared the Young Communicator honour with Lindsey McKenna, who works for The Bridges shopping centre in Sunderland.

Jan Hillary, Chair CIPR North East said: "This is the first time in this region that we have had two finalists with the same matrix score but they both had great interviews and above all the enthusiasm and confidence they displayed was first class.”

Northumbrian Water also won a silver award on the night for its integrated PR campaign ‘Grease Monkey’ which highlights the problems caused when fat is poured down the drain. Joanne Dye who worked on the campaign also collected that award with her marketing colleague Jen Armstrong.

For further information contact: Joanne Dye 0191-301-6733 or mobile 07764-926-729