We are thrilled to be shortlisted for this year's awards across a number of categories, including:

"Trailblazing Company of the Year"
"Championing Gender Inclusivity"
"Employer of the Year" and
"Digital Marketing and Recruitment Campaign of the Year"

https://hubs.li/Q01MfS3y0

Sapphire was set up in 2009 as a husband and wife partnership, after careers with top-tier financial institutions.  We decided to create a company whose core value is to provide the highest standards of professional services,  which is the reason for making concerted efforts to attract and retain the best talent available. An important step to accomplish this is to set goals to ensure a fair working environment that is inclusive and diverse. 

"We firmly believe that an unjust workplace starts at the top of the organisation."

To best support our clients, we had to figure out the best ways to recruit the right kind of people. In order to recruit the right people we wanted to offer an environment that celebrates peoples’ individuality, dreams, aspirations, and happiness. Above all, we insist on an environment that is psychologically safe! We believe from our own experience that enabling such a workplace is a good reason to join our team.

As working parents ourselves, we completely understand the challenges of combining a career with nurturing and developing a family and we strive to create an environment that allows our employees the flexibility to achieve both.  We believe in providing a focus on family-friendly HR practices, combined with a blended model of employee training and development opportunities.

"Selecting the right service providers is a critical part to attaining our goals. "

For the past two years, Sapphire has participated in the British Business Bank’s Investment in Women Code, where gender data is collected from investment pitches and private equity fundings of women led / owned businesses are monitored. 

"We are very proud of our B-Corp Status."

In December 2022, Sapphire became certified as a B-Corp, one of the few Northern Irish companies to have attained this certification.  Such certification recognises our focus on seeking to transform the way business is conducted globally to benefit all people and communities.  

"In 2019, Sapphire hosted the first Women in Venture Capital panel discussion to ever have been held in Northern Ireland."

We are a signatory to HM Treasury's Women in Finance Charter since 2018.  Every Sapphire employee is tasked to make efforts to address gender equality, such as participating in career day discussions at their local schools or community centres, publishing thought-provoking blogs on gender equality, or attending diversity and inclusion networking events.

"The fact that our progress in meeting our gender parity goals is publicly available on our website makes the entire team accountable for effecting change."

For example, every Sapphire employee is required to complete an unconscious bias course as part of their induction training.  As signatories to the British Business Bank (BBB) Investing in Women Code,  every team member is also required to facilitate reporting on the gender data from the investment activity.  

Gender diversity has now become a topic of discussion that is no longer limited to females, exemplified by Boyd’s recent blog. 

"Men as allies are important to closing the gender pay gap and celebrating inclusivity.  This powerful collective voice resonates with many different people globally."

We may be a small team of professionals, but that does not excuse us from working hard toward improving ourselves and our community.  This is unlocked by knowing that work performed to a high standard can only be delivered by teams that are happy, healthy, responsible and vibrant.