2021 Winners Chartered Manager of the Year

Emma Finney, Innovation Manager and Mental Health First Aider at South Eastern Regional College, and graduate with over 15 years management experience. I hold CMI Chartered Manager accreditation. I am a professional, highly motivated, and organised individual who gains great satisfaction in ensuring success in my many responsibilities. I have experience in both private and public sector in the areas of retail and education. I am a fellow of CMI and Belfast Hub Lead on the Devolved Board of CMI and have recently completed my CMI Level 7 in Strategic Management Practice. I am passionate about people and my mantra is to lead by example and encourage everyone around me both personally and professionally to meet their full potential in all that they do. I am also a wife and mum to two amazing children with one very spoilt fur baby! In my spare time I enjoy walking and swimming, both in a pool and open water.

Daniel McKay-Smith is Regional Director for the UK and Nordics at the leading market intelligence agency Mintel. In his time working for Mintel, he started as an Account Director servicing food and drink clients across the Nordics and Eastern Europe.

Daniel now leads a new business team responsible for winning clients across multiple industries spanning FMCG, Beauty, Financial Services, Retail, Media, Brand and Leisure. Alongside this, he oversees Mintel’s Inside Sales team responsible for selling single copy consumer reports.

Daniel started his career in China, selling advertising space in university career publications to companies eager to attract top graduates. Since then he has developed a passion for sales and coaching others to hit their personal and team goals. Outside of work, Daniel is kept busy by his 2 year old son who gives him a lesson in negotiation most days!

In March 2021, Daniel gained his CMI Level 5 certificate in Leadership and Management. As part of his work based project, he undertook the task of modernising the Inside Sales process.

Payal is a strategic business leader, a change and transformation expert, and a Human Resources Consultant. She passionately believes that engagement and 'bonding' is the unique proposition that makes a difference between ordinary and extra-ordinary. It is because of this belief that she uses gamification and play-based pedagogy based in neuroscience and psychology to really connect with her clients, students and audience. Play! Learn! Bond! This is Payal's mantra in her professional and personal life.

Payal started her career in higher education, grew her expertise in adult learning and has now established herself in the people profession. She champions principles of story telling, multi-sensory approaches to communication and investing in personal branding to anyone asking for tips on their career.

Being a Chartered Manager has been a recent highlight in her career. Although, Payal has worked, studied and lived in India, UAE, Canada and the UK and she has a Masters degree in Human Resources, she absolutely cherishes her Chartered CMgr FCMI title. She is also a Chartered Member of CIPD.

As a founder of the HR and L&D consultancy based in UAE called The Little Gurus, her qualification and professional credentials lend her credibility and competitive edge in the field. She is also a tutor and assessor for the CIPD and CMI qualifications. Payal is a passionate entrepreneur, playful mother of two and a powerful champion of women in leadership!

Simon Cyhanko joined Northumbrian Water Group in 2001 having graduated from Lancaster University with a BSc and MSc in Environmental Management. In his time at Northumbrian he has developed his career through working in various different roles across operations. Since 2015 Simon has worked in the Wastewater Network function where he has led significant performance improvements against key regulatory measures including pollutions and sewer flooding. In 2019 Simon was appointed as Head of Wastewater Networks.

Outside of the day-to-day role Simon has always taken his professional development seriously. Some achievements include him being recognised as a Chartered Environmentalist, Chartered Manager and he received the Dean’s award on completion of his BA in Leadership and Management in 2012 for which he was awarded First Class Honours. More recently Simon became a Fellow of the Institute of Water an organisation he chaired until 2019.

Outside of work Simon is a keen runner with the Sunderland Strollers and he has just started a 12-week programme to further improve his half marathon time. Simon also likes to travel with girlfriend Julie and wherever possible, being a third generation Ukrainian he likes to do whatever he can to maintain his heritage.