South West Business leader wins ‘Best Director’ award

News
05/07/2019

Delt’s Chief Executive Giles Letheren honoured with award by Institute of Directors


A South West Business leader has been crowned as the ‘Public Sector Director of the Year’ at this year’s South West 2019 Director of the Year awards.


Giles Letheren, Chief Executive of Derriford-based Delt Shared Services, was honoured with the award by the Institute of Director’s (IoD’s) new national chair, Charlotte Valeur, at the ceremony in Bristol on 11th June.


The organisation supports, represents and sets standards for business leaders nationwide, with the annual awards given annually to celebrate leadership, talent and success, and recognise the most inspiring and pioneering business leaders.


All the winners, amongst which were the Chief Executive of the Cornwall Air Ambulance Trust and Commercial Director at ETM Recycling, were commended by the judges for their clear strategies, vision and drive in establishing and heading up a range of diverse businesses in both the public and private sectors.


Letheren, who is in his fifth year at Delt, was delighted to receive the honour, saying,

“I am overwhelmed to have received such an acclaim. Delt has so much to be proud of, with an expanding portfolio of partner businesses and an exceptional team all thriving and working together to create a steady stream of exciting and innovative results.”

“I’m honoured to have the opportunity to lead the company forward during this exciting time - and look forward to everything we’ll achieve in the future.”


Delt Shared Services is an innovative partnership between the county’s local government and the NHS. Delivering back office services ranging from IT to payroll and pension administration, the company is owned by the public sector but operates as a private limited company - with all profits being returned to its clients.


Letheren’s award comes as part of growing recognition for the business; Delt Shared Services was also recently finalists for both Employer of the Year and Large Business of the Year at the Plymouth Business Awards in May.


Having began his career in theatre and television before turning into management consultancy and IT leadership on both sides of the Atlantic, Letheren has been CIO for the MoD's US operations, as well as both Head of Transformation Communications and Change and Head of Solution Delivery for Babcock International.


From these positions, Letheren found a passion for driving palpable change at pace, whilst working with the intention of aiding the public sectors. At Delt, he was able to combine these principles through expanding the services the company offers, diversifying from the IT Support the company was historically known known for.


Now, with Letheren’s guidance, the company specialises in providing significant financial benefits, greater resilience and faster innovation to the South West, allowing them to focus on the aspects of their business they specialise in, such as handling payroll data for schools and installing wifi networks in hospitals.


Today, Delt adds £12.5 million worth of socio-economic value to the region and have created around 300 jobs within the companies they serve; primarily within organisations that serve the public interest.


One of the IoD’s main aims is to raise awareness among its members, the wider business community and the general public of the extensive contribution companies make to an area’s prosperity. IoD South West chairman and Chartered Director Muir Macdonald outlined how the ceremony echoes these sentiments,

“This event is one of the highlights of our year as it turns the spotlight on the people actually driving our economy and contributing to the prosperity of our society on a day to day basis.”


Jane White, Head of Workforce and Brand at Delt, said,

“We’re delighted that Giles has been recognised for not only his personal vision and talent, but all the hard work he invests in Delt.”


The winners from the night will now represent the South West at the IoD National Director of the Year awards in the autumn, being considered against the top business leaders from across the country in an attempt to pick up the highest award.