Vivienne Fay, Founder and Managing Director of Irwin HR, joins the judging panel for the HR Leadership & Management Awards 2026, bringing over 25 years of senior management experience in HR consultation, executive coaching, and organisational culture development.

As creator of The CARE Model® and author of All You Have to Do Is CARE, she brings a practical, model-based approach to evaluating how HR initiatives empower managers, strengthen leadership confidence, and unlock organisational growth through people-centred practice.

Irwin HR partners with ambitious organisations to unlock growth through confident people management, strong leadership, and empowered workplace cultures. Vivienne's work integrates executive coaching, mediation, and training, grounded in deep expertise across work psychology and organisational behaviour, earned through an MBA and MSc in Work and Organisational Behaviour complementing her extensive commercial leadership experience.

The CARE Model® represents Vivienne's signature contribution to people management practice, providing clarity and structure for managers leading with confidence and commitment. Her published work translates complex HR and leadership concepts into actionable frameworks that organisations can embed across management layers, ensuring HR strategy translates into improved day-to-day leadership practice rather than remaining theoretical.

As an awards judge, Vivienne evaluates submissions through the lens of manager empowerment and leadership effectiveness. Her assessment focuses on HR initiatives that strengthen manager confidence, clarify expectations, and create conditions for empowered workplace cultures where accountability and support operate in balance.

Her involvement strengthens the judging panel's evaluation of entries across people management and leadership categories including engagement strategy, leadership development, workplace culture, and HR team effectiveness, where the quality of manager-employee relationships and leadership clarity represent foundational drivers of organisational performance.

The HR Leadership & Management Awards 2026 ceremony will take place on Thursday, October 15th, 2026 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Santry. Entries remain open until June 19th, 2026, with finalists announced August 17th.

Organisations preparing submissions should demonstrate how their HR initiatives strengthen manager capability, empower employees, and create clear, confident leadership practices across the organisation. Vivienne Fay's presence on the judging panel signals the awards' commitment to recognising people-centred HR strategies that enable managers to lead effectively and organisations to unlock sustainable growth.

Visit the official HR Leadership & Management Awards website to review award categories, access entry guidance, and explore past winners. Submit your achievements before the July 3rd deadline to have your people management and leadership initiatives evaluated by this year's expert judging panel.