City highlights services and innovation

Mayor Jim Watson and City Manager Kent Kirkpatrick presented the 2015 City Manager’s Award for Excellence (CMAE) at today’s City Council meeting. The annual CMAE, now in its ninth year, is comprised of four categories and represents the highest distinction employees can receive through the City’s corporate recognition program.

The CMAE awards program provides employees with the opportunity to nominate co-workers and managers who improve the workplace or who contribute significantly to a better community in one of four categories: Making People a Priority, Demonstrating Leadership, Turning Ideas into Results – Community, and Turning Ideas into Results – Internal.

“City employees take pride in providing excellent service to Ottawa residents.These awards present an opportunity to recognize and celebrate some of the most knowledgeable and motivated individuals in the corporation for their dedication to excellence,” said Mayor Watson. “The awards are an important acknowledgment of outstanding leadership, improved services and innovation that ultimately benefit the entire city.”

The award in the category of Making People a Priority was presented to the team responsible for the City’s website. The team was recognized for creating and managing a citizen-centric approach to ottawa.ca that aims to transform how the City of Ottawa engages with and provides services and information to clients.

In the category of Demonstrating Leadership, the 2015 CMAE was presented to Steven Hiscox, a Facilities Supervisor at the Peter D. Clark Long-Term Care Home, for his engaging leadership style and ability to inspire and motivate co-workers through his strong communication skills and willingness to share and exchange knowledge and ideas.

This year’s CMAE for Turning Ideas into Results in the internal category was presented to Robin Souchen for expertly managing a complex workload involving the acquisition of real property, appraisal of City-owned properties and negotiation and execution of leases. Mr. Souchen was honoured for his knowledge and skill in managing and negotiating complex multi-party deals.

For Turning Ideas into Results in the external category, Zlatko Krstulic received the CMAE for leading high-profile cycling-related projects in Ottawa and for his dedication to developing and implementing sustainable transportation projects that improve the mobility of Ottawa residents.

“This award recognizes the dedication of staff to providing excellent service to residents,” said City Manager Kent Kirkpatrick. “I appreciate this opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate these individuals and their achievements, and I extend my sincere thanks to all the award recipients and nominees.”

June is the City of Ottawa’s employee recognition month, a fitting time to present these awards for outstanding accomplishments.