North East HR&D Awards 2025 – Meet the partners: Sullivan Brown HR Recruitment and MI-Say

With less than two months to go until the 2025 North East HR&D Awards, N continues the countdown to the showpiece event by speaking to category partners Sullivan Brown HR Recruitment and MI-Say. Here, the firms – which are supporting the Excellence in People & Technology Award – highlight the importance of employee advocacy to business growth. 

Forward-thinking businesses are increasingly realising their most powerful brand ambassadors are not found in marketing departments – they are among their own employees.

Employee advocacy – where employees promote their company organically – is emerging as a critical lever for brand trust, talent acquisition and growth, and yet it remains a significantly underutilised measure.

Julia Smith, co-founder and chief business psychologist of employee research specialist MI-Say, says: “When employees feel heard and valued, that drives advocacy.

“Effective listening strategies allow organisations to understand what really matters to their people, which builds trust and deeper connection.”

Recruiters also note a clear link between internal engagement and external perception.

Maureen Brown, co-founder and chief executive of MI-Say and Sullivan Brown HR Recruitment, says: “When employees are genuinely engaged and advocate for where they work, that sends a powerful message, promoting employer brand and creating an authentic employee value proposition.”

“Technology plays an important enabling role, with listening platforms and digital engagement tools providing real-time insights into workforce sentiment, though human connection remains essential to providing the right conditions for employee voice and turning honest insight into action.”

In a world where agility, innovation and inclusion define competitive advantage, listening to your people is no longer just a nice-to-have – it’s the foundation of sustained success.

By embracing employee voice, we can create workplaces that foster trust, engagement and a shared commitment to growth.

That is the true power of employee advocacy.

Sullivan Brown HR Recruitment

To hire the best HR people to build employee advocacy, visit www.sullivanbrown.co.uk

MI-Say

To learn more about how to measure and improve advocacy in your business, visit www.mi-say.com

North East HR&D Awards

Click here for more information about how to buy tickets for the 2025 North East HR&D Awards. To learn more about sponsorship opportunities and how to become a North East HR&D Awards partner, contact:

Lesley Hampson – lesley@netimesmagazine.co.uk / 07748 908058

Dawn Owens – dawn@netimesmagazine.co.uk / 07789 666437

www.northeasthrdawards.co.uk

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