Family-run producer, Gressingham Foods, has revealed how it fought off a record number of entrants to be awarded the Large Organisation of the Year Award at the British HR Awards 2026.
Now in their fifth year, The British HR Awards aim to discover and celebrate the individuals, teams and suppliers who are passionate about delivering a world-class people experience. Gressingham Foods, known for producing premium duck and speciality poultry, stood out amongst more than 450 organisations across the UK for ground-breaking management and leadership projects, designed in partnership with leading East Anglia-based business training provider, Jarrold Training.
“We are thrilled to receive this award for our bespoke programme which turns real operational problems into a learning journey,” says Chris Morley, Managing Director of Gressingham Foods. “Rather than taking 150 managers out of the business for workshops, they were asked to lead one live improvement project using our DUCCK process; (Define, Understand, Consider, Choose and Kick start), and turn everyday frustrations into measurable operational and people outcomes.”
The project was created to equip managers across multiple sites to be able to improve real processes in a fast-paced food manufacturing environment and build a strong, values-lead leadership culture. There were three principles to the design; learning anchored to live business projects, deliberate spacing between sessions to enable application, and essential theory paired with practical tools and real-world use.
“There have been clear benefits that have been evident in behaviours and attitudes across the business. Not only have we seen an improvement in general people skills, we have also seen tangible financial benefits in staff feeling empowered to deliver projects for cost savings and efficiencies, many of which have been implemented,” adds Chris.
Jarrold Training’s Leadership and Management programme was built around practical application in the flow of work, rather than theory-only workshops, and delivered over £1 million in projected savings across five areas: technology and equipment, packaging and materials, transport and handling, operational efficiency and giveaway reduction.
Alongside the financial impact, operational gains included annual water savings of 5.2 million litres through a £500 process change, improved audit scores in hatchery environments, reduced microbacteria levels across key sites, stronger biosecurity and breakdown preparedness, and smoother production flow and improved staff readiness.
“We’re incredibly proud to receive this award alongside Gressingham Foods. This partnership has been built on trust, ambition and a shared belief that learning should deliver real business impact. It’s an honour to see that work recognised on this stage,” said Susie Jarrold, Managing Director of Jarrold Training.
The Gressingham Foods’ board is now considering larger-scale, capital-intensive projects emerging from DUCCK work, cementing this as a self-funding model of learning and innovation that is reshaping Gressingham’s people experience and business performance.
The British HR awards are organised by employee insight platform, New Possible, and returned for its fifth year on 22nd April 2026 to discover and celebrate the teams and individuals that are passionate about delivering a world-class people experience. For more information visit https://newpossible.io/british-hr-awards
For more information on Gressingham Foods visit https://www.gressinghamduck.co.uk/