The first annual Rowan International Awards Ceremony was held on October 16th, 2025, at Downham Hall — a stylish country house and event space just 20 minutes from Rowan’s main HQ.
These new annual awards were created to celebrate colleagues who consistently embody Rowan’s core values of trust, commitment, and care, and who help drive the company’s ongoing success.
The stunning venue was beautifully decorated with pink and white roses and a cascade of blue balloons — the company’s signature colour.
The 51 members of the Rowan HQ team were invited to vote anonymously online across nine award categories. The question was: who would take home the honours?
The afternoon began with a cream tea featuring fizz, sandwiches, and cakes, while the team enjoyed a special video celebrating life and culture at Rowan. Attendees also took a moment to write gratitude cards, expressing appreciation for colleagues, experiences, or meaningful moments at Rowan, and pin them up.
Following this thoughtful start, Sarah Guest (Managing Director) and Will Robinson (Director of Operations) shared highlights from the year, reflecting on the company’s achievements and reminding everyone how each team member plays a vital role in Rowan’s success. It was an inspiring reminder of how individual contributions come together to create the bigger picture.
Then came the moment everyone had been waiting for — the Awards!
And here were the standout winners:
- Rising Star: Keke Sheard, Warehouse Coordinator, for going above and beyond to deliver
- Entrepreneurial Spirit: Emma Willets, Junior Buyer, for always seeking out new opportunities and driving success.
- Kindness: Paul Gent, Assistant Accountant, for always looking out for the welfare of others
- Tenacity: Lawrie Noctor, Commercial Manager, for always trying until he reach that goal
- All-Rounder: Paul Mason, Senior National Account Manager, handles any challenges with confidence while contributing in multiple ways
- Problem solving: Katie Lees, for always overcoming any challenge
- Everyday hero: Hannah Smith, for always making an impact, every day
- Resilience: James Green, for always keep going even when the chips are down
- Collaboration: Rob West, for always working together for a better outcome
The event concluded with a heartfelt vote of thanks and a renewed sense of unity and motivation for the year ahead. A social media wall allowed winners to be photographed with their certificates and share their achievements online, while a vision board encouraged the team to post their goals and aspirations for 2026 — truly inspiring!
A big thank you goes to the events team, Marie Haskins and Iulia Musat, for creating such a magical afternoon — and for successfully keeping the award winners a secret until the big reveal!
Sarah Guest summed up the spirit of the event perfectly:
“What a great afternoon we all had. Huge congratulations to all the worthy winners, and thanks to everyone who voted and attended. Here’s to next year’s awards!”
