Chris Youness: Dave Ulrich HR Practitioner

Congratulations to Chris Youness, Senior HR Partner, on being named Dave Ulrich HR Practitioner for 2012 at the Australian Human Resources Institute Awards (AHRI) dinner held in Sydney on Thursday 6 December.

The Australian Human Resources Institute Awards is Australia's premier human resources awards, recognising individuals and organisations that have demonstrated excellence in their contribution to business and the HR profession. The Dave Ulrich HR Practitioner Award recognises HR practitioners who demonstrate excellence through their achievement of business outcomes.

Susan Hudson, Director, HR Strategy and Services, nominated Chris for the award and sought referees from across the University to support the application.

"Being awarded the Australian Human Resource Institute HR Practitioner of the Year affirms that HR Strategy & Services and the Office of People and Culture at UWS are industry leading and highlights our commitment to HR best practice," says Chris. "It was a great honour to represent UWS at the national AHRI Awards and be successful against some highly regarded private and public candidates. It will definitely go down as a career highlight."

Chris began working at the University in 2007 as a Human Resources Officer. During his employment here, he has undertaken several secondments, including working as a Project Officer on the initial 100 New Academic Appointments campaign –  a domestic and international campaign to attract and employ a wide range of high-profile academic staff.

Chris also worked with the Recruitment team, facilitating recruitment requisitions for clients, before joining HR Business Services, which actively works to support Schools and Divisional Units with all of their HR matters.

"UWS has provided numerous opportunities for me as an HR professional simply by being a dynamic place to work that has available opportunities for employees to become involved in the changing higher education landscape," says Chris. "I've also had the opportunity to extend my own work in support services and project management across other areas of the University."

Chris acknowledges many of his colleagues who have taken time to support him throughout his career at UWS. "For me, the many conversations I've had with fellow colleagues have always been learning experiences and I am forever grateful that people have shared their views, experiences and opinions with me," he says. "I am also extremely thankful to my colleagues for taking the time to support my application. Without them this award win would not have been possible."

To find out more about Chris Youness and his role at UWS, read his staff profile.