Volkswagen internal communication team clinches Gold Quill Awards

Volkswagen Group South Africa’s (VWSA) Internal Communication and Learning Academy teams were recently recognised for communication excellence which landed them two prestigious International Association of Business Communication (IABC) Gold Quill Awards.

The IABC has been recognising excellence in strategic communication worldwide for over 40 years. The Silver Quill Awards programme recognises business communication excellence across the African continent while the Gold Quill is the only awards programme that honours the dedication, innovation and passion of communication on a global scale.

The Leadership Communication Excellence training initiative run by the Communications Division and Learning Academy for Production, that received a Silver Quill Award earlier in 2023, was resubmitted to the international committee and received a Gold Quill Excellence Award and Best of the Best Award in the Communication Training and Education category.

Margaret Loughead, VWSA Internal Communication Specialist, said the Communication Excellence training focused on empowering and connecting leadership with their teams. “Our aim was to enable leadership to create a climate of openness and improved two-way communication within their teams. This training initiative allowed us to train over 300 Production Leaders in effective communication. Receiving both Gold Quill Awards means that we have been recognised for business communication excellence not just across the African continent, but also globally. This is a huge accolade for the Internal Communication and Learning Academy teams,” said Loughead.

Ashwin Harri, Production Division Head, said the training was positively received by production leaders. “The training provided production leadership with the opportunity to reflect on their individual communication styles and it gave them insight into the impact of effective communication. There has also been an improvement in two-way communication and speak-up culture due to the techniques they acquired on how to engage effectively,” said Harri

Liza Wilmot, Production Academy Manager, said the offering was tailored to address the specific needs of the production environment. “The training was structured in such a way that it allowed for real conversations, stories and reflection and transcended the hierarchies which often impede communication flow,” said Wilmot.

The Gold Quill Awards is testimony to the commitment of the Communication Division as well as the Learning Academy to continually improve their skills through global benchmarking.