Nuthall resident 'delighted' to receive OBE after 40 years in civil service

Nuthall resident Kate Abbott has received an OBE.

The top honour, which stands for Officer of the Order of the British Empire, is awarded to someone for making a great impact in their line of work.

Kate Abbott, who was born in Bestwood and has lived in Nuthall for more than 10 years, was awarded her OBE in the 2023 King’s Birthday Honours list for her work in Human Resources and mental health.

Kate is currently the head of learning and development at Acas, which gives employees and employers free, impartial advice on workplace rights, rules and best practice.

She said: “I joined Acas in June this year after transferring from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities where I had worked for more than 20 years.

“In total, I have worked in the civil service for just under 40 years.”

During her time in the Levelling Up department, Kate established many practices, processes, systems, training initiatives and networks aimed at raising awareness of mental health-related issues and supporting positive wellbeing in the workplace.

She added: “I have also worked as a mental health ambassador for the last 10 years, providing one-to-one support to colleagues with a mental health issue.

“My aim was always to ensure that everyone had an opportunity to feel well and flourish at work.”

During the Covid-19 pandemic Kate led on the health and wellbeing policy, ensuring that staff needs were responded to quickly as they moved into pressure or high intensity response roles and adapted to a new way of working.

In addition to her mental health work, Kate has also been praised for developing and establishing capability, performance management and leadership development strategies with wellbeing at their heart.

Kate was awarded her OBE in the 2023 King’s Birthday Honours list, which was revealed earlier this summer.

She said: “It is wonderful to have my work recognised in such a way. I was delighted to accept my OBE.”