A nursery director from Congleton has won a prestigious industry award.

Emma Langford, European people director at Busy Bees, has been crowned HR Director of the Year at the inaugural Nursery Management Power List Awards.

The award recognises Emma's work to embed a 'people-first culture' that is driving measurable improvements in employee engagement, retention, and overall experience.

She said: "This award is particularly special for me because I feel so passionate about the sector and the importance of giving children the best start in life.

"The progress we've made from an HR perspective is a testament to the dedication of the wider people team and their collaboration with our teams.

"I am looking forward to building on our success further, with people at the heart of everything we do."

Since joining Busy Bees in 2022, Emma has evolved the employee strategy, including the introduction of enhanced employee benefits, a strengthened focus on wellbeing, and the expansion of career development pathways.

This includes the Busy Bees' apprenticeship programme, which is helping to build a sustainable talent pipeline for the sector.

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The Nursery Management Power List Awards isn't the first time her efforts have recieved national recogntion.

In 2025, Busy Bees was awarded the CIPD Best Employee Experience Initiative and the company ranked in the top five of two of the country's most prestigious apprenticeship rankings - The Sunday Times Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers 2025 and the Department for Education.