A Bolton civil servant who champions equality for women in work has been honoured in the King's Birthday Honours list.
Suzanne Lisa Griffin, a long-standing civil servant of 36 years, has been awarded an OBE for her dedication to public service.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) employee works as a Deputy Director in DWP Digital’s Manchester Hub, ensuring excellent IT support services for over 100,000 members of staff.
Suzanne said: “I was totally astounded to be awarded an OBE for public service.
"I couldn’t believe my eyes when I opened the letter informing me of the award.
“To say I am humbled and proud is an understatement and I admit to shedding a tear or two.
“As someone who started as an administrative officer in a benefits centre in Bury in what was called the DHSS in 1987, this is never something I would have thought would happen to me.
“My whole career has been in DWP, doing a wide variety of roles in service delivery, change, commercial and digital, and in many different sites across the country.
“In addition to my current IT role, I sponsor DWP’s Women in Digital Group and sit on DWP’s Gender Steering Committee, with a clear aim of creating equal female representation and to support women building their careers in digital roles.
“I have made lifelong friends along the way and worked with so many diverse, talented colleagues who, like me, have public service at the heart of everything they do.
“In my current role my guiding question when setting strategy or leading change is 'will it make it better for colleagues'.
“I’m proud to be a civil service 'lifer' and work hard to be a female role model in what can be perceived to be a very male dominated industry.
“This award really is the icing on the cake of a long career, and I am very grateful to have been nominated.”
Suzanne is one of 15 employees at the DWP and its "arm’s length bodies" to be recognised in the King’s Birthday Honours list.
Work and Pensions Minister, Viscount Younger of Leckie, said: “We have brilliant staff all over the country at DWP who go above and beyond to make a positive difference to people’s lives - not only in their work as civil servants, but in their spare time supporting communities and important causes.
“Seeing them recognised in the King’s first Birthday Honours List for all their efforts is truly remarkable.
“I would like to thank and congratulate all 15 of our DWP staff who have been awarded.”
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