The Excellence Awards were established in 2015 to recognise outstanding individuals and teams across the group who make a difference through the work that they do.
Professionals across the Mydentist network can be nominated in any of the 13 award categories. The awards are judged by 16 colleagues from a range of clinical and non-clinical roles within the business.
The awards took place at the Hilton Deansgate, Manchester, and were hosted by Tom Allen, comedian and presenter, alongside Tom Riall, executive chairman of Mydentist.
Tom said, “At Mydentist, our purpose is helping the nation smile - and we simply cannot do that without our clinicians or our leading practice and support teams. That’s why we were so thrilled to have comedian Tom Allen join us in our celebrations to help us recognise the outstanding people that make Mydentist what it is.
“The quality of this year’s nominations was higher than ever, with each nomination bringing an individual story of colleagues who are making a huge difference every day. I want to say how much we appreciate everything that our colleagues and clinicians do for their patients and teams.”
Nyree Whitley, chief clinical officer, and Will Smith, chief operating officer, also presented the awards.
The award goes to ….
Valeriya Zlateva-Krasteva won Dentist of the Year, whilst Qadriya Momeni was awarded Dental Nurse of the Year.
Valeriya said, “I feel so honoured to get this award. I've been working for Mydentist for 13 years and I would like to thank them for giving the opportunity to all young dentists to become dentists like me, to support them in their journey, to encourage them to achieve more, to learn more, to be better people and better dentists. I never expected to win, but I'm really very happy.”
Samantha Walker won Hygienist of the Year, and the regulatory compliance team at Mydentist Union Street, Torquay, received Team of the Year awards.
Manish Prasad, the clinical director awarded Mentor of the Year, said, “I think firstly it's a great honour and privilege, one to be nominated and again to win the award. But for me, really, this is a reflection of everything that the clinical team does. We support an ever-growing cohort of over 400 mentors supporting, engaging and developing our mentees. And I'm reminded of the fact that successful people never reach their goals alone and that's where mentoring comes in. So, thank you very much.”
Simon Wellen was invited to the 2024 awards as a guest of honour. Simon was previously an area development manager for Mydentist in London until he retired following his diagnosis with motor neurone disease. Simon was presented with a token of appreciation for his contribution during his time at Mydentist.
The final award of the evening, the Chairman’s Award for Outstanding Contribution, was presented to Asineta Ghiriti, a dentist who has worked at Mydentist St Neots for 17 years. She was nominated by her colleagues for her exceptional patient care.
Nilesh Pandya, CEO of Mydentist, said, “Through the incredible work that our teams do, we’re able to put a smile on millions of faces every year, and I’m so happy that we can show our recognition of this hard work through our annual Excellence Awards.”
“Without our brilliant colleagues and clinicians right across our support centre and 530+ practices, we wouldn’t be able to provide the excellent levels of care we deliver for our patients every day. I’d like to thank all my colleagues and the clinicians who choose to practise with us for their continued hard work and dedication. It doesn’t go unnoticed and I’m proud to work with them all as we strive together to be the best place to practise dentistry in the UK.”
The winners of the 2024 awards
- Dentist of the year: Valeriya Zlateva-Krasteva, Mydentist, Union Street, Torquay
- Young dentist of the year: Rohith Prabhakar, Mydentist Copnor
- Orthodontist of the year: Pardeep Saini, Mydentist Pembroke Road, Bristol
- Therapist/orthodontic therapist/hygienist of the year: Samantha Walker, Mydentist Dorchester
- Dental nurse of the year: Qadriya Momeni, Mydentist Uxbridge
- Treatment coordinator of the year: Brooke Hopkins, Mydentist Emerson’s Green
- Receptionist of the year: Steff Howard, Mydentist Eastleigh
- Practice team of the year: Mydentist Union Street, Torquay
- Practice manager of the year: Alison Williams, Mydentist Hyde
- Field team member of the year: Rob Dudhill, NW - Central and NI
- Support centre team of the year: Regulatory compliance
- Support centre colleague of the year: Pietro Capitelli, practice support recruitment
- Mentor of the year: Manish Prasad, clinical director
- Chairman's award for outstanding contribution: Asineta Ghiriti, a dentist at Mydentist St Neots