The awards, announced Thursday night, are an annual initiative of HR Leader Magazine - a Lawyers Weekly sister publication.

With a number of law firms involved as finalists in various awards, it was Rose who represented the legal community by collecting the Neller HR Champion (CEO) Award - an award recognising the contribution that CEOs and managing directors make to their HR teams.

The judges said Rose was awarded the prize due to the fact that he did no just assist in driving the strategy of his HR team, but also "spent time walking the floor, engaging people at all levels, showing a genuine interest in employees as a group and individuals." The judges also commented that such efforts take "considerable time, effort and passion."

The award was accepted on behalf of Rose by Susan Ferrier, head of HR at Allens, who said that without the leadership of their chief executive partner, "my team and I would not have been able to deliver the wide range of programs over the last two years". Such programs include the Reconciliation Action Plan and the Women at Allens initiative.