Hazel Manzano, winner nurse manager of the year Nursing Times Workforce 2024, is an internationally educated nurse from the Philippines. She is currently the Matron of the Neonatal Unit at the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust-North Middlesex University Hospital, bringing 30 years of specialised neonatal nursing experience. Throughout her career, she has played key roles in service improvement, education, leadership, and management in neonatal and children's services. In the last ten years, Hazel has been an essential part of the Babies and Children and Young People Senior Leadership Group. She led her unit to become a finalist for the Nursing Times 2022 Children’s Service and Team of the Year, as well as the Student Nursing Times 2023. She spearheaded a transformative Quality Improvement project to enhance staff and patient experiences, which gained Parliamentary recognition in 2023. Her Staff Wellbeing initiative was a finalist in the RCN 2023 Leadership category and won the NorthMid QI Expo 2024. She won NorthMid Staff Award 2024 as Outstanding Leader of the Year for her exemplary leadership and a strong commitment to advancing neonatal care.