>> Winners revealed 2nd April in Central London. Click here to reserve your place. <<
With over 350 entries received from organisations all across the UK, competition to be named a Finalist proved to be fierce. But today, the British HR Awards judging panel is proud to reveal its 2025 Finalists!
Powered by employee insight platform, New Possible, the British HR Awards sets out to discover and celebrate the organisations that are truly passionate about delivering a world-class people experience. Organisations taking part this year range from start-up innovators to public sector heroes, tech superstars, global titans and everything in between. Irrespective of organisation size, industry or resources, Finalists shared how their initiatives are transforming the people experience and delivering tangible value for their organisations.
Winners will be announced at a special celebration event on the 2nd April at the iconic Grand Hall of the Grand Connaught Rooms, in Covent Garden, London. Click here to reserve your place.
Nate Harwood, Founder of New Possible and British HR Awards judge said: "We were humbled by the record number and quality of entries this year. It was incredible to see such ingenuity in action, reflecting the outstanding skill, passion and hard work of teams and individuals up and down the UK. Congratulations to all the Finalists."
A huge thanks to the British HR Awards 2025 all-star judging panel for reviewing the entries and sharing their expertise:
- Louise Benford, Chief People Officer, The AA
- Sharon Benson, HR & OD Director
- Anne Billson-Ross, Group HR Director, Taylor Wimpey
- Kath Ennis, Chief People Officer, Ansor LLP
- Mary Foulkes OBE FCIPD, Director of Equity, Inclusion and Culture, Shelter
- Leigh Gannon, Director People & Organisation, PUMA UKI
- Julie Griggs, Director of People & Partnering, The Open University
- Maria Hawley, Director of People, Fisher German
- Melanie Hetherington, Chief People Officer, NatWest Cushon
- Dr Tracey Leghorn, Chief Business Services Officer, SUEZ recycling and recovery UK
- Vilma Nikolaidou, Director of People and Culture, British Film Institute (BFI)
- Janet Roberts, Chief People & Culture Officer, Cycas Hospitality
- Tara Ryan, VP of People Experience, Monzo
- Perry Timms, Chief Energy Officer, People and Transformational HR
- Lucy Tobin, People Director, Frontier Economics
- Nate Harwood, Founder, New Possible
And so, without any further ado, the British HR Awards 2025 Finalists are:
Best Overall People Experience: Away Resorts / Melton Building Society / Mitie Group / SSP UK & Ireland / Strand Palace / The First Mile
Employee Wellness Initiative of the Year: BrewDog / Copacetic Business Solutions / Gower College Swansea / Havas / INSTANDA / M & A Doocey Civil Engineering / Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (MPFT) / Newsflare / Talk Works / The First Mile
Diversity & Inclusion Initiative of the Year (sponsored by LevelUP Talent Solutions): Cardiff and Vale University Health Board / Domestic and General / Gi Group / IRIS Software Group / Lewis Silkin LLP / LSL Property Services / Realise HR / SBFM / The Land Collective
L&D Initiative of the Year: Alzheimer's Society / Blue Tit / E.ON UK / Feenix Group / Lewis Silkin LLP / Manchester & Trafford Local Care Organisation in partnership with Delve OD / NatWest Group / SBFM / The Gym Group / Wood Mackenzie
Recruitment Initiative of the Year: Birmingham Women's and Children's NHS Foundation Trust / Cardiff and Vale University Health Board / Global Witness / Gower College Swansea / Landor / Monmouthshire Building Society / Sonia Mooney Signature Solutions / SSP UK & Ireland / Stowe Family Law
Culture Initiative of the Year: Alzheimer's Society / Colart / Domestic and General / evaluagent and People Spark Solutions / Gi Group / Impression Digital / Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (MPFT) / Norgine / Pace-XL
Change Management Initiative of the Year: Brandon Trust / City of Bristol College / Cooper Turner Beck / Ipsen / Metro Bank / SailGP
Innovation of the Year: Blinktime / CleverGoose / Feenix Group / Reed Screening (part of the Reed Group)
SME of the Year (sponsored by Engage Health Group): Blue Tit / Boo Coaching & Consulting / Channel Assist / DGM Growers / Higson / HubGem / Limelite HR and Learning / Pace-XL / Rebox HR / Team Wheel
Large Organisation of the Year (sponsored by Virgin Incentives): NatWest Group / Reward Gateway and Edenred / Sodexo UK&I / SSP UK & Ireland
People Awards
Leader of the Year: Angela Williams, Chief People Officer at Corsearch / Catrin Gaston-Penny, HR Director at Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult / Dan Creed, People and Culture Director at CV-Library / Emma Newton, Head of HR, L&D and Compliance at Emovis / Emma Taylor, Group Head of Learning & Development & EDI lead at Gi Group / Natalie Ellis, Managing Director at Rebox HR / Sara Shipley, Chief People Operations Officer at INSTANDA / Sarah King, Vice Principal People and Wellbeing at Gower College Swansea / Stephanie Kelly, Chief People Officer at IRIS Software Group / Valmik Goski, Head of People at Giggling Squid
Rising Star of the Year: Beth Lardner, Talent Development Partner at Markel International / Daniel Barker, People & Culture Manager at Norac Foods UK / Eilis Crickard, Talent Acquisition Manager at SciLeads / Ellen Spencer, Senior People Partner at The APC / Faye Ramsey, HR Consultant at Rebox HR / Maryna Stiahailo, HR Mentor at NextGenHR / Megan Kelly, HR Business Partner at Strativ Group / Natalie Smith, Head of HR & Employee Relations at Harlow College / Smitha Islam, Head of People & EDI at Blue Tit / Toby Kheng, Founder at Freeformers
Coach of the Year: Aoife O'Brien, Founder at Happier at Work / Claire Roberts, HR Coach at HR FOR HR / Sam Eaton, Founder and Coach at MindAbility
People Team of the Year (<500 employees): 10x Banking / Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult / Cox Marine / Emovis / Forbes Solicitors LLP / HR Star / Impression Digital / Shorefield Holidays / Strand Palace
People Team of the Year (500-1,000 employees): City of Bristol College / Global Procurement Group / iamproperty / London Luton Airport / M & A Doocey Civil Engineering / Yorkshire Garden Centres
People Team of the Year (1,001-5,000 employees) (sponsored by The Electric Car Scheme): Avaloq / Away Resorts / Cairn Group / Corsearch / Havas / LSL Property Services / Norgine / Reward Gateway and Edenred / Wood Mackenzie
People Team of the Year (>5,000 employees): Mitie Group / Securitas UK / Sodexo UK&I / Sun Chemical / WGC
Supplier Awards
Consultancy of the Year (<5 employees): Ashfield HR / Collaborate HR Consultancy / Elston HR / Happier at Work / HR Solutions Shropshire / MUSE:HR & Training / Rebox HR / Sonia Mooney Signature Solutions / Tap HR / WITHIN
Consultancy of the Year (5-10 employees): Boo Coaching & Consulting / Copacetic Business Solutions / Healthy HR Consultancy / Higson / HR Star / Realise HR / SYLO Beyond HR / Talk Works / Team Wheel
Consultancy of the Year (>10 employees): Management Dynamics / Peoplewise / Starford People & Legal / The TCM Group
Employee Benefits Provider of the Year: Each Person / Rippl / Tusker
Recruitment Partner of the Year: A2H Solutions / LHH / Zinc
Technology Partner of the Year: 50skills / A2H Solutions / Beamery / Do-IT Solutions / Electric Circus / Rippl
Sector Specific Awards
Professional Services Company of the Year: Addleshaw Goddard LLP / Forbes Solicitors LLP / Stowe Family Law
Technology Company of the Year: Emovis / iamproperty / INSTANDA / IRIS Software Group / Kascade
Hospitality & Leisure Company of the Year: Away Resorts / Cairn Group / Shorefield Holidays / Wyboston Lakes Resort
Public & Not for Profit Organisation of the Year: Birmingham Women's and Children's NHS Foundation Trust / Brandon Trust / Global Witness / Manchester & Trafford Local Care Organisation in partnership with Delve OD / Rainbows Hospice for Children and Young People / St Barnabas Hospice / The Land Collective
Winners will be revealed at the iconic Grand Hall of the Grand Connaught Rooms in Covent Garden, London, on Wednesday 2nd April. This ceremony will include knowledge sharing, networking, delicious food and drink, awards and plenty of fun! Reserve your tickets and keep updated by following us on LinkedIn and Twitter.
The British HR Awards is powered by New Possible, an employee insight platform that's committed to your success. New Possible helps leaders build healthier organisations by providing meaningful insight that can drive real change. Find out more about our mission or book a demo.
