>> Winners revealed 22nd April in Central London. Click here to reserve your place. <<
With a record 474 entries received from organisations across the UK, competition to be named a Finalist was truly exceptional. And today, the British HR Awards judging panel is proud to reveal its 2026 Finalists!
Powered by people insight platform, New Possible, the fifth edition of the British HR Awards sets out to discover and celebrate the teams and individuals who are passionate about delivering a world-class people experience. Organisations taking part this year range from start-up pioneers, tech unicorns, global titans, not-for-profits 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.
Nate Harwood, Founder of New Possible and the British HR Awards said: "As the world changes at pace, organisations are increasingly having to learn, adapt and innovate. The British HR Awards celebrates the people teams and leaders who make that possible. Congratulations to all the Finalists."
A huge thanks to the British HR Awards 2026 all-star judging panel for reviewing the entries and sharing their expertise:
Lynn Bassett, Director of People and Organisational Development at Barbour | Louise Benford, Chief People Officer at The AA | Sharon Benson, HR & OD Director | Holly Cooper, People Director at Cox Marine | Emma Djemil, Creator of Rebellious Humans. Resourced at Be Unstoppable. | Wendy Doherty, Chief People Officer at TalkTalk | Kath Ennis, Chief People Officer | Mary Foulkes OBE FCIPD, Director of Equity, Inclusion and Culture at Shelter | Leigh Gannon, Director People & Organisation at PUMA UKI | Catrin Gaston-Penny, Human Resources Director at Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult | Julie Griggs, Deputy Chief People Officer at The Open University | Maria Hawley, Director of People at Fisher German | Melanie Hetherington, Chief People Officer at NatWest Cushon | Dr Tracey Leghorn, Chief Business Services Officer at SUEZ recycling and recovery UK | Vilma Nikolaidou, Director of People and Culture at British Film Institute (BFI) | Janet Roberts, Chief People & Culture Officer at Cycas Hospitality | Perry Timms, Chief Energy Officer at People and Transformational HR | Lucy Tobin, People Director at Frontier Economics
And so, without any further ado, the British HR Awards 2026 Finalists are:
Best Overall People Experience: BizClik | HubGem | Jubilee House Care Trust | Strand Palace | VFS Global | WorkFlex
Employee Wellness Initiative of the Year: Babcock | Celoxis Technologies Private | DGM Growers | Estate Research | JSA Service | Leonardo Hotels UK & Ireland | Lucion | SailGP | Seriös Group | Ultimate Resilience | VFS Global | Wakefield Council
Diversity & Inclusion Initiative of the Year: British Heart Foundation | Dext | Foresight Group LLP | Leonardo Hotels UK & Ireland | Manchester Airports Group | MHR | Sammi-Select | The Gym Group | University of Birmingham | University of the West of England (UWE), Bristol
L&D Initiative of the Year: Bupa | CoCreate Consultancy | Dentsu | Dishoom | Fife Sports and Leisure Trust | Guestwise Technology | National Fostering Group | TSB Bank | Vagabond Wines | Wickes (in partnership with Freeformers) | Xcel Health Group
Recruitment Initiative of the Year: Aegon UK | Fox & Cubs Nanny Private Staff | Global Procurement Group | MHR | Primary Care 24
Early Careers Initiative of the Year: BizClik | LGPS Central | Lumi and Lumiere | Morson Group | MS Amlin | Seriös Group | Shaw Trust | The Ladder Group
Culture Initiative of the Year: Addleshaw Goddard | Behaviour Interactive UK | Bupa | Cairn Group | Career Ready | Ciena | Exclaimer | Manchester Airports Group | Shaw Trust | University of the West of England (UWE), Bristol | ZEPZ
Change Management Initiative of the Year: Active Care Group | Away Resorts | Cairn Group | Juro | People Change Solutions | The Empathy Business | The Melton
Innovation of the Year: EMCOR UK/OCS | JLR | moneyappi | Ultimate Resilience | UP Fitness
AI Initiative of the Year: Cayus | Empowrd AI | Fairshot AI | iXceed Solutions | Lloyds Banking Group | Oviva | VIOOH
Start-Up of the Year: Cayus | Ethos of HR | Fairshot AI | Freeformers | Lumi and Lumiere | Red Lotus Consultancy | Regent HR
SME of the Year: Behaviour Interactive UK | DGM Growers | EDSB Compliance Solutions | Haylo HR | HR Star Consulting | Impact HR Consulting | LGPS Central | PrivilegeHR | Vet-AI | VivoHR
Large Organisation of the Year: Dishoom | Gressingham Foods (in partnership with Jarrold Training) | Kerry Dairy Ireland | Leeds City Council | SSP UK | Starbucks UK (with AdviserPlus) | Yorkshire Garden Centres
People Awards
Leader of the Year: Edward Obi FCIPD, Director at HR Hub Plus | Lisa Smith, People Director at Be The Change HR | Liz Dowling, Chief People Officer at VIOOH | Matt Jordan, Senior HR Director at Critical Mass | Paul Jones, Group People Director at San Carlo | Sarah Moyo, People and Communications Director at Thalia Waste Management | Sharon Scortis, Chief People Officer at Dext | Valmik Goski, Head of People at Giggling Squid | Yogita Tusliani, Director & Co-Founder at iXceed Solutions | Zoë Walters, Chief HR & AI Strategist at Empowrd AI
Rising Star of the Year (sponsored by WorkFlex): Alberto Natale, Co-Founder at Fairshot AI | Alice Rowe, Senior Employee Relations Manager at Centrica | Emily Bird, People Delivery Manager at VIOOH | Emma Sanchez Ruiz, People Manager at Vagabond Wines | Ian Tomney-Bell, DEI Lead at giffgaff | Jennifer Clarke, HR Manager at Auria Solutions UK | Millie Parsons, Talent Manager at SUEZ Recycling and Recovery UK | Niamh Harris, People Advisor at Thalia Waste Management | Toby Kheng, Founder at Freeformers | Trish Hewitt, Founder at Haylo HR
Coach of the Year: Barry White, Head of Organisational Effectiveness at National Gas | Bobby Ramsay, Principal Consultant at Lumi and Lumiere | Camilla Rogers, Founder at Fifty50 Coaching | Claire Roberts, Coach at HR for HR | Clare Haynes, Confident Conversations Specialist at Wildfire | Jennifer Bennett, Chief People Officer at Kascade | Jess Pressland, Trainer/Coach at JP Training | Lily Woi, Systemic Team Coach and People Change Catalyst at Lily Woi Coaching | Mags Kerns, Specialist Coach at Mags Kerns Coaching | Michelle Flynn, Health & Performance Coach at Michelle Flynn Coaching | Susan Room, Coach at Susan Room | Suzy Hunt, Executive Coach & B2B Sales Consultant at Future You
People Team of the Year (<250 employees) (sponsored by Breathe): Burnham Beeches Hotel | Emovis | Harper James | JourneyHR | Jubilee House Care Trust | Strand Palace | Vagabond Wines | Vet-AI | VIOOH | Xcel Health Group
People Team of the Year (250-1000 employees): BJF Group | Dext | Fife Sports and Leisure Trust | Forbes Solicitors LLP | giffgaff | Global Procurement Group | The Etc | Unity Trust Bank
People Team of the Year (1,001-2,500 employees): Away Resorts | Bensons for Beds | Chevron Traffic Management part of Ramudden Glabal UK | Morson Group | Nottingham College | OneAdvanced | San Carlo
People Team of the Year (>2,500 employees): Active Care Group | Aegon UK | JLR | MHA | WGC
Supplier Awards
Consultancy of the Year (<10 employees): Be The Change HR | CoCreate Consultancy | Go Slow to Go Fast | Happier at Work | HealthyHR | Higson | HR Hub Plus | JAM People Consulting | Jenny Garrett Global | People Change Solutions | The Empathy Business | Wintle-Camp Coaching
Consultancy of the Year (10+ employees): Avensure | EffectiveHRM | Electric Circus | JourneyHR | Team Wheel | The Fractional HR Department
Employee Benefits Provider of the Year: DASH Rides | moneyappi | Rippl | Tusker | WorkFlex
Recruitment Partner of the Year: Fox & Cubs Nanny Private Staff | iXceed Solutions | The Ladder Group
Technology Partner of the Year: 50skills | Avensure | DASH Rides | Hire Intelligence | Kascade | Leeds City Council | Quinyx | Starbucks UK (with AdviserPlus) | The People Experience Hub | Tugela People
Sector Specific Awards
Financial Services Initiative of the Year: Dudley Building Society | Foresight Group LLP | Lloyds Banking Group | TSB Bank | Unity Trust Bank | ZEPZ
Professional Services Initiative of the Year: Dentsu | Forbes Solicitors LLP | Jenny Garrett Global
Technology Organisation of the Year: Exclaimer | Guestwise Technology | Tugela People | WorkFlex
Not for Profit Initiative of the Year: British Heart Foundation | Career Ready | Galt Foundation (in partnership with Freeformers) | The Glasshouse International Centre for Music (North Music Trust)
Winners will be revealed at the iconic Grand Hall of the Grand Connaught Rooms in Covent Garden, London, on Wednesday 22nd 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, X, or by signing up for email updates.
WorkFlex: WorkFlex is an end-to-end platform that automates international travel compliance for business trips, global assignments and work-from-anywhere. It manages A1 certificates, visas, tax and social security checks before travel, and provides real-time risk monitoring and 24/7 SOS support during trips so HR ensures compliant, safe and cost-efficient mobility.
Breathe: Breathe is an award-winning HR software platform designed for small-to-medium-sized organisations, from small teams to growing businesses of 30-100+ employees. Trusted by over 17,000 SMEs and 1,000 HR consultancies across the UK, Breathe simplifies HR admin, engages employees, and scales as you grow.
The British HR Awards is powered by New Possible. 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.
