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With over 340 entries received from organisations across the UK, competition to be named a Finalist proved to be especially tough. And last night, the British Recruitment Awards Judging panel was proud to reveal its 2025 Winners!
Powered by employee insight platform, New Possible, the British Recruitment Awards sets out to discover and celebrate the individuals and teams who are truly passionate about recruitment’s role in building a thriving organisation. Organisations taking part this year ranged from start-up pioneers to public sector heroes, tech trailblazers, global titans and everything in between. Irrespective of organisation size, industry or resources, all Winners and Finalists shared how their initiatives are transforming recruitment and delivering tangible value for their organisations.
A huge thanks to the British Recruitment Awards 2025 all-star judging panel for reviewing the entries and sharing their expertise:
Yasar Ahmad, Global VP of Talent at HelloFresh | Laura Callaghan, Global Talent Acquisition Leader at Western Union | Rob Davies, Head of Recruitment at Grant Thornton | Julia Days, Head of Resourcing | Simon Gomez, Founder & Director at GMZTAlent | Louise Gregory, VP of Talent and L&D at Anglo American | Tom Hadley, Independent Workforce Consultant and Future of Work Activist | Claire Hamilton, UK Head of Talent Acquisition at Capgemini | Martin Haywood, Director of Recruiting at Sainsbury's | Suzie Huggan, Head of Talent Acquisition at Cancer Research UK | Jenna Hurley, Director of Talent at Harrods | Claire Hyams, Head of Talent Acquisition at Zopa | Sharlene John, Head of DE&I, Recruitment & Onboarding at Selfridges | Gordon Macfarlane, Head of Resourcing at SSE | Ben Murphy-Ryan, Senior Director, Talent Acquisition | Professor Emma Parry, Head of Changing World of Work Group at Cranfield School of Management | Glen Rate, Head of Talent Acquisition & Employer Brand at Kier Group | Anne Tolfree, Head of Functional Resourcing at DHL Supply Chain
And so, without any further ado, the full list of Winners and those awarded Highly Commended are:
Candidate Experience of the Year: K.A.G. Recruitment Consultancy (Highly Commended: TIB Services)
Diversity & Inclusion Initiative of the Year: Frontier Economics
Talent Acquisition Strategy of the Year (Sponsored by K.A.G Recruitment): Frontier Economics (Highly Commended: JPMorganChase)
Fast Growth Hiring Strategy of the Year: Cooper Parry
Recruitment Campaign of the Year: Equitas
Innovation of the Year: Morgan Hunt
AI in Recruitment Initiative of the Year: HRGO Recruitment
People Awards
Leader of the Year (In-House) (Sponsored by Workable): Tom Lyas, Head of Resourcing & Social Mobility at Browne Jacobson
Rising Star of the Year (In-House) (Presented by The Talent Community): Lia Henry, Talent Acquisition Specialist at Global Banking School (Highly Commended: Brygida Klis, Talent Acquisition Manager at RS Group)
Leader of the Year (Agency): Cheney Hamilton, CEO of The Find Your Flex Group (Highly Commended: Jonathan Benjamin, Director and Partner Recruiter at RedLaw | Highly Commended: Guy Walker, CEO at Talentia Group)
Rising Star of the Year (Agency) (Presented by The Talent Community): Lili Orton, Senior Recruitment Consultant at Boden Group (Highly Commended: Connor Elliott-Grout, Senior Consultant at Xcede)
Supplier Awards
Technology Partner of the Year: Transformify (TFY) (Highly Commended: A2H Solutions)
In-House Awards
In-House Recruitment Team of the Year (<2,500 employees): Tandem Bank (Highly Commended: Cooper Parry | Highly Commended: MAPD)
In-House Recruitment Team of the Year (2,500+ employees): DFDS (Highly Commended: JPMorganChase)
Employer Brand of the Year: Tata Consultancy Services
Onboarding Initiative of the Year: Selfridges
Early Careers Employer of the Year: DFDS (Highly Commended: Wiltshire Council)
Agency Awards
Best Place to Work in Recruitment: Edison Smart (Highly Commended: MAM Gruppe)
Agency Recruitment Team of the Year (<20 employees): Emérique & Partners (Highly Commended: Realise HR)
Agency Recruitment Team of the Year (20+ employees): Tile Hill (Highly Commended: IQVIA Commercial Recruitment Services – MAPA)
Best New Recruitment Agency of the Year: Oakley Recruitment
Executive Recruitment Agency of the Year: Oliver Sanderson Group
Specialist Recruitment Agency of the Year: myGwork (Highly Commended: TIB Services)
Temporary Recruitment Agency of the Year: DISH Hospitality (Highly Commended: Deluxe Recruitment)
Technology Recruitment Agency of the Year: Trust in SODA (Highly Commended: Few&Far)
Public/Third Sector Recruitment Agency of the Year: Tile Hill
Hosted by comedian Lucy Porter, Winners were revealed at the iconic Grand Hall of the Grand Connaught Rooms, Covent Garden, London.
Nate Harwood, Founder of New Possible, said: "Organisations are under pressure to adapt and evolve faster than ever before - and attracting talent is key to making that transformation successful. The British Recruitment Awards proudly celebrates the exceptional teams and individuals making it happen. Congratulations to all our Winners, Highly Commended and Finalists."
Frontier Economics took home two awards on the night, including ‘Diversity & Inclusion Initiative of the Year’ and ‘Talent Acquisition of the Year’. Economics continues to face deep-rooted representation gaps; In 2022, only 30% of UK economics students were women, and while 40% came from ethnically diverse backgrounds, they were significantly less likely than their white peers to secure full-time employment one year after graduating. Frontier Economics recognised this issue couldn’t be solved through hiring alone - as they put it, ‘you can’t fish from a pool that doesn’t exist’. The recruitment team therefore took a broader, long-term view, working at the source of the problem to increase awareness and excitement around economics and break down systemic barriers to entry. Initiatives included targeted work experience, launching an apprenticeship (a sector first), inclusive recruitment training, and strategic partnerships. The results have been profound, with Frontier Economics achieving 47% overall female representation and meeting their 40% female manager target ahead of schedule. Judges praised 'innovative elements', 'long-term strategy' and 'impactful metrics'.
Tandem Bank also deposited a win, achieving 'In-House Recruitment Team of the Year (<2,500 employees)'. With a small but mighty recruitment team of two, they have filled 190 roles entirely through direct sourcing, saving the business over £1m annually in fees. Technology has played a key role in this success, with automation used not only to reduce administrative burden, but also to improve the experience for both candidates and hiring managers - with time-to-offer consistently below 30 days. Equally important has been the team’s focus on diversity and inclusion. In a traditionally male-dominated industry, Tandem’s recruitment function has ensured a balanced and representative pipeline of talent, with 55% of roles filled by men and 45% by women. Judges commended 'impressive deliverables for a two person team', 'great achievement on DEI' and 'An in-house team doing what an in-house team should be doing... improving speed of delivery and demonstrating real inclusion and diversity outcomes'.
Lili Orton, Senior Recruitment Consultant at Boden Group, achieved 'Rising Star of the Year (Agency)'. Joining as a trainee just 18 months ago, Lili Orton has achieved the 'fastest progression path' in Boden Group's history. Establishing herself as a consistent top performer, Lili has pursued a deep understanding of the Facilities Management sector and takes a personal approach with candidates. Meeting every candidate face-to-face before CV submission, Lili is described as 'proactive', 'strategic' and 'always focused on representing the client's brand in the best possible light'. Judges commented on 'fantastic achievements' and a 'clear sense of career progression'.
Over the next few months, New Possible will be profiling Winners and Highly Commended in a 'Sharing Success' series. Keep updated by following the British Recruitment Awards on X, LinkedIn, or by signing up for email updates.
K.A.G. Recruitment: K.A.G. are doing recruitment differently. They're a values-led consultancy specialising in tailored recruitment and training solutions across Engineering, Manufacturing, IT, and Logistics. Their approach is people-first, retention-focused, and designed around the unique goals of every client and candidate.
Workable: Built for modern recruiting, Workable fuses AI, automation, and ease-of-use, empowering recruiters and hiring managers to collaborate seamlessly and hire faster.
The Talent Community: The Talent Community is an inclusive global recruitment community for In-House, Agency, RPO and Talent Vendors.
The British Recruitment 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.
