>> Winners revealed 12th November in Central London. Click here to reserve your place. <<
With 317 entries from organisations across the UK, standards were incredibly high, making the task of selecting this year's Finalists a challenging one for our judging panel.
Organised 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 range from start-up pioneers to public sector heroes, tech trailblazers, global titans and everything in between. Irrespective of organisation size, industry or resources, Finalists shared how their initiatives are transforming recruitment and delivering tangible value for their organisations.
Winners will be announced at a special celebration evening on 12th November 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 the British Recruitment Awards, said: "As we navigate a profound industrial shift, it has become more important than ever for organisations to attract, develop and retain the people who will build tomorrow's economy. The British Recruitment Awards celebrate the visionary teams and individuals leading this transformation. Congratulations to all our Finalists."
A huge thanks to the British Recruitment Awards 2026 all-star judging panel for reviewing the entries and sharing their expertise:
Paul Bowles, VP, Talent Acquisition & Development at Nokia | Lauren Bradley, Head of Talent Acquisition at Warburtons | Laura Callaghan, Global Talent Acquisition Leader at Western Union | Rob Davies, Head of Recruitment at Grant Thornton | Liz Dowling, Chief People Officer at VIOOH | Kiran Fraser-Neve, Head of Talent Acquisition (UK) at The HEINEKEN Company | Tom Hadley, Independent Workforce Consultant and Future of Work Activist | Claire Hamilton, UK Head of Talent Acquisition at Capgemini | Martin Haywood, Head of Talent Acquisition - EMEA at Digital Realty | Steve Jacobs, Managing Director at Alderson James Group | Sharlene John, Head of DE&I, Recruitment & Onboarding at Selfridges | Saqib Khan, Senior Director Global Talent Acquisition at Paramount International | Mark Kunaseelan, Head of Resourcing at University of the Arts London | Gordon Macfarlane, Head of Resourcing at SSE | Ben Murphy-Ryan, Talent Acquisition Director at evoke | Liz Oldridge, Head of TA EU Consumer and Retail at Amazon | Professor Emma Parry, Director, People, Skills & Leadership Theme at Cranfield School of Management | Ross Swan, Partner – Strategic Resourcing Solutions at BDO LLP | Oli Urpi, Head of Talent Acquisition and Employer Brand at Southern Water
And so, without any further ado, the British Recruitment Awards 2026 Finalists are:
Candidate Experience of the Year: K.A.G. Recruitment Consultancy | Oakley Recruitment | Octopus Energy | Telegraph Media Group Holdings
Diversity & Inclusion Initiative of the Year (Sponsored by K.A.G Recruitment): Benefact Group | Candid Hospitality | IAG Cargo | Leonardo Hotels UK & Ireland | Octopus Energy | Rise Technical Recruitment | Tetra Tech Europe | TFY (Transformify) | YCG | Zoological Society of London
Talent Acquisition Strategy of the Year: MBDA UK | NHS Property Services | Oviva | RDT | Real Chemistry | Tandem Bank | Telegraph Media Group Holdings
Executive Search Strategy of the Year: La Fosse | Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust | Wiltshire Council
Fast Growth Hiring Strategy of the Year: Arch Insurance International | Circet | Radius | Rosie's People
Recruitment Campaign of the Year: Circet | Deluxe Recruitment | Lloyds Banking Group | Magenta MAD | Wiltshire Council
Innovation of the Year: Alfa AI | Candid Hospitality | Dovetail & Slate | Happydance | IAG Cargo | JobVantage | Panther | Vente AI | Village Hotel Club | Workday
AI in Recruitment Initiative of the Year: 50skills | Alfa AI | Dovetail & Slate | DXC Technology | JobVantage | Real Chemistry | Vente AI
Technology Partner of the Year: 50skills | Happydance | Panther
People Awards
Leader of the Year (In-House) (Sponsored by Workable): Alex Walker, Head of Recruitment at Tandem Bank | Alicia Zarandi, Head of Talent Acquisition at Crowe UK | Anne Taylor, Principal Consultant In-House Legal at Robert Walters | Charlotte Pattison, Global Talent Acquisition Director at Reckitt | Debbie Cole, Head of Resourcing UK at MBDA UK | Emma Lamb, Recruitment Manager at Nuvia | Heidi King-Underwood MCMI, GTM Manager, Talent Acquisition, Global at Sonatype | Stuart Frank, Head of Recruitment & Operational HR at RCK Partners | Stuart Hazell, Global Director, Talent Brand and Marketing at Workday
Rising Star of the Year (In-House) (Presented by The Talent Community): Barbora Perina, Recruiter at Amazon | Drew Cairns, Recruitment Lead at Circet | Jennifer Douet, Employer Brand Specialist at National Grid | Jonah Philpott, Senior Recruitment Advisor at Browne Jacobson | Kirti Dasha, Human Resources Recruitment Coordinator at University of Bath | Lucia Polito, Defence Recruitment Business Partner at Nuvia | Vaneeta Addhate, Recruitment Officer at Serenity Specialist Care
Leader of the Year (Agency): Amy Hambleton, Director at RedLaw | Dan Hazzard, Managing Director at Oculus Legal Group | Dawn Bannister, Managing Director at KSB Recruitment Consultants | Emérique Opou, CEO & Founder at Emérique & Partners | Glenn Hyslopp, Managing Director at Deluxe Recruitment | Harriet Janman, Director at Renew Consultancy | Hayley Pugh, CEO/Director at Oakley Recruitment | Kate Gerald, CEO & Founder of K.A.G. Recruitment & Training Consultancy | Maryna Stiahailo, CEO and Owner at NextGenHR | Natasha Makhijani, CEO at Oliver Sanderson Group | Owanate Bestman, Director at Bestman Solutions | Tom Flood, Director at FBR Construction Recruitment
Rising Star of the Year (Agency) (Presented by The Talent Community): Bella Howell, Trainee Recruitment Consultant at Oakley Recruitment | Chantelle Wooldridge, Senior Consultant at Tile Hill | Chris Barrow, Senior Consultant at Tile Hill | Ellie Bryant, HR Manager at KSB Recruitment Consultants | Emily Hogan, Recruitment Consultant at Oakley Recruitment | Luke Boatman, Managing Consultant at Connect2Kent | Maizie McDonald, Trainee Recruitment Consultant at Deluxe Recruitment | Mo Newman, Global Talent Partner at Sajawo
In-House Awards
In-House Recruitment Team of the Year (<1,000 employees): Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult | Tandem Bank | Xcel Health Group | Zoological Society of London
In-House Recruitment Team of the Year (1,001-5,000 employees): Arch Insurance International | British Heart Foundation | Forge Holiday Group | ManpowerGroup UK | Oviva | Radius | Tetra Tech Europe | Village Hotel Club
In-House Recruitment Team of the Year (>5,000 employees): Birmingham Women's and Children's NHS Foundation Trust | MBDA UK | NHS Property Services | Octopus Energy | S&P Global | Sanctuary Care | Tata Consultancy Services
Employer Brand of the Year: Benefact Group | Forge Holiday Group | New Star Care | Robert Walters | Sanctuary Care | The JSS Group | Workday
Career Site of the Year: British Heart Foundation | InfraRec | Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust | Telegraph Media Group Holdings | TFY (Transformify)
Early Careers Employer of the Year: Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult | Leonardo Hotels UK & Ireland | Paragon Traffic Management | S&P Global | Xcel Health Group
Agency Awards
Best Place to Work in Recruitment: Arthur Financial | Edison Smart | HRGO Recruitment | New Star Care
Agency Recruitment Team of the Year (<10 employees): Connect2Hackney | Connect2Luton | DISH Hospitality UK | K.A.G. Recruitment Consultancy | Oakley Recruitment | Protec Technical Recruitment | Solace Recruitment | Valenti Recruitment
Agency Recruitment Team of the Year (10+ employees): Aspiron Search | Corecom Consulting | DeepRec.ai | Devonshire Appointments | Element Recruitment | Emérique & Partners | New Star Care | Robert Walters | Tempdent Recruitment and Training | Tile Hill
Best New Recruitment Agency of the Year: A247 Staff | Bolt Technical | Committed Support | Imagine Executive Solutions | moira" | Oculus Legal Group | Valenti Recruitment | Whitewater Recruitment
Executive Recruitment Agency of the Year: H&P Executive Search | Oliver Sanderson Group | RedLaw
Specialist Recruitment Agency of the Year: Aspiron Search | DeepRec.ai | Emérique & Partners | H&P Executive Search | Radley James | RedLaw | Rise Technical Recruitment | Solace Recruitment | The JSS Group | VHR | Whitewater Recruitment | YCG
Temporary Recruitment Agency of the Year: A247 Staff | Chefs & Events Staffing | Deluxe Recruitment | DISH Hospitality UK | Eden Brown Synergy | HRGO Recruitment | Tempdent Recruitment and Training | VHR | Work2gether
Technology Recruitment Agency of the Year: Corecom Consulting | La Fosse | Pracyva | Radley James
Public/Third Sector Recruitment Agency of the Year: Connect2Dudley | Connect2Hackney | Eden Brown Synergy | Tile Hill
Awards ceremony
We’ll celebrate our Finalists and announce Winners on the evening of Thursday 12th November 2026 at the iconic Grand Hall of the Grand Connaught Rooms in Covent Garden, London. Expect a night of networking, entertainment, delicious food and drink - and of course, plenty of trophies!
Reserve your tickets and keep updated by following us on LinkedIn, X, or by signing up for email updates.
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.
K.A.G. Recruitment Consultancy: K.A.G. Recruitment is a female-led consultancy on a mission to make Recruitment more inclusive, personal and effective. Specialists in Food Manufacturing, FMCG, Engineering, IT and Logistics, K.A.G. combines sector expertise with a people-first, diversity-driven approach. Through tailored recruitment and training solutions, they challenge outdated hiring practices, champion diversity, support retention and help businesses build stronger, more inclusive teams where great talent can truly thrive.
The British Recruitment 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.
