The European Diversity Awards, highlighting individuals, organisations, companies, charities and networks that drive diversity, inclusion and equality into the heart of everything they do, have announced 2025’s finalists.
Launched in 2010 by diversity champion Linda Riley, the European Diversity Awards, celebrate all strands of Diversity, including age, disability, gender, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, social mobility and sexual orientation.
2025’S EUROPEAN DIVERSITY AWARDS FINALISTS
This year’s finalists, by category, include:
HR Champion of the Year
- Bettina Dietsche – Allianz SE
- Richard Thompson – Capgemini
- Karen Taylor – Ex Amazon
- Nicki Thornley – Space and Time
- Suki Adewetan – Vodafone UK
- Emily Lofting-Kisakye – Cognita Schools
- Jo Portlock – LexisNexis Risk
- Debbie French – ARC Network
- Zarah Doyle – Odeon UK
- Jane Beeston – Colart
- Andy Goff – Capgemini
Social Mobility Initiative of the Year
- European Markets & Health HR & Communications Team – GIE AXA
- Optum Ireland Women Reboot Internship Programme – Optum
- Opening Doors at CBRE – CBRE UK
- AMS Skills Creation – AMS
- Accelerated Progress Programme (APP) – Progress Together
- Insight Work Experience – Legal & General
- Migrant Leaders – The Fardad Foundation
- Sanofi NextGen Scholarship – Sanofi
- Socio-Economic Mobility Network – L&G
- BEGIN – Digital Boost & Buy Women Built
- Future Leaders Initiatives – Kearney
Outstanding Employee Network of the Year
- Accessibility For Everyone (A4E) @ Broadlake Employee Network – Broadlake
- Carers Network – Centrica
- Culture Circles – Fiserv
- Working Families – Avanade
- Men’s Network – Centrica
- DEI Council – Munich Re
- Solihull Diversity & Inclusion Committee – L&G
- Well-being Employee Resource Group – HSBC Innovation Banking
- Gender Network – Natwest
- Inclusion Council – ScotiaBank Europe
- sPaCe Network (Supporting Parents & Carers Everywhere) – Heathrow
Diversity Team of the Year
- Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Wellbeing Team – Colt Technology Services
- Inclusive Futures Team – Capgemini
- DEI and Employer Reputation Team – Henkel AG & Co. KGaA
- ED&I Team – Kellanova Europe
- Executive MBA (EMBA) Team – Cambridge Judge Business School
- DEI Strategic Focus Group – Canon Europe Ltd.
- Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging, Centre of Excellence – AMS
- Diversity Team – Centrica
- Inclusion and Belonging Team – Haleon
- Inclusion and Community Impact team – Primark
- DEI Team – Munich Re
- Global D&I team – Freshfields
- ED&I Network – Post Office
Outstanding LGBTQIA Network of the Year
- equaliTW – Taylor Wessing
- Prism – Jacobs Solutions Inc
- PRIDE Alliance ACE – Gilead Sciences
- Pride @ E.ON – E.ON
- dhProud – dunnhumby
- L&GBT+Allies Network – L&G
- FreshPride – HelloFresh
- LGBTQ+ Committee – OpenAG
- In-FUSE – ScottishPower
- LGBTQ+ at Sky – Sky UK
- Pride Network – Octopus Energy
- Proud@Sainsburysn – Sainsburys
- Wipro Europe Pride ERG – Wipro
- HYPride – Hyatt UK & Ireland Hotels
Changemaker of the Year
- Annlore Defossez – Capgemini
- Emma Holliday – Avanade
- Amanda Britton – Primark
- Mark Chadwick – Fiserv
- Armando Soto -Munich Re
- Raj Verma – Sanofi
- Adelle Barker – Sky UK Ltd
- Kushal Khandhar – Boston Consulting Group
- Elizaveta Khadjinova – Kao
- Ruben Ramirez – D&I Consultant
- Bernadette Samuel – Virgin Media O2
- Taylor Mirkarimi – Vodafone
- Melissa Brette Ogée – Hyatt UK & Ireland Hotels
- Marie-Helene Tyack – Allianz Commercial
- Patrick Weber – AXA Switzerland
Outstanding Ethnicity Network of the Year
- Race Equality Network – University of Birmingham
- GRACE (Global Race and Cultural Ethnicity) – Allianz
- FT Embrace – Financial Times
- The Race and Culture Network – Kingfisher Plc
- GLOBE – Gilead Leadership Organisation of Black Employees – Gilead Sciences
- UMOJA (Swahili: Unity, Togetherness) – Accenture
- Race & Equality Network – Capgemini
- Beyond Multicultural Employee Network – Avanade
- REACH Network – CBRE
- NUBI (Noir·e·s @UBI) ERG – Ubisoft
- Enrich – Virgin Media O2
- CulturALL – Capgemini
Outstanding Ability Network of the Year
- Neurodiversity Affinity Network – Kingfisher plc
- CapAbility – Capgemini
- NeuroAbility UK – Capgemini
- UK Kapable BERG – Kellanova
- Able2 – Openreach
- DiversAbility – Avanade
- Global Empower ERG – Haleon
- Critenable Community – Criteo
- ACCESS – Lloyds Banking Group
- SPARC Employee Network – ScottishPower
- Ability+ EBRG’s – Sanofi
- BBC Ability – BBC
- Able – NEXT
Inspirational Role Model of the Year
- Andrew Hulbert – Pareto FM
- Michelle Stanbank – Tesco Mobile
- Tokeer Ahmed – Capgemini
- Sue-Ellen Bowen – Gilead Sciences
- David Lawlor – Kellanova
- Ruth Rowan – Avanade
- Remi Iyun – CBRE
- Sophie Morgan – Primark Ambassador
- Danielle Hartmann – Roche
- Lauri O’Neill – AIG
- Kerry McNally – Flutter
- Gagandeep Gadri – Capgemini
- Xavier White – Verizon
Outstanding Women’s Network of the Year
- Connected Women – ScottishPower
- The RISE Network – Henkel AG & Co. KGaA
- Women@Capgemini France – Capgemini
- Women LEAD ERG – Ireland & UK – Optum
- CBRE UK Women’s Network – CBRE
- UK Gender Equity BERG – Kellanova
- Global Women@Haleon ERG – Haleon
- Women’s Employee Network – Avanade
- Women’s Network – Tesco Mobile
- Business Women’s Network – SAP
- Women in Tech – PA Consulting
- Women@Mercer – Mercer Ltd
- Altitude Network – Heathrow Airport
- Women at Hiscox – Hiscox
- Women in Business & Allies Employee Network – Canon Europe Ltd.
Head of Diversity / Belonging / Inclusion of the Year
- Rachel Collins – Colt Technology Services
- Sam Thomas-Berry – Kellanova
- Kerstin Papenberg – Capgemini Deutschland GmbH
- Jennifer MacDonald – Royal Academy of Engineering
- Loraine Martins OBE – Arup
- Ian Tomney Bell – giffgaff
- Charlie Magadah-Williams – Primark
- Florence Henderson – Moody’s Corporation
- Justine Pernice – Aldermore
- Moni Akinsanya – Liverpool John Moores University
- Katy Hall – NES Fircroft
- Reema Samuel-Lewis – Sky UK LTD
- Annisha Taylor – Ofcom
- Mathilde Aponte Faucherie – Danone
Diversity Champion of the Year
- Kirsten Whitworth – Sky UK Ltd
- Eugenio Pirri – TELUS Health
- Alessandra Miata – Capgemini
- Anita Ralli – Gilead Sciences
- Deon Pillay – L&G
- Asha Vesudevan – Munich Re
- Robin Panrucker – Taylor Wessing
- Paul Stanley – De Beers Group
- Adam Jarvis – Tesco
- Kat McGurk – Flutter
- Michael Yabantu – AVIVA
- Serufusa Sekidde – GSK
- Rabih Moussan – Microsoft
- Colin Kimber – Pareto Facilities Management Ltd
Company of the Year
- Broadlake
- Kearney
- Capgemini
- TJX Europe
- Primark
- Parques Reunidos Group
- Munich Re
- Sky UK Ltd
- Cognita Schools
- DNB
- Sanofi
- Everywhen
- ppro
- Tata Consultancy Services
Charity / Not-For-Profit of the Year
- FUNDACIÓ PRIVADA – IMANcorp FOUNDATION
- The Five Foundation
- Fundación Eurofirms Foundation
- The Children’s Society
- Micro Rainbow C.I.C.
- Le Refuge
- Transfeminiinit
- Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo
- Hivos (The Hague)
- LGBT Asylum
Community Project of the Year
- Tomorrow Meets Today – Pareto FM
- Optum’s Community Initiatives – Breaking barriers to build digital futures – Optum
- E50K – Amey
- Inclusion Fairs – Capgemini Deutschland GmbH
- Aldermore & Reading Rockets Partnership – Aldermore
- Accessibility Community – Garanti BBVA
- CitiSEN4u
- Cinema without Barriers – ZAMEK Culture Centre in Poznań
- Living Museum – Living Museum Society
- Academy for Disabled Journalists (ADJ) – Ability Today
AWARDS CEREMONY & SPONSORS
The winners will be announced at the awards ceremony, on Friday 7 November 2025 at London’s InterContinental, which will be hosted by Kamali Melbourne and Gillian Joseph. This year’s headline sponsor is Optum, and category sponsors include Abercrombie & Fitch Co, Haleon, Alllianz, DHL Group, EmployAbility, HSBC, myGwork, Sanofi and Sedulo.
Click here to find out more.
RELATED ARTICLES
Check out 2024’s European Diversity Awards winners here.
Check out 2024’s European Diversity Awards finalists here.
Check out 2023’s European Diversity Awards here.
Check out 2023’s European Diversity Awards finalists here.
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