The shortlisted finalists for the 2026 British Diversity Awards has been announced, celebrating the individuals and organisations championing diversity, equity and inclusion across the UK.
Proudly supported by headline sponsor LSEG, the British Diversity Awards shine a spotlight on those making meaningful progress in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I), recognising the people and organisations working tirelessly to create more inclusive workplaces and a fairer society.
At a time when intolerance and prejudice – particularly towards minority communities – continue to rise, it is more important than ever to stand united in championing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion across the UK. Equality, respect and opportunity for all should never be optional. Achieving them requires commitment, action and courage, and each year the nominees exemplify these values.
BUILDING A MORE INCLUSIVE FUTURE
The British Diversity Awards celebrate those breaking down barriers, embracing difference and helping to build a stronger, more inclusive future for everyone.
Commenting on this year’s shortlist, British Diversity Awards Founder Linda Riley said: “The calibre of individuals, networks, organisations and charities represented is outstanding and serves as a powerful reflection of the commitment being shown across our sector and beyond. The work taking place in this space continues to inspire and challenge us all. Thank you to our headline sponsor LSEG and our category sponsors. A huge congratulations to everyone shortlisted and involved in bringing this together.”
The winners will be announced at the British Diversity Awards ceremony on Wednesday 25 March 2026, at the JW Marriott Grosvenor House, Park Lane, London.
BRITISH DIVERSITY AWARDS 2026 FINALISTS
This year’s shortlisted finalists, by category, include:
Outstanding Employee Network of the Year, sponsored by Clifford Chance
- Culture Circles, Fiserv
- Forces Network, Centrica
- Military Community, Adler & Allan
- NextGen, JPMorgan Chase
- SN Muslims (Springer Nature Muslims Employee Network), Springer Nature
- Carers Network, Centrica
- Balance, SMBC Group
- Menopause Network, Barratt Redrow
- DEI Council, Munich Re
- DE&I Working Group, Survitec Group
- Journey ERG, HSBC UK
- DEI Group, The Society of Pension Professionals (SPP)
Diversity Team of the Year, sponsored by Haleon
- MAG EDI Team, MAG (Manchester Airports Group)
- CP Inclusion & Belonging, Colgate-Palmolive
- Executive MBA (EMBA) Team, Cambridge Judge Business School
- RBC Pride Europe, Royal Bank of Canada
- Global Diversity and Inclusion Team, Standard Chartered
- Colleague Inclusion Network, The Co-operative Bank
- Inclusion & Diversity Team, England Rugby
- UK Inclusion Council, Swiss Re
- Wellbeing & Inclusion, TUI
- DEI Team, Barratt Redrow
- DE&I Team, Virgin Media O2
- Community and Culture Team, CBRE
- Wellbeing & Inclusion Team, IRIS Software Group
- DEI Team, Munich Re
Outstanding LGBTQIA Network of the Year, sponsored by HSBC Innovation Banking
- In-FUSE, ScottishPower
- equaliTW, Taylor Wessing
- Fly With Pride, MAG (Manchester Airports Group)
- Pride at RICS, Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS)
- OC Pride, Osborne Clarke
- QueerWise, Wise
- Pride Network, Worldpay
- Wipro Europe Pride ERG, Wipro
- Pride Europe ERG, Scotiabank
- LGBTQ+ at Sky, Sky UK Ltd
- HYPride, Hyatt UK & Ireland
- Embrace, Baringa
- Pride @ E.ON, E.ON Next
- LGBTQ+ Network, Monzon Bank
Inspirational Role Model of the Year, sponsored by DHL Express
- Andrew Hulbert, Pareto Facilities Management Ltd
- Emily Lofting-Kisakye, Cognita Schools
- Motie Bring, PPRO
- Georgina Snape, Accenture
- Roisin Mackenzie, Saga Plc
- Roianne Nedd, Oliver Wyman
- Lucinda Batchelor, Warner Bros. Discover
- Jo Powell, Deutsche Bank
- Tokeer Ahmed, Capgemini
- Cordi O’Hara OBE, National Grid
- Nick Mackenzie, Greene King
- Jeff Wilkinson, HSBC UK
- Nina Goswami, Clifford Chance
- Jonathan Hackett, Lockton
Outstanding Ability Network of the Year, sponsored by Allianz Commercial
- SPARC Employee Network, ScottishPower
- Enable Group, Travers Smith
- Global Neurodivergent Network Group, auticon
- RespectAbility, MAG (Manchester Airports Group)
- DHL Supply Chain Abilities Alliance, DHL
- Diversability Network, LV=
- Neurodiversity BRG, JLL
- Neurodiversity at Work, HarperCollins
- SN D&N (Springer Nature Disability & Neurodiversity Employee Network), Springer Nature
- Enabling UK ERG, National Grid
- Enabled, BDO LLP
- Able2, BT Group
Diversity Champion of the Year, sponsored by Leathwaite
- Colin Kimber, Pareto Facilities Management Ltd
- Brendan Hegarty, NatWest Social & Community Capital
- Robin Panrucker, Taylor Wessing
- Paul Stanley, Anglo American & De Beers Group
- Jen Patterson, Adler & Allan
- Justin Hargate, National Grid
- Alvaro Garrido, Standard Chartered
- Matt Mundy, Royal Bank of Canada
- Lilly Chen, Virgin Money
- Kirsten Whitworth, Sky UK Ltd
- David Ziyambi, Latham & Watkins
- Charlotte Helliwell, Lockton
- Dr Jennifer Waller Martin, Cambridge Judge Business School
Outstanding Women’s Network of the Year, sponsored by Centrica
- Connected Women, ScottishPower
- Gender Network, NatWest Group
- Women in Financial Services (WIFS), Accenture
- Women in Engineering Network, Vodafone Three
- Women Making Waves, Adler & Allan
- Women@CHS, Anglo American & De Beers Group
- Women Connect, Scotiabank
- Women’s Business Network (WBN), NTT DATA UK&I
- WiNTR (Women in Non-Traditional Roles), National Grid
- Inspiring Women Network (IWN), BAE Systems
- Gender ERG, DXC Technology
- WISE (Women in Software Empowered), The Access Group
- Gender Balance Network (GBN), Close Brothers
- Balance@Mercer, Mercer Ltd
- Women@Sky, Sky UK Ltd
Changemaker of the Year, sponsored by CBRE
- Maria Elisa Lloyd, Anglo American & De Beers Group
- Julien Brain, Wipro
- Craig Downing, The Co-operative Bank
- Marie-Helene Tyack, Allianz Commercial
- Mark Chadwick, Fiserv
- Sam Fresa, Entain
- Natasha White, Cisco
- Adelle Barker, Sky UK Ltd
- Lauren Thompson, Virgin Media O2
- Anna Deignan, The Premier League
- Andrew Kyte, TUI
- Natalie Ojevah MBE, Barclays
- Kike Agoro, BYP Network
- Dr Kamran Iqbal, Chiesi Ltd
Outstanding Ethnicity Network of the Year, sponsored by Paramount
- Black Professionals Resource Group, Barclays
- Multicultural BRG, Moodys
- BOLD (Black Outstanding Leaders Delivering), Warner Bros. Discovery
- EmbRace, MAG (Manchester Airports Group)
- REACH, Kingsley Napley
- Multicultural Network (MCN), NatWest Group
- Race Equality Network, University of Birmingham
- Race for Change BRG, JLL
- EmbRACE Network, Siemens
- SN BEN (Springer Nature Black Employee Network), Springer Nature
- Race and Equality Network (REN), Capgemini
- Embrace Network, Virgin Money
- Race & Ethnicity ERG, DXC Technology
- Multi-Ethnics ERG, Scotiabank
- Culture & Ethnicity Network (CEN), NTT DATA UK&I
Head of Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging of the Year, sponsored by Amazon
- Gemma Webb, Barratt Redrow
- Donna Herdsman, Korn Ferry
- Fiona Pargeter, Chanel
- Rebecca Ormond, SMBC Group
- Chris Lawrence, Deutsche Bank
- Reema Samuel-Lewis, Sky UK Ltd
- Dr Asif Sadiq MBE, Warner Bros. Discovery
- Ally Tyger-Doyle, MiQ
- Gemma Jackson, Intact Insurance UK
- Sarah Kenuel, Bolt
- Priyanka Patel, Colgate-Palmolive
- Katy Hall, NES Fircroft
- Miranda Simms, TUI
Company of the Year, sponsored by National Grid
- PPRO
- BDO LLP
- Chanel
- Oliver Wyman
- CBRE
- ScottishPower
- Sky UK Ltd
- Clifford Chance
- Greene King
- Latham & Watkins
- Bolt
- Barratt Redrow
Social Mobility Initiative of the Year, sponsored by AMS
- Pathways to Law Work Experience Scheme, Mishcon de Reya x Sutton Trust
- Mentoring Scheme, Lewis Silkin
- Accenture Social Mobility Month, Accenture
- Spring Forward Programme, Slaughter and May
- OC Talent Programme, Osborne Clark
- The Building Your Future (BYF) Virtual Work Experience, JLL, Meta and Springpod
- Social Mobility Team UK, Oliver Wyman
- Building Tomorrow, Today, Barratt Redrow
- Leeds Access to Medicine (A2M), Leeds Access to Medicine Society
- Mental Health Research For All, NIHR Applied Research Collaboration North Thames
- Digital Boost Mentoring, Digital Boost
Global Diversity Initiative of the Year, sponsored by LSEG
- The ‘Equity Engine’ Initiative, King
- Flora Qi, Wise
- Empowering Inclusion: A joined-up approach to Workplace Adjustments, Sky UK Ltd
- Big Respect, National Grid
- The Reason Why Workshop, JLL
- Inclusion and Culture Festival, Oliver Wyman
- Building Forever, Anglo American & De Beers Group
- Global Policy For Prevention Of LGBTQIA+ Discrimination, Wipro
- GBM Propel Programme, Scotiabank
- AI & Data Sheroes, IBM (Black Women at IBM)
- Global Colleague Communities, Standard Chartered
Charity or Not-For-Profit of the Year, sponsored by Legal and General
- Touchstone
- Migrateful
- Workstyle Revolution CIC
- Women in Tri UK
- Strength With In Me (S.W.I.M.)
- Codebar
- Sanskruti Centre for Cultural Excellence
- Reclaim The Frame
- The AVOCADO Foundation
- The CRUMBS Project
- Digital Boost
- HAWA Multicultural Services CIC
Community Project of the Year, sponsored by Bank of London
- WCHG Youth Opportunities, Wythenshawe Community Housing Group Youth Team
- Snowball, Snowball Community Ltd
- True Faces of Rare: Shaping Visual Representation Together, Chiesi UK
- Hedleys Police Cadets, Hedleys College – Percy Hedley Foundation
- CitiSEN4u
- Musicians in Exile, The Glasgow Barons
- Academy for Disabled Journalists (ADJ), Ability Today
- Patient and Carer Race Equality Framework (PCREF), Sheffield Health Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust
- Trans is Human
- Scotiabank Europe & 2econd Chance
- Creu 30 Mwy (Create 30 More), WISP Dance Club
- Community Initiatives, Bridgend College
Media Personality of the Year
- Adam Pearson
- Ria Hebden
- Vicky McClure MBE
- Emma Watson
- Sir Lenny Henry
- Sir Elton John and David Furnish
- Chris McCausland
- Nicola Coughlan
- Saskhia Menendez
- Dr Alex George
- Cat Burns
- Sam Thompson
Athlete Empowering Positive Change, sponsored by Lockton & UK Sport
- Ellie Simmonds OBE
- Jodie Ounsley
- Kare Adenegan
- Chloe Kelly
- Dame Kelly Holmes
- Richard Kilty
- Tess Howard MBE
- Seamus Derbyshire
- Ruth Mwandumba
- Tully Kearney MBE
- Emily Campbell
- Marcus Rashford MBE
- Dina Asher-Smith MBE
Check out last year’s winners here.
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