KPMG, Microsoft, Lloyds Banking Group, Linklaters and PA Consulting are among the organisations and individuals recognised at the UK Social Mobility Awards 2026 for widening access to employment, career progression and opportunity – as Britain confronts a deepening challenge around young people locked out of work and education.
Organisations spanning banking, technology, infrastructure, law, facilities management, higher education and the public sector have been recognised at the UK Social Mobility Awards 2026 for helping people from less advantaged backgrounds access employment and progress in their careers. The winners of the annual UK Social Mobility Awards (SOMOs), held in association with National Grid, were announced at a gala in London on Tuesday 6 October, hosted by presenter, writer, actor, director and comedian Sue Perkins.
The awards come at a particularly significant moment for social mobility in Britain. Earlier this year, the number of 16- to 24-year-olds not in employment, education or training (NEET) rose above one million, prompting warnings that Britain risks creating a “lost generation” as traditional entry-level routes into employment disappear.
The latest official estimate has since fallen slightly to around 981,000 young people, but the underlying challenge remains significant. The government-commissioned Young People and Work Review, led by former Cabinet minister Alan Milburn, found that 84% of young people who are NEET want to work, study or train, while six in 10 have never had a job.
As Fair Play Talks has previously highlighted, employers themselves are also warning that rising costs and shrinking entry-level opportunities risk making that first step into work even harder. Against that backdrop, the SOMOs aim to recognise organisations and individuals demonstrating how employers and institutions can actively widen access to opportunity.
The winners were selected from this year’s UK Social Mobility Awards shortlist, which featured organisations across banking, law, technology, government, infrastructure, higher education, healthcare, media and transport.
UK SOCIAL MOBILITY AWARDS 2026 WINNERS
The winners and highly commended this year by category include:
INDIVIDUAL CATEGORIES
Champion of the Year
- Winner: Darren Hardman, Microsoft UK&I
Mentor of the Year
- Winner: Lauren Moore, Pinsent Masons
Rising Star, championed by PwC
- Winner: Josh Wilkins, A&O Shearman
- Highly commended: Tom Glenn, Lewis Silkin LLP
ORGANISATIONAL CATEGORIES
Organisation of the Year, championed by bp
- Winner: KPMG
Innovation, championed by Barclays
- Winner: Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer
Leadership of the Year
- Winner: Sodexo
- Highly commended: Wychavon District Council
Social Mobility Network of the Year
- Winner: Lloyds Banking Group
- Highly commended: HSBC Bank plc
Pre-Recruitment Programme of the Year, championed by BNP Paribas
- Winner: University of Warwick
- Highly commended: Trowers & Hamlins
Recruitment Programme of the Year, championed by Hedley May
- Winner: Howden Group Holdings
- Highly commended: Lloyds Banking Group
Progression Programme of the Year
- Winner: Close Brothers
- Highly commended: Sodexo
Community Programme of the Year
- Winner: Linklaters
- Highly commended: Aberdeen Group plc
University of the Year, championed by Sky
- Winner: University of Worcester
- Highly commended: University of Exeter
Tech for Social Mobility, championed by Lloyds Banking Group
- Winner: PA Consulting
- Highly commended: NTT DATA Business Solutions UK&I
OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO SOCIAL MOBILITY
Sir Kenneth Olisa OBE, HM Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London, was also presented with the Outstanding Contribution to Social Mobility Award. Olisa has chaired the independent judging panel for the SOMOs and has been closely involved with the initiative’s work to encourage organisations to address socio-economic inequality.
OPENING DOORS TO OPPORTUNITY
The UK Social Mobility Awards provide a national platform for employers, universities and other organisations working to ensure that a person’s socio-economic background does not determine their future prospects. The awards are driven by social mobility charity Making The Leap and have taken place since 2017, marking almost a decade of recognising organisations and individuals seeking to widen opportunity across the UK.
The organisation’s founder and CEO Tunde Banjoko OBE has long argued that employers have an important role to play in tackling the barriers that prevent people from lower socio-economic backgrounds accessing education, employment and career progression. Speaking after this year’s awards, Banjoko said: “A decade after the launch of the SOMOs, social mobility has, rightly, become a national priority. I want to congratulate all of this year’s winners: as employers, government and communities look for ways to expand opportunity, they are helping to build a stronger economy and a fairer society. My hope is the success of this year’s SOMOs winners will inspire many more employers and institutions to take action, open doors for young people from all backgrounds and help drive social mobility forward.”
WAKE UP CALL FOR EMPLOYERS
The awards build on a broader movement encouraging businesses to examine how factors such as family income, postcode, education, disability and access to professional networks influence people’s chances of getting into and progressing at work.
On Social Mobility Day earlier this year, Fair Play Talks highlighted how the growing opportunity gap should act as a wake-up call for employers – particularly as young people face increasing difficulty accessing that crucial first rung of the career ladder. Recent initiatives show some employers beginning to respond. Sainsbury’s, for example, announced 10,000 work-experience opportunities for young people, while the Government and defence industry recently pledged 50,000 opportunities for young people.
TALENT IS EVERYWHERE, BUT OPPORTUNITY IS NOT
Carl Trower, President of Global Capital at National Grid, congratulated this year’s winners and finalists: “Congratulations to this year’s winners and finalists. The SOMOs showcase the organisations turning commitment into action and demonstrate that social mobility advances fastest when we work together to create clear pathways into meaningful careers, because talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not.”
That distinction – between where talent exists and who gets access to opportunity – has become increasingly important as employers reconsider recruitment and early-career pathways. The Milburn Review found that many young people outside employment or education face multiple barriers, including lack of work experience, health challenges, skills gaps, transport and geography. Six in 10 NEET young people surveyed had never had a job, highlighting the danger of what can become a “no experience, no job” cycle.
TURNING COMMITMENT INTO ACTION
Host Sue Perkins said the organisations and individuals recognised by the SOMOs demonstrate the difference practical action can make. “I loved hosting The UK Social Mobility Awards; it was inspiring to see and hear from individuals and organisations who are driving real change – whether by challenging barriers, creating new opportunities, or sharing their own experiences to support others,” shared Perkins. “This year’s winners have all, through meaningful, impactful and genuinely committed work, made a powerful contribution to improving social mobility across the UK. I hope this momentum continues, and more organisations are encouraged to play their part in opening up access and ensuring that everybody can thrive, no matter where they start in life.”
That final point is increasingly significant. At a time when almost a million young people remain outside employment, education and training, social mobility cannot simply be treated as a corporate responsibility initiative or an annual awareness campaign. For employers, it increasingly raises practical questions about who gets access to work experience, whose applications survive recruitment processes, who receives mentoring and sponsorship, and whether people from less advantaged backgrounds have genuine opportunities to progress once they enter an organisation. The organisations recognised by this year’s SOMOs offer examples of what action can look like across those different stages of the employment journey.
The winners were selected by an independent judging panel chaired by Sir Kenneth Olisa OBE. The 2026 SOMOs were supported by National Grid, Barclays, BNP Paribas, bp, Hedley May, Lloyds Banking Group, PwC, Sky and the Financial Times.
Click here for more information about this year’s winners.
RELATED ARTICLES
Organisations and individuals from banking, technology, law, infrastructure, government and higher education are among the finalists for the 2026 UK Social Mobility Awards.
Experts warn the UK risks creating a “lost generation” as disappearing entry-level jobs, worsening mental health and AI disruption leave more than one million young people outside work or education.
Britain’s youth employment crisis could deepen as rising business costs squeeze entry-level jobs, apprenticeships and training opportunities, the CBI has warned.
Social Mobility Day 2026: Britain’s growing youth employment crisis has reignited questions about who gets access to opportunity.
Sainsbury’s is creating around 10,000 work experience opportunities for young people across the UK as employers face growing pressure to rebuild routes into work.
The UK Government and defence industry have pledged to provide more than 40,000 opportunities a year for young people, rising to around 50,000 annually by 2035.
