The 2026 inclusion in Awards finalists recognise the leaders, teams and initiatives creating measurable change across hospitality, travel, leisure and retail, from inclusive leadership and employee networks to social mobility and workplace wellbeing.
The finalists for the 2026 inclusion in Awards have been revealed, recognising the people, organisations and initiatives helping make workplaces across hospitality, travel, leisure (HTL) and retail more inclusive. Now in their third year, the awards celebrate individual leadership alongside programmes, employee networks, collaborations and workplace initiatives designed to create lasting change.
This year’s programme spans 14 categories and 24 awards, with finalists ranging from chief executives and people leaders to mentors, inclusion professionals, employee resource groups and young people beginning their careers. The awards, powered by WiHTL and Diversity in Retail (DiR), aim to recognise work that may not always attract headlines but can have a significant impact on employees, workplaces and wider communities.
That focus on demonstrable action is increasingly important as employers face growing expectations to show that inclusion commitments translate into measurable progress. As Fair Play Talks highlighted during National Inclusion Week 2026, awareness remains important, but organisations are increasingly expected to demonstrate impact, accountability and meaningful change.
INCLUSION IN AWARDS FINALISTS
This year’s inclusion in Awards finalists, by category, are:
Most Inclusive Group CEO in HTL (sponsored by Redgrave)
- Colin McKinlay – Center Parcs
- David McDowall – Stonegate Group
- Dominic Blakemore – Compass Group
- Matt Merrick – iQ Student Accommodation
- Paula MacKenzie – PizzaExpress
Most Inclusive Group CEO in retail (sponsored by MBS)
- Helen Charlesworth – Connells Group
- Maria Hollins – Ann Summers
- Tim Stacey – DFS Group
Most Inclusive Divisional/Regional CEO in HTL (sponsored by Bidfood)
- Alison Zacher – Scott Dunn
- Carolina Martinoli – Vueling Airlines
- Helen Milligan-Smith – Aramark UK
- Karin Sheppard – IHG
- Stephen Cassidy – Hilton
Most Inclusive Divisional/Regional CEO in retail (sponsored by Stream)
- Graham Bell – B&Q
- Koreen Fader – QVC UK
- Pilar Losada – Inditex
- Ryan McDonnell – Lidl GB
Most Inclusive Chief Financial Officer in HTL (sponsored by Moto Hospitality)
- Jonathan Fearn – Greene King
- Leni Savva – Elior UK
- Pablo Sconfianza – Merlin Entertainments
- Scott Etherington – SSP Group
- Steve Cramer – Rare Restaurants
Most Inclusive Chief Financial Officer in Retail (sponsored by JSS Search)
- Bláthnaid Bergin – Sainsbury’s
- Constantinos Mourouzides – IKEA UK
- Imran Nawaz – Tesco
- Mark George – Wickes
The inclusion of CFO categories reflects the widening responsibility for inclusion beyond HR. Financial leaders can influence where organisations invest, how resources are allocated and whether inclusion remains embedded when business conditions become more challenging.
Most inclusive Chief People Officer in HTL (sponsored by Irwin Mitchell)
- Daniella Giersch – SSP Group
- James Thorne – McDonald’s UK & Ireland
- Matt Hudson – Popeyes UK
- Rebecca Jeffs – ISS UK&I
- Sophie Smith – Compass Group UK & Ireland
Most inclusive Chief People Officer in Retail (sponsored by Q5)
- Alexandra Buxton – Fortnum & Mason
- Carrie Westwell – Bensons for Beds
- Estelle Hollingsworth – McArthurGlen
- Sarah Appleby – The Very Group
- Sonia Astill – Wickes
Outstanding Inclusion Professional in HTL (sponsored by Stonegate)
- Jane Grammer – Whitbread
- Rachel Shinn – The Gym Group
- Sarah Atta-Nugent – IHG
- Wes Stanford – Center Parcs
- Zarah Doyle – ODEON Cinemas Group
Outstanding Inclusion Professional in Retail (sponsored by Global Payments)
- Amy Pandazis – DFS Group
- Ellie Longstride – Wickes
- Kim Pritchard – The Very Group
- Miriam Earley – Sainsbury’s
Most Impactful Mentor in HTL & Retail (sponsored by Elior)
- Arslan Sharif – Moto Hospitality
- Michela Frattini – McArthurGlen Group
- Priscilla Richardson – Rapport Guest Services
- Ramon Biarnes – ODEON Cinemas Group
- Sandra North – TUI
Mentoring can play an important role in widening access to opportunity, particularly where employees may lack informal networks or visibility with senior decision-makers. That connection between access, progression and opportunity also features strongly across this year’s social mobility categories. The UK Social Mobility Awards 2026 shortlist similarly highlighted the growing focus on recruitment, progression and community programmes designed to tackle Britain’s opportunity gap.
Inclusion Hero in HTL (sponsored by Screwfix)
- Ellie Lloyd – Warner Hotels
- Gemma Evans-Hurley – Compass Group UK & Ireland
- Gemma Raby – Whitbread
- Graham Briggs – Greene King
- Jennagh Delaney-Harding – The Gym Group
- Saurabh Prabhakar – Hilton
Inclusion Hero in Retail (sponsored by Connells)
- Emma Chevreau – JD Group
- James Moore – Harrods
- Louise Ross-Brown – QVC UK
- Sarah Malik – QVC UK
- Sharon Robinson – Kingfisher Plc
Most Impactful Employee Resource Group in HTL (sponsored by Greene King)
- Ability – Compass Group UK & Ireland
- Culture – Race and Ethnicity, ISS UK&I
- Different Abilities – Moto Hospitality
- Disability and inclusion ERG – The Gym Group
- Wellbeing and Inclusion Ambassador Group – Stonegate Group
Most Impactful Employee Resource Group in Retail (sponsored by QVC)
- Ability – OurCoop
- Disability @ Currys – Currys
- Gender Equality – QVC UK
- MIND (Mental Health & Wellbeing @ Very) – The Very Group
- Race Action Group – Age UK
- WAVE (Women at Very) – The Very Group
Employee resource groups can provide community and visibility, but their value increasingly depends on how closely they connect with wider business priorities and whether they are able to influence change rather than operate in isolation. That shift mirrors a broader move towards embedding inclusion within core business strategy. Fair Play Talks recently reported that disability inclusion is increasingly moving from an HR initiative into governance and wider business strategy.
Most Impactful Collaboration Project in HTL (sponsored by IHG)
- A Meal to Change Minds – Hilton
- Coca-Cola x Whitbread Pride Partnership for akt – Whitbread
- Mission Possible – ISS x OmniRMS
- Releasing Potential – Greene King
- TUI Academy UK – TUI & TUI Care Foundation
Most Impactful Collaboration Project in Retail (sponsored by Currys)
- Baby and Beyond: FAVE & WAVE Parental Support Project – The Very Group
- My Colour Speaks Before Me – B&Q
- Preparing for Adulthood / Business Visits / Dragons Den – QVC and Knowsley Borough Council
The collaboration categories highlight another important trend: some inclusion challenges cannot be solved by individual organisations working alone. Partnerships between employers, charities, community organisations and other businesses can expand reach, share expertise and create opportunities beyond a single workforce.
Most Impactful Social Mobility Initiative in HTL and Retail (sponsored by DFS)
- Ending Homelessness One Person at a time – ISS UK&I and Standing Tall
- Find Your Light – ODEON Cinemas Group
- Framtid – Social Recruitment Advocacy Framework – IKEA
- JDUP – JD Group
- On the Road Programme – Domino’s Pizza UK and Ireland
- TUI UK Academy – TUI
The programmes reflect growing recognition that inclusion is also about who gets access to work and progression in the first place. Social mobility initiatives can help employers reach people who may otherwise be excluded by conventional recruitment routes, lack of networks, socioeconomic circumstances or limited access to early career opportunities.
Most Transformative Inclusion Initiative in HTL (sponsored by SSP)
- Female Health at David Lloyd Clubs – David Lloyd Clubs
- Hart Shoreditch Wellness Workshop Series – Hart Shoreditch
- Hilton Chefs Inclusion Programme – Hilton
- Launch of Cabin Crew Apprenticeship – TUI
- Women & Wellbeing at Haven – Haven
Most Transformative Inclusion Initiative in Retail (sponsored by Q5)
- How Very reinvented its people policies to strengthen inclusion and accessibility – The Very Group
- Inclusion training – Sainsbury’s
- Leading for Inclusion: Workshops – DFS Group
- This Is Me – Harrods
- Unity Colleague Communities – Matalan
The shortlisted initiatives demonstrate how the inclusion agenda now spans far more than representation alone. encompassing accessibility, health and wellbeing, apprenticeships, leadership behaviour, employee communities and workplace policies.
The Inspirational Young Person Award (sponsored by JD Group)
- Conor Buck – Center Parcs Woburn
- Nadine Greenhough – McDonald’s UK & Ireland
- Oliver Styles – TUI
- Tayla Soames-Gould – WSH
- Leah Taylor-Pownall – Wickes
Recognising younger employees is particularly timely as employers rethink how they attract and retain the next generation of talent. Recent Fair Play Talks research coverage found four in five disabled young people expect disability-related barriers to affect their chances of finding work, underlining why inclusive routes into employment and progression remain important.
Most Inclusive Organisation in HTL (sponsored by Bond)
- Compass Group UK & Ireland
- Elior UK
- Moto Hospitality
- Vueling Airlines
- Whitbread
Most Inclusive Organisation in Retail (sponsored by B&Q)
- DFS Group
- Matalan
- Sainsbury’s
- The Very Group
- Wickes
WINNERS TO BE REVEALED IN NOVEMBER
The winners will be announced at the inclusion in Awards Ceremony on Tuesday 3 November 2026 at London Hilton on Park Lane. Fair Play Talks covered the inaugural awards, when organisations including Hilton, Sainsbury’s, Whitbread, Wickes and ODEON Cinemas Group were among those recognised for their work on inclusion. Read more here.
Find out more about the 2026 inclusion in Awards here.
RELATED ARTICLES
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Employee networks and inclusion leaders working behind the scenes to create fairer, more inclusive workplaces have been recognised at the Employee Network Awards 2026, celebrating the people turning workplace inclusion from words into meaningful action.
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