- Award-winning diversity and inclusion champions revealed
- Louise Minchin hosts ceremony for first time
The 2025 Inclusive Awards, organised by Inclusive Companies and sponsored by TalkTalk, unveiled this year’s winners across nine categories on November 27, 2025 at London’s iconic Hurlingham Club. The ceremony brought together leading diversity advocates, organisations and public figures to celebrate individuals and teams who are driving meaningful change within workplaces and communities. Vibrant performances from Angel Dancers and the Get Gospel Choir added to the evening’s energy, creating a powerful atmosphere of celebration and commitment to equity.
This year’s Awards saw journalist and TV presenter Louise Minchin host the evening for the first time. “It was an honour hosting the Inclusive Awards and meeting those incredible individuals and organisations who have stood by their DEI values to improve the working environments and lives for their colleagues,” says Louise. “This event reminds us of the power of equity in our workplaces and communities.”
All award submissions were assessed by an independent judging panel, including acclaimed Computer Scientist Professor Sue Black OBE and Tunji Akintokun MBE, Senior Director at LinkedIn. The panel examined entries beyond written policies, seeking evidence of real, lasting impact from nominees who have dedicated themselves to advancing diversity, inclusion, equality and equity.
This year’s winners represent a remarkable breadth of sectors – including technology, engineering, utilities, charities and recruitment – highlighting how far-reaching and essential this work has become. A special Lifetime Achiever Award was presented to Dr Vanessa Vallely OBE, Founder & Chief Executive of We Are The City, in recognition of her longstanding dedication to empowering others and championing inclusion.
The winners and those highly commended can be seen below and here
Paul Sesay presenting the 2025 Inclusive Awards
“As we reflect on how far we’ve progressed since launching the Inclusive Awards over a decade ago, it’s clear that our collective commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion continues to gain strength,” says Paul Sesay, CEO of Inclusive Companies. “Meaningful change requires ongoing dedication. There is still important work ahead and the remarkable efforts of this year’s finalists remind us what is possible. By celebrating their impact and elevating their voices, I hope the Inclusive Awards will motivate even more organisations to push boundaries, challenge norms and champion inclusion in ways that create lasting transformation.”
Further awards for diversity and inclusion champions
The evening also saw the unveiling of the Inclusive Top 50 UK Employers (IT50) list for 2025. This year, Kantar secured the top position, followed by Touchstone in second place and The Co-op Group in third. The IT50 is a definitive benchmark of the nation’s most inclusive organisations, recognising excellence across all diversity strands: age, disability, gender, LGBTQ+, race, faith and religion.
Also announced was the prestigious 2025 Diversity Power List, honouring 50 influential leaders whose dedication to inclusion is making a profound difference within their sectors and communities.
The 2025 Inclusive Awards Winners
https://inclusiveawards.co.uk/2025winners/
Head of Diversity & Inclusion
Winner: Katy Hall (NES Fircroft)
Highly Commended: Marie Helene-Tyack (Allianz)
Consultancy of the Year
Winner: Be What You See
Highly Commended: Bempong Talking Therapy
D&I Tech Initiative
Winner: Nimbus Disability
Highly Commended: MagicSauce.Online
Inclusive Culture Initiative
Winner: Matchtech
Highly Commended: Colt Technology Services
Outstanding Diversity Network
Winner: Bmet BAME Network
Highly Commended: OVO Pride
Social Mobility Project
Winner: National Grid
Highly Commended: Sumo Digital Academy
Diversity Team of the Year
Winner: YHA People & EDI Team
Highly Commended: Savills D&I Team
Chief Executive of the Year – Sponsored by TalkTalk
Winner: Gary Harrold (SPS UK and Ireland)
Highly Commended: Yvonne Field (Ubele Initiative)
Lifetime Achiever
Dr Vanessa Vallely OBE, Founder & CEO, WeAreTheCity
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The Inclusive Awards: Founded in 2015, these Awards recognise organisations for harnessing a truly diverse workforce across all protected characteristics. The awards cover excellence in all areas of diversity, as well as highlighting diverse employers and employees across a wide variety of sectors including housing, public, private, charity and education.
Image credits: All images by Laura Ashman
