Save the Date – 16th October 2025

Corporate Categories – Winner chosen by judges scoring submissions

Where stated, 12 months indicates from March 2024 to February 2025

Champion Ally 

This award recognises allies that are passionately committed to promoting inclusion, diversity and belonging for diverse ethnic groups, both within and outside the workplace. The individual should not identify as being from an ethnic minority background, and should have used their position to support and actively participate or initiate activities that progress this agenda, both in their own company and the wider world, with a focus on work carried out within the last 12 months.

Past Winners Include: Mat Moakes – OVO, Honey Kirtley – BNY Mellon, Paul Plewman – Macquarie

Exceptional Inclusion  

This award recognises a person who works within the diversity, inclusion, and/or HR sector. The winner of this award should be able to demonstrate that they regularly go above and beyond their day job to ensure that initiatives they implement are innovative and create lasting change within inclusion, diversity and belonging for diverse ethnic groups. Nominees should be able to provide examples within the last 12 months, and should identify as being from any ethnic minority background.

Past Winners Include: Jacquline Alcindor – LGIM, Nicole Williams – Ashurst, Ade Rawcliffe – ITV

Future Leader  

This award recognises a future leader who has shown great future potential within their career and field of work. The future leader will be between the beginning to middle of their career, and will be able to show that they are keen to role model leadership qualities. Additionally, the nominee will be able to demonstrate that they have contributed to furthering inclusion, diversity and belonging for diverse ethnic groups. This individual must be able to show evidence of raising the profile or pushing the boundaries of this agenda within the last 12 months. Nominees for this award should identify as being from any ethnic minority background.

Past Winners Include:  Olivia Grant – Reed Smith LLP, Cecilia Adjei-Sarpong – Essence Mediacom, Rachel Henry – Boots

Inspirational Leader  

This award recognises a business leader (specifically someone in a Senior Management role), who has used their influence to effect positive change within inclusion, diversity and belonging for diverse ethnic groups. The nominee should be able to demonstrate they have been a positive role model and has had a strong influence within and outside of their workplace within the last 12 months. Nominees for this award should identify as being from any ethnic minority background.

Past Winners Include:  Geoffrey Williams – Burberry, Oli O’Donoghue – HSBC, Leon Donald – Tesco

Network Group   

This award recognises a network group that can demonstrate that they are active, innovative, and supportive of their diverse ethnic staff. The group must demonstrate that they have gone above and beyond in helping to positively impact inclusion, diversity and belonging for diverse ethnic groups over the last 12 months. Judges will be measuring the value of the network group’s initiatives and engagement relative to their maturity and network size.

Past Winners Include:  Black Employee Network – Amazon, BT Ethnic Diversity Network – BT Group, Race Together – Nationwide Building Society

Workplace Hero

This award recognises a diversity champion who has pushed the boundaries when it comes to ethnicity, inclusion within their company and beyond. The nominee can be at any stage of their career, and must have ethnic inclusion and wider diversity initiatives at the core of everything they do: they should be able to provide examples from within the last 12 months. Nominees for this award should identify as being from any diverse ethnic background. The nominee should not be working in a DEI role, please nominate in the Exceptional Inclusion category.

Past Winners Include:  Annmarie Holligan – BT Group, Seleeta Watson – Computacenter, Tolu Falade – BP

Corporate Categories – shortlist and winner determined by submissions into the 2025 Investing in Ethnicity Maturity Matrix

Innovation Award

New for 2025! The innovation award recognises those taking an innovative approach to inclusion. This award is derived from the Maturity Matrix and celebrates creative initiatives creating impact and driving inclusion within organisations.

Outstanding Employer  

This award recognises a business which is Investing in the ethnicity agenda across various criteria. This company will be able to demonstrate, through the Investing in Ethnicity Maturity Matrix, that they are creating change by implementing initiatives through the seven categories and recommendations. These include capturing diversity data, implementing an action plan, building understanding and supporting development and representation of diverse ethnic groups.

Past Winners Include: HSBC UK, KPMG UK, Lloyds Banking Group

Community Categories – winner chosen by public vote

Charity or community initiative

This award recognises a community initiative, campaign, non-profit business or charity that actively supports the improvement of the lives of an under-represented or diverse ethnic group or community, fostering positive community engagement and development.

Past Winners Include: End Violence and Racism Against ESEA Communities (EVR), Muslim Council of Britain

Outstanding contribution To Communities

This award recognises an individual who has gone above and beyond to support a diverse community or communities through advocacy, campaigning or grass roots support. This can either be through work with a charity or founding their own campaign or initiative, but they must be able to demonstrate how they have improved the lives of people from an ethnic group or groups.

Past Winners Include:  Halima Begum – Oxfam, Heela Yoon, Hau-Yu Tam