Finalists 2026
Thank you to everyone who submitted a nomination for the 2026 Yorkshire Excellence in HR Awards. We received an outstanding number of entries and it is great to see so many talented individuals, teams and organisations.
See the categories below to discover the successful nominees who made it through to the final stage of the nomination process:
Rising Talent in HR
Finalists:
Kat Rooker, UniHomes & Bills Ltd
Sophie Dalgarno, px
Steph Davidson, Professional Squash Association
Ayesha Khan, Milewood
Vicky Whitlock, Carlton Academy Trust
Nicole Adams, EE Solutions Limited t/a Yorkshire Gas & Power Ltd
Katie Lockwood, Aptamer Group
Lucy Boyes, Beyondly Global Ltd
People Leader of the Year
Finalists:
Laura Stocker, Vet-AI
Sarah Fallows, SSP UK&I
Katy Kinsella-Whyte, Sumo Digital
Kevin Green, Mibelle Ltd.
Kelly Dolphin, SBFM (currently)
Lora Briggs, VetPartners
Katy Sawyer, Fera Science Limited
Jodie Keating, Morrisons
Team of the Year – Private Sector (over 250 employees)
Finalists:
evo Group
Fera Science Limited
Ramsay Healthcare UK
San Carlo Group
STADA
Tunstall
Yorkshire Water
Best Talent Acquisition & Employer Brand Initiative
Finalists:
Fera Science Ltd
Leeds Bradford Airport Ltd
National Wealth Fund
px Limited
Shepley Spring Ltd
Yorkshire Housing
Best Reward & Recognition Initiative
Finalists:
Beyondly
Luminate Education Group
Ramsay Healthcare UK
STADA
Excellence in Wellbeing - Public or Third Sector
Finalists:
Accent Group
Christians Against Poverty
Leeds College of Building
Luminate Education Group
North Yorkshire Hospice Care
University of Huddersfield
West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service
Yorkshire Cancer Research
Yorkshire Water
Excellence in Transformational Change through Organisational Development
Finalists:
Accent Group
Arla Foods
Cura Terrae
Leeds Bradford Airport
StepChange Debt Charity
Tunstall
Purpose Beyond Profit
Finalists:
Accent Group
Fera Science Limited
Hudgell Solicitors
Luminate Education Group
px Group
Sanderson Weatherall
StepChange Debt Charity
Webmart Ltd
Apprentice of the Year
Finalists:
Alice Maclean, px Group
Alix Moody, Yorkshire Housing
Fatumata Drammeh, Vico Homes
Finlay Ireland-O’Mahony, Bettys and Taylors Group Ltd
Katherine Fitt, William Jackson Food Group
Lisa Isles, Mibelle ltd.
Monaei Deviana-Horne, thebigword
Team of the Year – Private Sector (under 250 employees)
Finalists:
MOON
Northern Healthcare
Oakland
Shepley Spring Ltd
Troy Foods (Salads) Ltd
Team of the Year – Public or Third Sector
Finalists:
Candlelighters Trust
National Wealth Fund
North Yorkshire Hospice Care
Skills for Care
StepChange Debt Charity
University of Hull
West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue
Yorkshire Cancer Research
University of Huddersfield
Excellence in Learning & Development
Finalists:
UK Greetings
Accent Housing
Fera Science Limited
Border to Coast Pensions Partnership
Harsco Environmental
Yorkshire Gas and Power
BW Legal
Morrisons
Excellence in Wellbeing - Private Sector
Finalists:
Azets
BetterYou Ltd
BW Legal
ICS-digital
Persimmon Plc
Strata
Teva
Webmart Ltd
Excellence in Transformational Change through Technology
Finalists:
Enfinium Ltd
Hain Celestial
Outdo
STADA
Excellence in Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
Finalists:
B Braun Medical
People in Action (Yorkshire)
SIG PLC
Skipton Building Society
White Rose University Consortium (Universities of Leeds, Sheffield and York)