Celebrating excellence: Finalists announced for awards shining a light on veteran talent
The finalists for the 2026 British Forces in Business Awards have been officially announced, marking the ninth annual flagship showcase of extraordinary contributions by the Armed Forces community to British business, society and beyond.
Every year, more than 15,000 men and women leave the British Armed Forces, carrying with them skills forged in some of the world's most demanding environments.
Despite this, many encounter significant barriers when pursuing civilian careers – from misconceptions about military service to a shortage of visible role models who have succeeded across all sectors.
The Forces in Business Awards were created in 2018 to dismantle those barriers.
Through high-profile ceremonies in London, Glasgow and the United States, the awards have helped reshape perceptions of veteran talent and strengthen the connection between the Armed Forces community and forward-thinking employers and leaders seeking exceptional talent.
Now in their ninth year, the awards have recognised more than 2,500 veterans and reservists, drawing thousands of senior business figures to its flagship events.
A cornerstone of the veteran employment landscape, today the programme is a crucial platform for championing talent from the Armed Forces community and elevating the narrative around military-to-civilian transition.
This year's finalist announcement follows another record-breaking nominations cycle, underscoring the growing momentum behind veteran hiring as a strategic business priority.
The breadth of organisations represented on the shortlist is a testament to how deeply the Armed Forces community has embedded itself across the UK and global economy.
Air Marshal Steve Shell (Retd), CEO of SSAFA, official charity partner of the awards, said: "The Forces in Business Awards highlight the absolute best that the partnership of Armed Forces community and business offer.
"Those nominated have made a successful transition from the Armed Forces and act as role models for others and therefore deserve our praise.
"I also commend the forces-friendly employers on the shortlist because these businesses see the potential and opportunities offered by reservists and veterans.
"SSAFA, the Armed Forces Charity, is a trusted source of support for when the forces family needs help and we're extremely proud to again be the official charity partner of these awards."
The 2026 Awards Gala returns to the iconic Great Room at Grosvenor House, Park Lane, on 25 June.
With 1,200 leaders from across the business and Armed Forces communities in attendance, the event remains one of the most attended awards ceremonies in Europe.
Widely regarded as the 'Oscars of veteran employment', this year's ceremony will be hosted by ITV News anchor Nina Hossain, alongside a headline lineup of speakers and entertainment which includes world-record-breaking adventurer and TV presenter Bear Grylls OBE and four-time Paralympic gold medallist Jaco van Gass OBE.
But the evening is about more than spectacle.
The awards exist to help employers address some of the most pressing challenges facing British business today – from acute skills shortages to the productivity gap – by drawing attention to a talent pool that is still too easy to overlook.
At a time when the UK economy is craving meaningful growth, the Armed Forces community represents a highly capable yet underutilised talent pool.
Ben Rossi, founder of the global Forces in Business Awards series, said: "Nine years in, the Forces in Business Awards have grown into a significant platform – not just for showcasing outstanding talent, but actively changing how the business world thinks about where that talent comes from.
"The quality of this year's nominations has been remarkable and the stories behind them make the case more powerfully than any statistics ever could.
"Hiring from the Armed Forces community is not an exercise in corporate responsibility or morality.
"It's a serious talent strategy which elevates business performance.
"These finalists are proof of that and we're proud to celebrate them as high achievers in their own right, but more importantly as powerful role models for the many service leavers who follow them."
The Finalists
ADVOCATE OF THE YEAR (INDIVIDUAL)
Andrew Wilson, BT
David Welling, National Grid
Dom Sweny, Lockton Companies
Erik Gustafson, Wells Fargo
Jason Woosnam, Cencora Alliance Healthcare UK
Jean Kent, VodafoneThree
Liz McKinney-Bennett, Mott MacDonald
Nadine Davis, Barclays
Nigel Horne, Corps Security
Richard Wilkinson, Premier Estates
Steve King, Centrica
Tony Ellender, Balfour Beatty
ADVOCATE OF THE YEAR (ORGANISATION)
Armed Forces Community HQ
Atos UK&I
Avove Utilities
Carbon60
Eagle Eye Innovations
Force Development Services
Landmarc Support Services
Royal Mail Group
Sunbelt Rentals UK & Ireland
The White Ensign Association
UK Power Networks
Willmott Dixon
BUSINESS LEADER OF THE YEAR (LARGE COMPANY)
Alan Park, Center Parcs
Ashley Howe, AWS
Chris Yates, Willmott Dixon
Clair Jackson, Saluda Medical
David Mossop, Arlanxeo
Emma Morgan, Amazon
Lee Cartmell, Chubb Fire & Security
Louis Fagan, Interactive Investor
Phaedra Gibson, Smiths Detection
Rick Davis, RLB
Shaun Enever, MBDA
Tom Coker, Intangles Lab
CHAMPION OF WOMEN AWARD
Anna-Marie Tipping, Veterans Covenant Healthcare Alliance
Elizabeth Bullock, Northrop Grumman UK
Emma Crawford, Mazuma
Gemma Luxton, RejuvaLux
Gemma Whitley, PA Consulting
Helen Seymour and Rosie Steevenson, On A Mission
Jacqui McDonald, International SOS
Jennifer Mennell, Ambrey
Kate Buffin, VIVO Defence Services
Lisa Tansley, Yorkshire Rose College
Nicola Neale, Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land
Nikki Williams, VodafoneThree
D&I INITIATIVE OF THE YEAR
Armed Forces Staff Network, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust
Babcock Forces Community Network
Compass Group UK & Ireland
Female Veterans Alliance
HSBC Asset Management Veterans Programme
JointForces@ISS, ISS UK
Katy White, Amazon
Military Accelerated Programme, M Group
Military Work Placement Programmes, London, Barclays
Paul Jenner, Amazon
Squaddie Box
Veterans Network, Sage
EMPLOYER OF THE YEAR
Amethyst Risk Management
Avove Utilities
Babcock
BAE Systems
Bombardier
Calian UK
Carbon60
Company X Consulting
Inzpire
John Deere UK
Landmarc Support Services
MBDA
SA Group
Serco
VIVO Defence Services
ENGINEERING EXCELLENCE AWARD
Alastair Burn, British Airways
Alexander Coniff, British Antarctic Survey
Gavin Greenfield, PSS Utilities
Gus Birks, VodafoneThree
Jamie Mabrouk, Sir Robert McAlpine
Kevin Fenton, Galliford Try
Kevin Floyd, Veolia
Luke Travell, KBS Maritime
Peter Hall, ISS UK
Steve Plant, SA Group
Stuart Balls, Bureau Veritas
Will Watts, City College Plymouth
ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR
Adrian Kirkbride, AJ-Security
Andrew Rhodes, Eden Private Hire
Brett Baber, Thanos Renewables
Darren Hardy, Staystrong
David Taylor, Aruga Cyber
Dean Adkins, Selway Joyce
Gary Woodhead, CurveBlock
Joe Long, MMCG Consultancy / Veteran Knots
John Barry, Salamanca Training
Rohan Byfield, R2bean2
Saul Cuttell, Pitch RMT UK
Sharon McCormick, The Listening Centre (EAP)
INNOVATOR OF THE YEAR
Aaron Fulton, Amazon
Ben Fowler, Leidos
Colin Howe, Rocky Road Resilience
David Kubale, Bernstein Autonomous
Ian Hirst, Talan
James Allan, Allianz
Mark Everest, Bombardier
Richard Davies, LimbAxis Systems
Richard Gill, Drone Defence
Richard Hay, Kuehne+Nagel
Robert Tams, FDM Group
Shafiq Sadiq, East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust
INSPIRATION OF THE YEAR
Abid Moughal, GXO Logistics
Amy Manuel, e50K
Daniel Gaskin, Freedom
Drew Funnell, Bombardier
Jay Reynolds, Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust
Julia Chapple, Vistry
Leanne Casey, Sunbelt Rentals UK & Ireland
Ryan Boulton, Serco
Sarah Tott, Compass Group UK & Ireland
Shakira Bickhan, Mott MacDonald
Sophie Warren-Reece, TranSwap Technologies
Trevor Bygate, Hadleigh Mental Health and Wellbeing Hub
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Andrew Jackson, SaluteMyJob
Anton Foulger, Leidos
Colin Burgess, BAFTA
John Milton, Eagle Eye Innovations
John Sutcliffe, Raytheon UK
Jon Webster, City Group Security
Nick Vadis, Compass Group UK & Ireland
Paul Weston, AtkinsRéalis
Professor Gavin Oxburgh, Northumbria University
Sally Orange MBE, Army Cadet Force
Simon Harbron, Ascent Flight Training
Simon Woodward, John Lewis Partnership
MILITARY VALUES IN BUSINESS AWARD
Barry McGuire, Leidos
Carl Maxwell, Vistry
Chris Smith, Leonardo UK
Christian Clifford, Serco
Elaine Forshaw, Capita
Jon Craig, International SOS
Lisa Evans, Capita
Matt Mullins, Willmott Dixon
Michael Pryce, Galliford Try
Paul Batten, BAE Systems
Phil Powell, VIVO Defence Services
Phil Rogers, Capita
NEW SERVICE LEAVER OF THE YEAR
Amie Spinks, SA Group
Benedict Barry, North Air
Christopher Dugdale, AtkinsRéalis
Dylan Jones, Kuehne+Nagel
Jacob Barr, FDM Group
John Room, Galliford Try
Joseph Tankard, HSBC
Mathew Darby, AtkinsRéalis
Natalie Shaw, Practice Plus Group
Stephen Reynolds, AHNA Group
Steven Tyler, Gardline
Tony Muers, Balfour Beatty
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVER OF THE YEAR
Andrew Pinkham, United Infrastructure
Clare Edwards, VIVO Defence Services
Clayton Chambers, Colt
Dan Clapcott, ISS UK
Dan Penter, UK Veterans Gaming
Darren McFaul, ALTEN
Jamie Hutch MBE, Landmarc Support Services
Maria James, Trust by Design
Michael Lobban, AventaMed
Richard Greenhough, Eagle Eye Innovations
Simon Taylor, Babcock International
Stuart Hide, Runshaw College
RESERVIST OF THE YEAR
Andrew Banfield, Impellam
Ashley Woolger, AtkinsRéalis
Colin Harwood, Richter
Domhnall Dods, CityFibre
Gavin Milligan, ISS UK
Iain Charnley, Willmott Dixon
Kam Hyder, FDM Group
Miles Beardsley, Cavendish Nuclear
Poppy Ewence, Barclays
Reece Bell, MBDA
Simon Killips, AECOM
Stephanie Robertson, Compass Group UK & Ireland
RISING STAR OF THE YEAR
Alexander Royle, Siemens
Arianne Kidd MBE, Centrica
Connor Nealon, Marsh
Connor Price, Leidos
Hayley Lawrence, Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Max Dewing, Arabelle Solutions
Richie Puttock, Cats Protection
Sam Finnemore-Payne, Amazon
Stuart Hodge, Trinity Claims
Tom Brough, Carbon60
Tony Wynn, British Airways
Will Parton, Mott MacDonald
ROLE MODEL OF THE YEAR
Adam Wilkinson, Amazon
Douglas Glew, Amethyst Risk Management
Dusty Miller, British Fencing
Giles Hall, International SOS
James Healy, PentenAmio
Jerry Woods, MBDA
John Henry Williamson, CityFibre
Kirsty Britton, Capgemini
Peter Fish, Galliford Try
Ray Craggs, United Infrastructure
Sarah Sinclair, City College Plymouth
Scott Young, Parallel Wealth Management
SERVICE LEAVER OF THE YEAR
Andrew Davidge, BAE Systems
Andrew Willis, Leonardo UK
Brendan Mills, SCCI Alphatrack
Dan Marshall, Leidos
Dr Lucy Sheppard-Marks, Bournemouth University
Henry Anderson, Parallel Wealth Management
Jack Maguire, VodafoneThree
Kim Village, Aqua Consultants
Morgan Dally, Lincolnshire Co-Operative
Nick Goudie, Sodexo
Pete Wayre, Harbour Hotels
Tom Sykes, AtkinsRéalis
SME LEADER OF THE YEAR
Carl Shadrake, CS PM Consultancy
Chris Viggars, MMCG Consultancy
Gareth Woolley, PentenAmio
Georgina Ritchie, Accelerate
Jamie Carroll, AirX Jet Support
Jeremy Osborne, SA Group
Jill Winters, Active Care Group
Katie Raine, Helsing
Kris Pankhurst, Thanos Renewables
Richard Wallace, LCM Environmental
Robert Scott, Edgbaston Eye Consultants
Tony Talbot, Network Innovations
TEAM LEADER OF THE YEAR
Chris Brown, Carbon60
David Price, British Airways
Edward Anderson, Ascent Flight Training
Graham Hall, Amazon
John Gardner, Mott MacDonald
Jude Priestley, Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land
Leon Young, Northrop Grumman UK
Lisa Deehan, Howden Group
Natalie Gray, Practice Plus Group
Steve Witty, Willmott Dixon
Tim Steadman, Veolia
Wayne Orchard, Vistry
YOUNG LEADER OF THE YEAR
Danielle Sandy, Barclays
Dom Williams, McLaren
Ethan Donovan, RedCloud Technologies
Gavin Robinson, Mott MacDonald
Harrison Andrews, Arabelle Solutions
Jack O'Hara, LNER
Joe Madden, GKN Aerospace
Jordan Gask, The Hamilton Gold Company
Matthew Lemon, Kuehne+Nagel
Nick Hooper, Fairstone Wealth Manager
Rory Bewers, Mars
Simon Peterken, Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land
Related topics
Join Our Newsletter
