We are proud to share some exciting news!

Gressingham Foods has been named Large Organisation of the Year at the British HR Awards 2026 and we are proud to have partnered with them on the Management Development Programme that was recognised.

The fifth edition of the British HR Awards set out to discover and celebrate the teams and individuals who are passionate about delivering a world-class people experience.

This year, a record 474 entries were received from organisations across the UK, and so competition to be named a Winner was truly exceptional. Organisations taking part ranged from start-up pioneers to tech unicorns, global titans, not-for-profits and everything in between.

Winners were revealed at a special celebration event on April 22nd in Covent Garden, London, hosted by comedian Lucy Porter. A variety of categories were awarded, including ‘Culture Initiative of the Year’, ‘L&D Initiative of the Year’ and ‘Leader of the Year’.

The British HR Awards 2026 Judges include:

• Lynn Bassett, Director of People and Organisational Development at Barbour
• Louise Benford, Chief People Officer at The AA
• Sharon Benson, HR & OD Director
• Holly Cooper, People Director at Cox Marine
• Emma Djemil, Creator of Rebellious Humans. Resourced at Be Unstoppable.
• Wendy Doherty, Chief People Officer at TalkTalk
• Kath Ennis, Chief People Officer
• Mary Foulkes OBE FCIPD, Director of Equity, Inclusion and Culture at Shelter
• Leigh Gannon, Director People & Organisation at PUMA UKI
• Catrin Gaston-Penny, Human Resources Director at Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult
• Julie Griggs, Deputy Chief People Officer at The Open University
• Maria Hawley, Director of People at Fisher German
• Melanie Hetherington, Chief People Officer at NatWest Cushon
• Dr Tracey Leghorn, Chief Business Services Officer at SUEZ recycling and recovery UK
• Vilma Nikolaidou, Director of People and Culture at British Film Institute (BFI)
• Janet Roberts, Chief People & Culture Officer at Vertiq Hospitality
• Perry Timms, Chief Energy Officer at People and Transformational HR
• Lucy Tobin, People Director at Frontier Economics

Nate Harwood, Founder of New Possible and the British HR Awards said: “The UK HR community is truly special, and one we’re incredibly proud to have celebrated and supported over the last five years. What stood out in 2026 was how teams are boldly navigating new frontiers. Congratulations to all the Winners, Highly Commended and Finalists.”

The British HR Awards is powered by New Possible. New Possible helps leaders build healthier organisations by providing meaningful insight that can drive real change.

This isn’t just about an award.

This is about what happens when leadership development is built around real world applications, not removed from it.

Together, we designed a bespoke programme where 150 managers:

• Tackled live operational challenges as part of their learning
• Led change with their teams in real time
• Delivered over £1 million in projected savings

A key part of this success was the way the programme was carefully curated by our trainers to reflect the reality of Gressingham’s business.

Across multiple sites, roles and experience levels, Bryony and Matt worked closely with the organisation to:

• Adapt language, tools and delivery for different audiences
• Navigate operational pressures and limited time away from the line
• Create a learning environment where managers could bring real challenges and work through them in a practical, supported way

This wasn’t a one-size-fits-all course. It was truly bespoke.

It was a programme shaped around the business ensuring the learning landed, stuck and was translated into meaningful action.

“We have seen tangible financial benefits… staff feeling empowered to deliver projects for cost savings and efficiencies.”
Managing Director, Gressingham Foods

Alongside the financial impact, the programme helped create:

• A more confident and capable leadership population
• A shared language and standard of leadership across sites
• A shift from reactive firefighting to continuous improvement

This is what we know great development should do… deliver measurable results while building capability that lasts.

Congratulations again to everyone at Gressingham Foods, this recognition is highly deserved!

We would also like to extend our congratulations to the other outstanding finalists in this category. It is inspiring to be recognised alongside such strong organisations shaping the future of HR.