Forces in Business Awards

World's largest business celebration of the Armed Forces community and Forces Friendly employers 🏆 England 🇬🇧 Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 USA 🇺🇸

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🏆 LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: Sally Orange MBE, Army Cadet Force

The judges were truly inspired by Sally's extraordinary courage, humility and refusal to let adversity define her. Having raised close to £1 million for charity and continued her remarkable journey through a cancer diagnosis and further personal challenges, she has built something that will endure well beyond her own story. Her use of filmmaking, public speaking and community-building to amplify her impact showed genuine creative vision. One judge summed up the panel's feelings perfectly: truly deserved and genuinely remarkable.  
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🏆 CHAMPION OF WOMEN AWARD: Gemma Whitley, PA Consulting

The judges were deeply impressed by Gemma's courage, tenacity and the tangible difference she has made for women in her organisation. As the first female warrant officer in her squadron, she drove female representation from two to twelve, tackled toxic behaviour head-on, championed pay equity and built a promotion pipeline that will outlast her tenure. One judge simply asked: what would this organisation look like without her?  
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🏆 BUSINESS LEADER OF THE YEAR: Chris Yates, Willmott Dixon

The judges were won over by Chris's remarkable business turnaround story. Transitioning into a completely different sector from his Parachute Regiment background, he took to it like a duck to water, rebuilding a failing regional business through trusted relationships, strong metrics and a genuine focus on cultural wellbeing. The judges admired how seamlessly he translated military leadership into commercial excellence, delivering results without sacrificing morale. 
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🏆 ENGINEERING EXCELLENCE AWARD: Alexander Coniff, British Antarctic Survey

The judges were in awe of Alexander's engineering leadership on a mammoth infrastructure programme in Antarctica — one of the most demanding and safety-critical environments on earth. Responsible for critical life support systems at a relatively young age, his technical competence, operational discipline and resilience shaped by his Royal Engineers background drew widespread admiration. The scale, complexity and consequence of his work made this a truly exceptional submission. One judge described it as an elite-level engineering impact — and the panel agreed unanimously.  
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🏆 D&I INITIATIVE OF THE YEAR: Squaddie Box

The judges were moved by Dean Wormleighton's determination to solve a problem that others had overlooked. Squaddie Box provides veterans at their lowest point with self-respect and a practical route to turning their lives around, with a scalable model delivering real cost savings for councils and attracting national funding support. Dean's own experience with ADHD and dyslexia drives a genuinely inclusive approach, ensuring all surplus is reinvested into expanding support for those who need it most. A truly life-changing initiative.  
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🏆 SERVICE LEAVER OF THE YEAR: Dr Lucy Sheppard-Marks, Bournemouth University

The judges were impressed by Lucy's exceptional ability to transfer military leadership into academia in a way that genuinely develops people, strengthens organisations and creates opportunity for others. Her work across leadership development, mentoring and inclusion – including with elite athlete offenders and female veterans – demonstrated real innovation and a sustained commitment to helping others recognise their own potential. What resonated most was the breadth and authenticity of her impact.
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🏆 TEAM LEADER OF THE YEAR: Graham Hall, Amazon

The judges were overwhelmed by the quality and scale of Graham's leadership at Amazon. Delivering substantial business growth, onboarding 20,000 employees and generating millions in savings – all while leading a global team spanning the United States, Europe and Asia, each with their own distinct cultures and training needs – his results are extraordinary. What struck the panel most was his consistency: this is a pattern of relentless, evidence-backed delivery rather than a single standout moment.  
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🏆 SME LEADER OF THE YEAR: Tony Talbot, Network Innovations

The judges praised Tony's ability to build a UK operation from the ground up, combining exceptional commercial growth with a genuine and sustained commitment to the Armed Forces community. His blend of leadership, vision, technical expertise and innovative thinking has produced results that speak for themselves, and the culture he has created is as impressive as the figures behind it. His growth trajectory has been exceptional, delivered through strategic leadership and a solutions-led approach.  
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🏆 ADVOCATE OF THE YEAR (INDIVIDUAL): Andrew Wilson, BT

The judges were struck by Andrew's extraordinary breadth of advocacy and his ability to build something truly impactful from scratch within a major organisation like BT. His moral courage in challenging leadership on issues that matter – from paid leave for reservists to compensation for veterans stripped of pensions and honours – set him apart. Securing significant salary investment, creating a recruitment pipeline and influencing sector-wide policy, his achievements speak for themselves. 
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🏆 ROLE MODEL OF THE YEAR: Scott Young, Parallel Wealth Management

The judges were struck by Scott's authenticity and his willingness to use his own transition challenges as a platform to support others. Rather than offering generic advice, he has built structured support rooted in lived experience, helping veterans rebuild confidence and identity after service through mentoring, speaking and charity work. His messaging to service leavers is unique and impactful, making a genuine difference to many.
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🏆 INNOVATOR OF THE YEAR: Richard Davies, LimbAxis Systems

The judges were moved by Richard's extraordinary story of turning personal adversity into genuine innovation. As an amputee who identified a gap, built a business from nothing and created tangible benefits for others facing similar challenges, he embodies everything this award stands for. The judges praised Richard's ability to build an innovative business from nothing, his powerful personal mission and the drive to see it through.  
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🏆 INSPIRATION OF THE YEAR: Trevor Bygate, Hadleigh Mental Health and Wellbeing Hub

The judges were deeply moved by Trevor's extraordinary ability to transform profound personal adversity into practical, lasting support for others. Having experienced the loss of his daughter and faced harrowing challenges of his own, he founded an organisation delivering one-to-one bereavement sessions, veteran crisis support and significant charitable fundraising. The judges were particularly struck that Trevor continues to seek therapy himself – a mark of genuine humility and self-awareness. He is changing lives on the ground, one person at a time. 
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🏆 RESERVIST OF THE YEAR: Andrew Banfield, Impellam

The judges were impressed by Andrew's tireless delivery across every dimension of reservist life. Training new recruits at a critical time for reserve recruitment, advocating nationally and sharing best practice with organisations like Bristol City Council – all alongside a demanding day job – the judges simply didn't know where he finds the time. His combined impact across military leadership, business results and national advocacy made him a clear and deserving winner.  
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🏆 YOUNG LEADER OF THE YEAR: Danielle Sandy, Barclays

The judges were won over by the scale and ambition of Danielle's impact at such an early stage in her career. Her full strategic redesign of Barclays' military offering has supported around 2,000 candidates into employment, achieved a 94% transition rate into permanent roles and delivered meaningful social mobility outcomes, particularly for non-commissioned personnel. That she freely shares her expertise with competitor organisations, driving sector-wide thinking rather than firm-level ambition, marks her out as a leader of rare quality. A highly visible, trusted champion already shaping the future of military transition across an entire industry. 
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🏆 ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR: David Taylor, Aruga Cyber

The judges were won over by David's exceptional entrepreneurial drive and the remarkable pace at which he has built Aruga Cyber from the ground up. Founded in 2024, every achievement falls squarely within the award's criteria – clear commercial growth, impressive profit figures and 100% staff retention. His holistic approach combines business excellence with guest lecturing, charity support and active advocacy for the veteran community, painting the picture of a true disruptor leading from the front.  
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🏆 EMPLOYER OF THE YEAR: Serco 

In an incredibly competitive field, Serco takes this year's Employer of the Year title, recognised for the extraordinary breadth and depth of their commitment to the Armed Forces community. From a Guaranteed Interview Scheme and structured transition pathways to a 2,300-strong Veterans and Reserves network, Serco has built an ecosystem where military talent is genuinely understood, developed and retained — with veteran retention outperforming the wider workforce. Their engagement stretches from supply chain to community, from policy to sport.  
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🏆 RISING STAR OF THE YEAR: Hayley Lawrence, Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

The judges found themselves returning to Hayley's nomination again and again – and each time it only grew stronger. She has single-handedly reshaped how students in her NHS trust understand veterans' mental health, driven by lived experience and a determination to turn personal loss into lasting change. Achieving this against the backdrop of an under-pressure NHS, while earning promotion, made her story all the more remarkable. 
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🏆 NEW SERVICE LEAVER OF THE YEAR: Amie Spinks, SA Group

The judges admired Amie's exceptional ability to hit the ground running after leaving the forces, bringing her military foundations to bear immediately and building visibly on top of them from day one. She has actively sought out new opportunities rather than waiting for them to arrive, impressing at every level of her organisation and demonstrating a trajectory that already points toward significant future leadership. The combination of scale, complexity and clear forward momentum made her a deserving winner. 
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🏆 ADVOCATE OF THE YEAR (ORGANISATION): Sunbelt Rentals UK & Ireland

The judges were impressed by Sunbelt Rentals' commitment to building long-term veteran careers, structured around four clear pillars: resource, recruitment, recognition and retention. Their work placing wreaths on Commonwealth War Graves stood out as a powerful act of advocacy that goes far beyond any expectation, and their partnership with Walking With the Wounded demonstrated an organisation genuinely living its values every day. Judges were clear: this is a company that makes veterans succeed and progress.  
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🏆 OUTSTANDING ACHIEVER OF THE YEAR: Darren McFaul, ALTEN

The judges were struck by Darren's ability to identify what others miss. Recognising that culture and trust were the root causes of underperformance, he rebuilt both – delivering two major business transformations, recovering a critical client account and creating real opportunities for veterans along the way. His journey is one of determination, authenticity and leadership of the highest order. His commitment to supporting others through transition, while delivering exceptional results, left a deep impression on every member of the panel.  
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