Beverage firm Diageo and home improvement firm Wickes are among the employers on the shortlist for HR or benefits team of the year at the Employee Benefits Awards 2026.
The award, which is sponsored by Tusker, celebrates an in-house HR or benefits team that has worked to deliver benefits that meet the people and business strategies of its organisation. Finalists will showcase examples of strategies and day-to-day work where the collective achievements of team members have led to clear results, focusing specifically on their benefits.
The full category shortlist is:
- Diageo
- OneAdvanced
- Proper Cornish
- Wickes
Last year, Housing 21 won the award due to a rebranding of its HR team to people services to better reflect the organisation’s need to look after its people first. It also introduced a pensions salary sacrifice arrangement, a payroll modelling tool for staff to compare pay advices to better plan their finances and savings, a free lifestyle benefits app for staff, and also auto-enrolled all 4,100 employees into a health cash plan.
The winner said: ”It feels absolutely incredible to have won this award. I’m so proud of my team who have worked incredibly hard to make the most amount of impact for our employees and therefore our residents.”
This year’s winners will be announced at the ceremony, which will be held at the Honourable Artillery Company, London on Friday 26 June. Attendees will have the chance to network with HR, reward and benefit industry professionals.
Guests can look forward to a champagne reception, three-course lunch, a celebrity host and an unmissable after-party that will include live music in the venue’s private grounds.
For more information and to book your table.
Follow the action on X via @EmployeeBenefit and join in the conversation using #EBAwards26.
