Celebrating the Winners of the UHR Awards 2026

This year’s winners demonstrated exceptional leadership, collaboration and forward-thinking practice, highlighting the vital role HR professionals play in shaping resilient, inclusive and future-focused universities.

Organisational Transformation, Effectiveness and Performance

🏆 Winners: Manchester Metropolitan University

Empowering leaders, transforming education – a new innovative model

Manchester Metropolitan University received the award for its sector-leading Innovation Scholar Scheme, a transformative initiative empowering colleagues to lead strategic educational change through distributed leadership, collaboration and evidence-informed practice.

Runners-Up: Aston University – Optimising Academic Achievement

Recognised for its innovative approach to improving academic outcomes and organisational effectiveness across the institution.

Culture Change and Organisational Development

🏆 Winners: De Montfort University

Leading and Managing at DMU – Embedding a Refreshed Approach to Empowering Excellence

De Montfort University was recognised for developing a holistic leadership and management framework that aligned behaviours, performance and organisational values to create a more empowering and inclusive culture.

Runners-Up: Manchester Metropolitan University – Creating a great place to work through the power of employee voice

Celebrated for embedding colleague voice into organisational development and workplace culture initiatives.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

🏆 Winners: University of Birmingham

Professional Services Leaders of Colour Programme

The University of Birmingham won for its pioneering regional leadership programme supporting racially minoritised Professional Services staff through inclusive development, peer support and leadership empowerment.

Runners-Up: UWE Bristol – UWE Anti-Racism Strategy

Recognised for its impactful and institution-wide approach to advancing anti-racism and inclusive practice.

Reward, Resourcing and Recruitment

🏆 Winners: University of Manchester

Purple Place: a new home for Benefits and Recognition

The University of Manchester received the award for transforming colleague experience through a modern and inclusive benefits and recognition platform that significantly increased engagement and everyday appreciation across the institution.

Runners-Up: Aston University – Aston Resourcing Transformation Programme

Recognised for delivering innovative improvements to recruitment and resourcing processes.

Wellbeing

🏆 Winners: University College London

Mental Health Training for Student-Facing Staff

UCL was recognised for its strategic mental health training initiative, which enhanced staff confidence, wellbeing and safeguarding capability while improving support for students across the institution.

Runners-Up: University of Birmingham – UoB Wellbeing Programme

Celebrated for delivering impactful wellbeing initiatives that strengthened workplace culture and staff support.

Digital and Technological Innovation and Change

🏆 Winners: Aston University

One Aston Thrive: Employee Experience Platform

Aston University won for creating an inclusive and highly engaging digital platform that transformed access to wellbeing resources, benefits, recognition and colleague support across the university.

Runners-Up: University of Salford – HR and Payroll Transformation Programme

Recognised for successfully modernising HR and payroll systems to improve efficiency and user experience.

Exceptional HR

🏆 Winners: Manchester Metropolitan University

Transforming Lives Together: Creating a great place to work

Manchester Metropolitan University was recognised for delivering a wide-ranging transformation programme that enhanced colleague experience, inclusion, leadership development and organisational culture across the institution.

Runners-Up: University of Salford – Salford’s People Transformation

Celebrated for its people-centred approach to organisational change and transformation.

HR Star Award

🏆 Winner: Northumbria University

Angela Carter

Angela Carter was recognised for her exceptional professionalism, compassionate leadership and resilience, alongside her outstanding contribution to pension transformation projects and people-centred HR culture at Northumbria University.

Congratulations to all winners, runners-up and shortlisted nominees whose achievements continue to inspire the Higher Education HR community. The UHR Awards 2026 once again showcased the extraordinary talent, innovation and commitment driving positive change across the sector.