The Hilton London Bankside came alive on 18 November as professionals from across reward, HR, payroll and incentives gathered for an unforgettable evening of celebration.

Hosted by the hilarious Jen Brister, the Rewards & Incentive Awards shone a spotlight on organisations and individuals who are redefining excellence across the people and performance landscape, set against a year of workforce change, rising expectations and renewed focus on wellbeing.

Celebrating Standout Achievements

From innovative technology to transformational leadership, this year’s winners impressed the judges by going beyond best practice with their purpose-driven measurable impact, fresh thinking and commitment to people.

A full list of winners can be found here

Housing 21’s inclusive culture and exceptional engagement levels earned them a Rewards Best Company to Work For. Their win highlighted not only a thriving workplace but a blueprint for how purpose-led leadership can drive meaningful results.

The evening also celebrated individual leadership excellence. Robert Evans was applauded for his strategic transformation of payroll at TMF Group as Outstanding Leader in Payroll, while Claire Williams was recognised for Outstanding Leader in HR for reshaping people strategy and culture at Ciphr.

For the first time, the industry came together under one roof as the Rewards and Incentive Awards merged into a single, unified celebration.

Highlights for Incentive Awards were Best Channel Partner Programme for Lenovo and Motivforce. And 360insights for Best Incentive Travel or Experience Initiative for their purpose-driven incentive travel initiative. Innovation also took centre stage as Tillo picked up Best Gift Card Supplier for its cutting-edge platform.

Raising the Bar for 2026

As the evening drew to a close, it was clear the bar has been raised even higher for next year. This year’s winners demonstrated that reward, payroll, incentives and people strategy are evolving faster than ever and that the organisations leading the way are those marrying innovation with empathy, and technology with humanity.

We would like to thank our sponsors, CIPP, People Pay Global Payroll & HR, Zellis, The Payroll Centre, JGA, Deel and LACE Partners.

Congratulations to all winners and finalists. The industry now looks ahead with excitement to the 2026 Awards, where even greater achievements await.

Before that, you can join us on 11 December at our next Payroll & Reward Insight Series Trends Forecast for 2026  here.