Inaugural HRD Awards Winners Crowned

The HR Director of the Year Awards 2026, proudly hosted by Adaptable Recruitment in collaboration with Brabners and Rathbones, brought together the region’s most outstanding HR leaders to celebrate innovation, leadership, and impact across the people profession and Lisa Shaftesley from Booking.com, took home the Overall Award for HR Director of the Year.

The prestigious awards recognised exceptional individuals and organisations driving transformation, culture, and performance across a wide range of sectors and business sizes throughout the North West and beyond. Recognising Outstanding HR Leadership the inaugural awards showcased excellence across multiple turnover categories:

• Up to £25m Turnover: Lisa Morris, RED Systems Limited
• £25m–£65m Turnover: Sarah Pickerill, Carpenters Group
• £65m–£100m Turnover: Carol Dutton, Liverpool John Lennon Airport
• £100m–£150m Turnover: Claire Shenton, Tiger Trailers Limited
• £150m–£500m Turnover: Rachel Smith, Peel Ports Group
• £500m–£1bn Turnover: April Tomlinson, Liverpool Football Club
• £1bn+ Turnover: Zoe Brunswick, RSK Group Limited

The awards also celebrated the vital contribution of the not-for-profit sector, with Jas Samra from Plus Dane Housing taking home the Not for Profit Award.

Regional winners demonstrated the depth of HR talent across key locations:

• Cheshire: Jen Atkins, Chester Zoo
• Lancashire: Lee Smith, James Hall & Company Limited
• Manchester: Lisa Shaftesley, Booking.com
• Merseyside: Sarah Willett, The Very Group
• North Wales: Suzanne Green, HB Leisure Ltd
• Warrington: Simon O’Mahony, Arne Clo Limited

The HR Director of the Year Awards also highlighted individuals leading innovation and impactful change through the HRD Trailblazers Awards.  Winners in these categories included:

• AI Transformation & Digitisation: Stephen Joyce, Forge Holiday Group
• Mental Wellbeing Initiative: Katie Hunter Lewis, Cogent Breeding Ltd.
• Breakthrough Award: Graeme Simpson, United Infrastructure
• Voice to Policy Change: Rebecca Turner, MSite by Infobric

A special recognition award for Sustained IIP Platinum Achievement was presented to Helen Salt from Curtins, acknowledging long-term excellence in people management and organisational culture.

The evening culminated in the announcement of the Overall Winner and HR Director of the Year 2026, awarded to Lisa Shaftesley from Booking.com, in recognition of outstanding leadership, strategic impact, and commitment to delivering people-first excellence.

Gráinne Massey, Director at Adaptable Recruitment commented:

“In what has once again been an unpredictable and challenging year, what we have seen and heard tonight highlights the exceptional resilience, purpose and expertise of HR leaders across our region who support organisations through change while keeping people firmly at the heart of decision‑making.

The evening was filled with positive energy and a shared commitment to people‑led leadership, celebrating HR Directors and teams who are shaping culture, driving performance and supporting their organisations every day.

Indeed, throughout the whole awards process, a genuine sense of openness, optimism and pride in the profession stood out, as finalists and winners shared their journeys, challenges and successes. It is a powerful reminder of the vital role HRDs play in building strong, values‑led organisations of the future and Adaptable Recruitment could not be prouder to be sponsor such a timely and important process.

Huge congratulations to all the winners and finalists. Looking at the depth and breadth of talent tonight, being recognised as part of this inaugural awards programme is a significant achievement and something you should be truly proud of.”

Nick Campbell, Partner and Head of Employment, Pensions and Immigration  continued:

“We are delighted to see the success of the inaugural HRD Awards and extend our congratulations to all of this year’s winners and nominees.

The event was a powerful showcase of the region’s most forward-thinking HR professionals, and a reminder of the critical role HR has played in recent years. From navigating the Covid-19 pandemic to supporting organisations through the cost of living crisis, Brexit, ongoing economic and political instability, and global pressures such as energy and oil market volatility, HR leaders have been instrumental in helping businesses remain resilient, adapt and grow.

At the heart of this is people. The strongest organisations are those that recognise their people as their greatest asset, and the HR leaders celebrated through these awards are leading the way in aligning people strategy with business strategy to deliver meaningful, long-term impact.

We work closely with HR teams across the North, supporting them on everything from managing people risk to delivering strategic transformation. For us, being involved in the HRD Awards is about more than sponsorship, it’s about championing a community we genuinely value and recognising successes that so often happen behind the scenes.

We are proud to have played a small part in celebrating this year’s achievements and look forward to continuing to support and champion HR excellence across the region in the years ahead.”

Will Roberts, Senior Director at Rathbones concluded:

“Rathbones is proud to support the HR Directors Awards, to recognise and celebrate the individuals and teams who play a vital role in shaping strong organisations through their leadership, insight and commitment to people.

In what continues to be an evolving and often challenging landscape, HR professionals remain central to building resilient cultures and supporting long-term success. 

Huge congratulations to this year’s winners, and to every finalist - your achievements reflect the meaningful impact you make within your organisations and the wider business community.”

The HR Director of the Year Awards continue to highlight the vital role HR professionals play in shaping organisational success, driving innovation, and enriching lives across businesses and communities.

For more information about the awards or to get involved in future events, please contact Grainne at Adaptable Recruitment or visit the website hrdoftheyearawards.com.