City AM Awards 2026: Celebrating London's Business Excellence
The highly anticipated City AM Awards have returned for 2026, presenting an exceptional roster of finalists that represents the very best of London's dynamic business landscape. This year's competition features stronger contenders than ever before across multiple prestigious categories, with judges now facing the challenging task of selecting overall winners to be revealed at the historic Guildhall on May 6.
Personality of the Year Finalists
The Personality of the Year category showcases five remarkable individuals who have significantly influenced the UK business environment. Greg Jackson CBE, the entrepreneurial CEO of Octopus Energy, has emerged as one of Britain's most prominent business voices, known for his direct communication style and influential perspectives on entrepreneurship, capital markets, and energy policy. His August 2025 appointment as a non-executive member of the Cabinet Office board further solidified his standing.
Daniel Priestley, the bestselling author and sought-after speaker, has cultivated a substantial following through his practical business advice and passionate advocacy for enterprise and wealth creation. His head-to-head debate on the Diary of a CEO podcast has attracted over five million views, resonating particularly with younger aspiring entrepreneurs.
Rupert Soames OBE, former chairman of the Confederation of British Industry and ex-chief executive of Serco, continues to be a powerful advocate for enterprise, competitiveness, and responsible capitalism. His navigation of complex political waters during intense policy debates has defined the business community's relationship with government.
Shevaun Haviland, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce, has become one of the most influential voices for British business, representing tens of thousands of firms navigating inflation, labor shortages, and contentious government policies.
Kemi Badenoch, as Leader of the Opposition, has found firmer footing in holding the government accountable on economic policy while attempting to rebuild the Conservative Party's relationship with business through pro-growth policies.
Business of the Year Contenders
The Business of the Year category features six outstanding organizations demonstrating exceptional performance and strategic vision. Tesco, under CEO Ken Murphy, has cemented its position as a retail powerhouse with impressive share price growth and market leadership, while distributing over £130 million to 22,000 employees through its investor scheme.
Babcock, led by retiring CEO David Lockwood, has executed an impressive multi-year turnaround, returning to the FTSE100 with strong operational efficiency and profitability. Next has achieved one of British business's greatest transformation stories, with CEO Simon Wolfson taking the share price from approximately £8 to well over £100 while raising profit forecasts above £1 billion.
NatWest celebrated its return to full private ownership in 2025 after seventeen years of state involvement, delivering record profits and acquiring wealth manager Evelyn Partners for £2.7 billion. Revolut continues its impressive growth trajectory with a $75 billion valuation and the long-awaited acquisition of a full UK banking license.
Bank of the Year Nominees
The Bank of the Year category highlights six innovative financial institutions reshaping the banking landscape. OakNorth has become one of the UK's most successful digital banks, providing $21 billion in lending to entrepreneur-led businesses and supporting the creation of over 61,000 jobs and 38,000 new homes.
Standard Chartered has undergone an impressive decade-long turnaround under CEO Bill Winters, with shares climbing over 150 percent since early 2024. ClearBank, as the UK's first new clearing bank in over 250 years, has redefined modern British banking with secure, scalable clearing and payment services.
Zopa has challenged traditional lenders with its high-interest current account and strategic acquisitions, while Shawbrook made headlines with the biggest IPO in two years, demonstrating continued vitality in London's capital markets.
Investor of the Year Finalists
The Investor of the Year category recognizes five exceptional investment firms driving growth and innovation. Dawn Capital, Europe's leading specialist B2B software investor, achieved strong portfolio exits and backed UK ambition through significant funding rounds.
Balderton Capital has an impressive track record of identifying promising tech startups, including early investments in Darktrace, Wayve, and Revolut. Artemis has grown to over £40 billion in assets, with its Global Income fund attracting nearly £2.5 billion in the last twelve months.
W1M (formerly Waverton Asset Management) has successfully integrated with London & Capital and is approaching £25 billion in assets under management. Janus Henderson's City of London Investment Trust is on track to deliver sixty consecutive years of dividend increases, one of the longest records in global equity markets.
Wealth Management Company of the Year
Five distinguished wealth management firms compete in this category. Rathbones, with nearly three centuries of heritage and £115.6 billion in assets under management, has undergone significant internal repositioning while delivering impressive performance.
Quilter achieved approximately £9 billion in core net inflows in 2025, with total assets reaching £141.2 billion. JM Finn represents the boutique end of wealth management, reporting seventeen percent profit growth while maintaining exceptional client relationships.
Hargreaves Lansdown, following its £5.4 billion acquisition by a CVC-led consortium, continues to grow with over £172 billion in assets under administration. St James's Place reached a record £220 billion in funds under management with ninety-five percent client retention.
Analyst of the Year Contenders
Five outstanding analysts are recognized for their exceptional market insights. Kallum Pickering of Peel Hunt published influential research on the UK's productivity puzzle, while Ruth Gregory of Capital Economics provides authoritative analysis on government policy and public finances.
Kathleen Brooks delivers sharp market analysis with compelling charts and clear breakdowns of complex situations. Chris Beauchamp of IG combines analytical instincts with honed wit to provide depth of insight across multiple sectors. Martin Beck of WPI Strategy offers unique analysis on often-missed aspects of public affairs with valuable optimistic perspectives.
Consultancy Company of the Year
Five leading advisory firms compete in this category. Kroll, with over 1,000 employees in its London office, brings innovation and precision to the private credit market while assisting businesses navigating geopolitical challenges.
Grant Thornton has taken a different path from industry consolidation, launching a bold drive to bring on 160 new partners and committing £500 million to modernize its operating model. Flint Global reached a £190 million valuation following its sale to Cinven, offering nuanced political and policy analysis.
Sodali & Co has transformed from a boutique communications adviser into a global advisory platform serving over 2,000 clients in seventy countries. Henham Strategy, a startup advisory, has grown its client base by thirty percent and profits by over fifty percent since completing the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business programme.
City Champion of the Year
Five influential figures are recognized for their contributions to London's financial sector. Andy Briggs MBE, CEO of Phoenix Group, has become a leading voice in pensions reform and capital markets advocacy. Dame Amanda Blanc, CEO of Aviva, has led a decisive turnaround while championing the UK insurance sector.
Simon French offers some of the sharpest analysis in the Square Mile, consistently explaining the true economic impact of events and trends. Dame Susan Langley, the 697th Lord Mayor of the City of London, serves as a global ambassador for the Square Mile with a focus on social mobility and London's position as a premier financial hub.
Omar Ali CBE, EY's Global Financial Services Leader and chair of TheCityUK, brings energy and passion to promoting London's role as a leading financial institution.
Law Firm of the Year
Five distinguished legal practices compete in this category. Stewarts Law reported its most successful financial period with £111.6 million in revenue and was involved in a landmark divorce ruling resulting in the largest-ever reduction of a divorce award.
Ashurst surpassed £1 billion in revenue for the first time and announced a transformative merger with US firm Perkins Coie. Hogan Lovells crossed the $3 billion revenue mark and announced a merger with Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft.
Addleshaw Goddard broke through the £500 million revenue mark with an eighth consecutive year of growth. Gibson Dunn celebrated 135 years with significant growth, handling over 1,150 transactional deals worth more than $890 billion.
Insurance Company of the Year
Five exceptional insurance firms are recognized in this category. Zurich made headlines with its £8.1 billion acquisition of Beazley, positioning itself as a global specialty powerhouse. McGill and Partners has become the fastest-growing global specialty reinsurance broker through organic growth and digital transformation.
Aviva achieved its 2026 financial targets one year early, with operating profit exceeding £2 billion and the acquisition of Direct Line for £3.7 billion. Inigo was acquired by Radian for $167 billion just six years after its founding, demonstrating dramatic growth. Markel International has expanded globally while growing its early careers cohort by fifty-two percent.
Entrepreneur of the Year
Five visionary entrepreneurs are recognized for their exceptional achievements. David Silver, formerly of Google Deepmind, has launched Ineffable Intelligence and is seeking $1 billion in funding. Barney Hussey-Yeo achieved unicorn status for his AI financial assistant Cleo and has become a vocal champion for the UK tech scene.
Dr Marc Warner, Dr Angie Ma, and Andrew Brooks founded Faculty AI in 2014 and recently sold the company to Accenture for approximately $1 billion. Mia Drennan transformed GLAS from a £6,000 startup into a business administering over £550 billion in assets. Alice Bentinck pioneered talent investing through Entrepreneurs First, which achieved unicorn status with a $1.3 billion valuation.
Innovative Company of the Year
Five groundbreaking companies are recognized for their technological innovation. XTX generates remarkable profitability through advanced algorithms and computing power, with £1.3 billion profit in 2024 despite having only a few hundred staff.
Engine, a subsidiary of Starling Bank, sells the bank's core operating system to other institutions and has seen income grow 284 percent year-on-year. Wayve raised over $1 billion at an $8.6 billion valuation for its autonomous driving technology.
Nscale raised $2 billion in the largest Series C round in European history, valuing the company at $14.6 billion as it provides vital computing power for AI systems. Freedom aims to transform pension management by embedding banking and card infrastructure directly into the pension journey through a strategic partnership with Visa.
The City AM Awards 2026 represent a comprehensive celebration of excellence across London's diverse business ecosystem, highlighting the innovation, leadership, and resilience that continue to drive the UK economy forward. The announcement of winners at the Guildhall on May 6 promises to be a landmark event in the City's calendar.
