Hilton, Whitbread, Greene King, Dorchester Collection and Vacherin were among the Springboard Awards for Excellence 2025 winners, crowned at Wembley Stadium yesterday. The star-studded event, delivered in partnership with Delaware North, honoured the sector’s most innovative and dedicated professionals, setting a new benchmark for excellence in the field.
Hosted by the charismatic sports broadcaster Geoff Shreeves, the awards ceremony was a night to remember, featuring a surprise performance by M People’s Heather Small that brought the house down. Guests were treated to welcome drinks in the Lioness Bar, followed by an exquisite four-course meal with paired wines in the prestigious Sir Bobby Moore Room.
The Springboard Awards for Excellence 2025 winners were:
- Fiona Colley Trainee of the Year –Kyle Steward
- Best Recruitment Initiative Award, sponsored bycom- Greene King
- Best Apprenticeship Strategy, sponsored by HIT Training-Mitchells & Butlers
- Employee Engagement, sponsored byIndeed Flex- Valor Hospitality
- Best Training Programme, sponsored by IHG-Adam Handling Collection
- Career Development Initiative, sponsored by Diageo-Z Hotels
- Best Use of Technology-Brewhouse and Kitchen
- Talent Development Team of the Year, sponsored by Sybron-Incipio Group
- Employee Health and Wellbeing, sponsored by Hand Picked Hotels-Punch Pubs & Co
- Community Engagement, sponsored by5 Hertford Street & Oswald’s- Greene King
- Disability Champion, sponsored by Sodexo-Whitbread
- Diversity, Equality and Inclusion, sponsored by CH&CO-Dorchester Collection
- Best Education and Industry Partnership-The Belfry Hotel & Resort
- Sustainable Business, sponsored byNestlé Professional- Rare Restaurants
- Springboard Ambassador of the Year, sponsored by BaxterStorey-Alice Barrett, Vacherin
- Best Employer, sponsored by Boyes Turner-Eden Hotel Collection
- Partner of the Year-Hilton
- Chris Beaumont Outstanding Contribution, sponsored by Bidfood-Ian Smith and Gillian Dalziel, Diageo
Chris Gamm, chief executive of Springboard, said: “The Springboard Awards for Excellence 2025 were truly spectacular. In a year that once again tested our industry’s resilience, these awards celebrated the determined spirit and impressive innovation that define the hospitality industry. Each nominee and winner represent the very best of our sector, showcasing the bright future of hospitality and the incredible individuals shaping it”.
The event raised a record-breaking £179,000 for the Springboard Charity through sponsorship, ticket sales and fundraising. This will help fund Springboard’s work to futureproof the talent pipeline for hospitality and tourism by promoting the industry, attracting talent and equipping individuals with essential skills through its employability training courses and careers programmes.
For more information on how to get involved in next year’s awards, please email [email protected].