Event
Highlights from Britain's Most Admired Companies Awards 2025
22 January 2026
Britain’s Most Admired Companies Awards 2025 brought together the UK’s most respected business leaders across the FTSE at the London Stock Exchange, reflecting the strength, ambition and innovation that continue to define British enterprise.
The occasion opened with reflections from Dame Julia Hoggett, CEO of the London Stock Exchange on the importance of the recognition in today’s climate:
“For over three decades, this research has provided something rare and invaluable: a rigorous, peer-driven measure of corporate reputation, based on a company’s performance in the eyes of its stakeholders.
In an environment where narratives can be noisy and fleeting, the perspective of those who understand business best - competitors,
investors and advisers - remains a vital compass. Admiration cannot be claimed; it must be earned.”
Championing British business success, the Rt Hon Lady Mayor, Dame Susan Langley, added :
“We’re a brilliant country to work in… These are exactly the stories we should be telling and celebrating.”
This year’s highest honours recognised leadership and performance at opposite ends of the corporate timeline. Octopus Energy was named Britain’s Most Admired Company 2025, becoming the youngest organisation ever to receive the award, while Tufan Erginbilgiç, CEO of Rolls-Royce, a company with more than a century of industrial heritage, was voted Britain’s Most Admired Company Leader 2025. Together with Dame Julia Hoggett, both winners marked the occasion by taking part in the London Stock Exchange’s market open ceremony.
The programme featured insights from leaders across some of the UK’s most admired organisations, exploring the strategic and cultural foundations of long-term success. Tufan Erginbilgiç reflected on Rolls-Royce’s global transformation at scale, highlighting the role of renewed capabilities, mindsets and financial discipline in unlocking future opportunity. Greg Jackson CBE, Founder and CEO of Octopus Energy, shared the leadership principles behind the company’s rapid growth, emphasising the importance of innovation, iteration and organisational effectiveness.
The CEO panel, moderated by Kate Bassett of the Financial Times, examined how leading organisations are shaping cultures that support resilience, growth and success. Dame Debbie Crosbie, CEO of Nationwide, underlined the importance of clarity of purpose in aligning colleagues and delivering for customers, while Stephen Moorhouse, VP & General Manager of Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, spoke to the value of connection across organisations, encouraging leaders to think horizontally and embrace reverse mentoring.
The Awards recognised British business at its best, reflecting excellence in performance and the leadership driving success for tomorrow.
Companies including AstraZeneca, Halma, Heineken, Legal & General, Nationwide, Serco, Unilever and Vodafone were among those honoured.
View all sector and criteria winners here.
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