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This year's Rising Star Awards will be presented on 11 November at a ceremony in London
Here they are. The finalists for this year’s Professional Pensions Rising Star Awards…
A huge congratulations to all those who have made the shortlist for 2026.
This year, Professional Pensions has had an amazing response - with a substantial volume of very high quality entries. All entries have now been assessed by our panel of eminent judges and we are thrilled to reveal this year's shortlist.
The winners will be announced at a ceremony on 11 November at The Brewery in London. For further information on booking a table at these awards, visit our website here.
Our 2026 shortlists are as follows:
Rising Star of the Year
- Adam Dean Baksh (Isio Group)
- Ajay Dhillon (BT Group)
- Alice Hopper (Hymans Robertson)
- Andre Clarke (Gallagher)
- Archie Pritchett (PensionPay)
- Brian Kinlan (Aon)
- Calum Edgar (Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management UK)
- Emmie Harrison-West (Aegon UK)
- George Bassnett (LCP)
- James Rickards (Law Debenture)
- Jasmine Lau (Aon)
- Lizzie Hawkins (Aon)
- Marianna Hunt (Fidelity International)
- Matt Keating (XPS Group)
- Wojciech Busz (Brightwell)
Trainee of the Year
- Aaron Bashir (Hymans Robertson)
- Adam Dean Baksh (Isio Group)
- Avinash Harkison (Isio Group)
- Billy Waugh (TPT Retirement Solutions)
- Brandy Opey (L&G Asset Management)
- Holly Wardell (Independent Governance Group)
- James Rogers (PwC)
- Joel Clarke (Eversheds Sutherland)
- Louise Douglas (Mercer)
- Nathan Bulstrode (PwC)
- Rachael Butler (Aon)
- Rebekah Hill (Mercer)
- Tyler Hayden (PwC)
Trustee of the Year
- Alan Greenlees (Zedra)
- Jake Churchill (Independent Governance Group)
- Lewis Drew (Independent Governance Group)
- Rich Ingham (Vidett)
- Scott Pinder (Law Debenture)
- Victoria Roberts (Zedra)
Actuary / Consultant of the Year
- Aman Ruparelia (Mercer)
- Andre Clarke (Gallagher)
- Cara Gordon (Mercer)
- Chris O'Bryen (Hymans Robertson)
- Emma Birch (LCP)
- Jenna Nash (Capita)
- John Plenderleith (Quantum Advisory)
- Katherine Patel (Aon)
- Liam Dillon (Isio Group)
- Louis Vickery (Aon)
- Reece Taylor (XPS Group)
- Sarah Vanhouse (XPS Group)
- Stephen McIlwraith (Hymans Robertson)
- Tasneem Rahman (Mercer)
Actuarial / Advisory Trainee of the Year
- Abi Cooke (Hymans Robertson)
- Alice Hopper (Hymans Robertson)
- Aoife Farrell (Spence & Partners)
- Avinash Harkison (Isio Group)
- Christy Wharton (WTW)
- David Nguyen (Aon)
- Ibrahim Naizam (Aon)
- Kate Marshall (Quantum Advisory)
- Lucy Clasper (Hymans Robertson)
- Lucy Mearns (Aon)
- Molly Ayling (Mantle Services)
- Rebekah Hill (Mercer)
- Zander Kasparian (Hymans Robertson)
Administrator of the Year
- Ashleigh Blacklock (Capita)
- Carla Errington (TPT Retirement Solutions)
- Charlotte Burdon (Brightwell)
- Gary Huddless (Brightwell )
- Holly Haynes (Barnett Waddingham (Howden))
- Irma Taylor (TPT Retirement Solutions )
- James Turner (Quantum Advisory)
- Jenny Smith (Quantum Advisory)
- Lucy Wilkinson (TPT Retirement Solutions)
- Marie Mulligan (XPS Group)
- Robert Stefanescu (Broadstone Corporate Benefits)
- Rosanna Picken (The Money Map (Financial Navigation))
Lawyer of the Year
- Billy Richards (Pinsent Masons)
- Bogdan Oprea (Pinsent Masons)
- Harvey Spencer (CMS)
- Imogen Shelley (Burges Salmon)
- Katie Becher (CMS)
- Richard Meers (Arc Pensions Law)
- Robyn Connolly (Travers Smith)
- Santi Bicchieri (CMS)
- Sara Summerscales (Pinsent Masons)
- Sarah Irving (Pinsent Masons)
- Sokratis Androutsos (CMS)
- Thomas Trennery (L&G)
Investment Manager of the Year
- Amar Jethwa (TPT Investment Management)
- Calum Edgar (Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management UK)
- Daniel Nilsson (Isio Group)
- Edwin Wilson (Isio Group)
- Joshua McCann (Van Lanschot Kempen)
- Luke Burford (Mercer)
- Owen Rogers (Mercer)
- Sterling O'Donohue (Mercer)
Investment Trainee of the Year
- Adam Lacey (Russell Investments)
- Ali Asghar (LCP)
- Charlotte Cassidy (LCP)
- Connie Walker (Aon)
- Fergus Creton (Aon)
- Henry King (Isio Group)
- Joshua Jenkins (Barnett Waddingham (Howden))
- Morgan Edwards (Barnett Waddingham (Howden))
- Neil Patience (Aviva)
Excellence in Customer Service and Communication Award
- Aaron Bashir (Hymans Robertson)
- Adam Dean Baksh (Isio Group)
- Asef Uddin (Hymans Robertson)
- Beth Evans (Surrey County Council)
- Dale Archer (WTW)
- Daniel Nutland (WTW)
- Helen Chapelhow (Surrey Pension Team)
- Julie Tweddle (XPS Group)
- Rhiannon Leaver (Isio Group)
- Rosanna Picken (The Money Map (Financial Navigation))
- Sasha Bravery (WTW - LifeSight)
- Sophie Creed (People's Pension)
Mentor of the Year
- Andre Kerr (XPS Group)
- Andrea Roe (Brightwell)
- Andrew Murphy (Mercer)
- Angela Whatmuff (Aon)
- Ejiro Scott-Emuakpor (Hymans Robertson)
- Faye Clark (XPS Group)
- John Greaves (Railpen)
- Lee Pill (Isio Group)
- Lee Taylor (Brightwell)
- Lucy Bignell (Barnett Waddingham (Howden))
- Nick Walker (Barnett Waddingham (Howden))
- Sally Crudge (Aon)
- Shan Abdullah (BT)
Team of the Year
- Equiniti - Pensions Admin Services Team (Client X)
- Independent Governance Group - OGS ORA Team
- Isio Group - Belfast Actuarial and Consulting Team
- Isio Group - i-FLO Team
- LPPI - Responsible Investment Team
- Nest - Behavioural Analytics Team
- Pensions UK - Policy and Advocacy Team
- PwC - Pensions Risk Transfer Team
- Railpen - Early Careers Taskforce
- Timeline - Investment Team
- TPT Retirement Solutions - Member Experience Team
- XPS - GMP Data Solutions Team
Organisational Award - Award for Supporting Development
- Isio Group
- Quantum Advisory
- RSM
- WTW
Organisational Award - Training Scheme of the Year
- Brightwell
- CMS
- Isio Group
- RSM
- TPT Retirement Solutions
- WTW
