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Awards

Nineteenth Newspad Employee Share Plan Awards

newspad-awards-star

Recognising Excellence

The newspad employee share plan awards recognise organisations that have demonstrated outstanding achievement in employee share ownership and hold up best practice models for other companies to follow.

The deadline for nominations is 17:00 on Wednesday 16 December 2026.

The winners will be decided by two impartial judges, experts in the use of employee equities, plus Malcolm Hurlston CBE, founder of the Employee Share Ownership Centre. The finalists will be announced in newspad and award certificates will be presented during the Centre’s Employee Share Plans Symposium in May 2027.

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Award Categories:

  1. Best all-employee share plan
  2. Best equity scheme in a start-up or scaling company
  3. Best share plan communications
  4. Best share plan response to significant changes or challenges

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Application Process

To apply for the 19th newspad employee share plan awards, please complete the online application form and, where appropriate, provide supporting documentation. Supporting material may be uploaded with the form or emailed to esop@esopcentre.com. (Alternatively, entries can be made by a short explanatory document).

If you include video material, please provide a hyperlink within a document rather than embedding or uploading the video file itself.

Please click the button below for guidance on the judging criteria for the four categories.

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Guidance For Entrants


If you have any questions, please contact us at esop@esopcentre.com or call +44 (0)20 7562 0586.

Please read the rules and terms of entry below.

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Rules and Terms of Entry

  1. A plan issuer company may nominate itself for an award.
  2. A practitioner may nominate a client company provided permission has been received from the client. The practitioner must be a member of the Employee Share Ownership Centre, although the nominated client need not be a member.
  3. A plan issuer company may enter more than one award category.
  4. A practitioner may nominate different client companies for different awards, or the same company for more than one award.
  5. Judges and their companies or clients are not eligible to enter an award.
  6. Entries may be made using the online entry form or by submitting an existing or specially prepared explanatory document by email to esop@esopcentre.com. Relevant supporting documentation may also be provided.
  7. The Employee Share Ownership Centre reserves the right to reallocate an entry to another category where the judges consider that it would be more appropriately assessed.
  8. Entrants should be prepared to respond to reasonable requests from the judges for further information or clarification.
  9. The decision of the judges is final.
  10. Commercial sensitivity will be respected.
  11. There is no charge for entering the Awards.

Previous winners

2025

Best all-employee share plan

  • Winner: RS Group
  • Highly Commended: The Magnum Ice Cream Company
  • Highly Commended: Diageo

Best share plan communications

  • Winner: BT Group
  • Highly Commended: Jet2

Best use of technology, AI or behavioural science in employee share plans

  • Winner: BT Group
  • Highly Commended: Centrica

Best share plan response to significant changes or challenges

  • Winner: Carlsberg Britvic

2024

Best all-employee share plan

  • Winner: JTC Group
  • Highly Commended: STEF Langdons

Best share plan communications

  • Winner: Sage Group
  • Highly Commended: Serco

Best use of technology, AI or behavioural science in employee share plans

  • Winner: AstraZeneca
  • Highly Commended: Lloyds Banking Group

Best share plan response to significant changes or challenges

  • Winner: National Grid
  • Highly Commended: Bakkafrost

2023

Best all-employee share plan

  • Winner: Drax
  • Highly commended: LEO Pharma

Best share plan communications

  • Winner: Diageo
  • Commended: Generali

Best use of technology, AI or behavioural science

  • Winner: Vestd
  • Commended: Diageo

Best share plan response to significant changes or challenging situations

  • Winner: Generali
  • Highly commended: Drax

2022

Best all-employee share plan in a large company (more than 2,500 employees)

Winner: Centrica
Highly commended: Solvay

Best share plan communications 

Winner: Dr. Martens
Highly commended: Jet2

Best use of technology, AI or behavioural science

Winner: Kier Group

Best share plan response to significant changes or challenging situations 

Winner: National Grid
Highly commended: AstraZeneca

2021 ESOP STARS

The first special award was to the chairman of the Chinese company Tencent, Pony Ma. He not only installed share schemes in the company for all employees but in addition gave equity to all employees from his personal holding.

The second special award went to John Menke who was a colleague of Louis Kelso who created the Esop in California.

The major awards – the Esop Stars – were awarded to:

Ceres Power – In recognition that the Ceres Sharesave 2021 plan showed rare success in adaption to the covid year, in reference to its effective communications of the plan to a multi-national workforce.

Kindred Group – In recognition that the K2 AESP plan showed rare success in adaption to the covid year, referring to the plan’s international and inclusive reach.

Nigel Le Quesne – The CEO of JTC was awarded the Esop Star for outstanding company leader, in recognition of his effective promotion of all-employee equity with rare enthusiasm.

Winch Designs – In recognition that the Winch Employee Ownership Trust plan showed rare success in adaption to the covid year, referring to the success of the EOT, which owns 100 percent of the company on behalf of all 140 employees.

Wise plc – In recognition that the Wise All-Employee Global Long-Term Incentive Plan was commended for its inclusive equity in a covid world.

2020

Best all-employee international share plan** Participants in at least three countries.

Winner: BAE Systems
Highly commended: BT
Special commendation: Gamesys
Special commendation: LPKF Laser & Electronics

Best executive/managerial equity reward plan (more than 100 employees)
Winner: Imperial Brands

Best share plan communications
Winner: Marks & Spencer highly commended: Sky

Best use of technology, AI or behavioural science in employee share plans
Winner: BT

Best share plan adaption to the Covid crisis
Winner: Daily Mail & General Trust

Outstanding company leader (for chairman or ceo personally associated with company plans)
Winner: Liv Garfield ceo of Severn Trent

Company whose employee share ownership impacts most on company success
Winner – Siemens Energy

2019

Best all-employee international share plan** Participants in at least three countries.
Winner: Reckitt Benckiser
Highly commended: Airbus

Best share plan communications
Winner: EasyJet
Highly commended: Tesco
Commended: Mitie

Best use of technology, AI or behavioural science in employee share plans
Winner: Marks & Spencer

The most creative solutions
Winner: Dixons Carphone

Best employee share plan practitioner
Winner: Rm2 Partnership

2018

Best all-employee international share plan* * Participants in at least three countries.
Winner: easyJet

Best UK centred all-employee share plan † ᶧParticipants in no more than two countries.
Winner: Xtrac

Best share plan communications
Winner: Micro Focus
Highly commended: Non-Standard Finance

Best use of video communication
Winner: Unilever

Best use of technology in employee share plans
Winner: BP
Highly commended: Paddy Power Betfair

The most creative solutions to employee cultural, jurisdictional or social diversity issues when launching international all-employee share plans
Winner: BAE Systems

2017

Most Creative Solution
Winner: Google

Best all-employee international share plan ** Participants in at least three countries.
Winner: Nokia
Highly commended: Sage Group

Best all-employee share plan ** Participants in no more than two countries.
Winner: Valero

Best share plan communications
Winner: Telefónica
Highly commended: Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd

Best use of video communications
Winner: Amadeus IT Group

2016

Best all-employee share plan in a company with more than 1,500 employees
Winner: Computershare
Highly commended: Just Eat

Best all-employee share plan in a company with fewer than 1,500 employees
Winner: Chess Ltd

Best international all-employee share plan
Winner: Nokia
Very highly commended: Rio Tinto

Best all-employee share plan communications
Winner: Aviva

Best financial education of employees
Winner: Henderson

2015

Best international all-employee share plan in a company with more than 1,500 employees in at least three countries
Winner: Amadeus IT Holding

Best all-employee share plan in a company with fewer than 1,500 employees
Winner: Abzena

Commended: Henderson Global Investors

Best all-employee share plan communications
Winner: Royal Dutch Shell

Best in financial education for employees
Winner: Henderson Global Investors

Best integration of an all-employee share plan into a wider programme of employee engagement
No award in 2015

Best use of video in share plan communications
Winner: Telefonica

Best employee equity intervention by a major company chairman or CEO
Sacha Romanovitch, ceo of Grant Thornton

2014

Best international all-employee share plan in a company with more than 1,500 employees in at least three countries
Winner: Shell

Best all-employee share plan in a company with fewer than 1,500 employees
Winner: Conviviality

Best all-employee share plan communications
Winner: Rio Tinto

Commended: BSkyB

Special Award
BT, for its £1.1bn ShareSave payout

2013

Best employee share ownership plan (more than 1,500 employees)
Winner: Edwards Group

Best employee share ownership plan (fewer than 1,500 employees)
Winner: Igas Energy

Best all-employee share plan communications
Winner: Pearson

Commended: W M Morrison Supermarkets

Esop Institute student of the year
Stuart Clarke of RBC cees

2012

Best employee share ownership plan for a company with over 1,500 employees
Winner: Royal Dutch Shell

Commended: Diageo

Best employee share ownership plan for companies with fewer than 1,500 employees

Winner: Henerson Global Investors
Commended: The London Stock Exchange
Highly Commended: Imagination Technologies Group

Best communications supporting an all-employee share plan

Winner: J Sainsbury
Commended: Whitbread Group
Highly Commended: Flybe Group

2011

Best employee share plan in a company with more than 1,500 employees
Joint Winners: Barclays and Ericsson

Commended: Pearson

Best employee share plan in a company with fewer than 1,500 employees
Winner: Innospec

Highly Commended: Telecity

2010

Best employee share ownership scheme (More than 1,500 employees)
Winner: Shell International

Highly Commended: BT

Esop Institute student of the year
Anne-Louise Flowers, formerly of Sanne Group

2009

Best international employee share plan
Winner: Serco Group

Highly Commended: Diageo and RSA Insurance Group

Best small company international employee share plan
Winner: Telecity Group

Esop Institute student of the year
Charlie Germain from Ogier

2008

Best international employee share ownership plan for smaller companies
Winner: Telecity

Best international employee share ownership plan for larger companies
Winner: RSA

Esop Institute student of the year
Kristopher Poulton of Deloitte

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