Social Mobility Awards winners revealed as employers tackle Britain's opportunity crisis. 7th October 2026 KPMG, Microsoft, Lloyds Banking Group, Linklaters and PA Consulting are among the organisations and individuals recognised at the UK Social Mobility Awards 2026 for widening access to employment, career progression and opportunity - as Britain confronts a deepening challenge around young people locked out of work and education. Organisations spanning banking, technology, infrastructure, law, facilities management, higher education and the public sector have been recognised at the UK Social Mobility Awards 2026 for helping people from less advantaged backgrounds access employment and progress in their careers. The winners of the annual UK Social Mobility Awards (SOMOs), held in association with National Grid, were announced at a gala in London on Tuesday 6 October, hosted by presenter, writer, actor, director and comedian Sue Perkins. The awards come at a particularly significant moment for social mobility in Britain. Earlier this year, the number of 16- to 24-year-olds not in employment, education or training (NEET) rose above one million, prompting warnings that Britain risks creating a "lost generation" as traditional entry-level routes into employment disappear. The latest official estimate has since fallen slightly to around 981,000 young people, but the underlying challenge remains significant. The government-commissioned Young People and Work Review, led by former Cabinet minister Alan Milburn, found that 84% of young people who are NEET want to work, study or train, while six in 10 have never had a job. As Fair Play Talks has previously highlighted, employers themselves are also warning that rising costs and shrinking entry-level opportunities risk making that first step into work even harder. Against that backdrop, the SOMOs aim to recognise organisations and individuals demonstrating how employers and institutions can actively widen access to opportunity. The winners were selected from this year's UK Social Mobility Awards shortlist, which featured organisations across banking, law, technology, government, infrastructure, higher education, healthcare, media and transport. UK Social Mobility Awards 2026 winners. Champion of the year. * Winner: Darren Hardman, Microsoft UK&I Mentor of the year. * Winner: Lauren Moore, Pinsent Masons Rising Star, championed by PwC. * Winner: Josh Wilkins, A&O Shearman * Highly commended: Tom Glenn, Lewis Silkin LLP Organisation of the Year, championed by bp. * Winner: KPMG Innovation, championed by Barclays. * Winner: Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer Leadership of the year. * Winner: Sodexo * Highly commended: Wychavon District Council Social Mobility network of the year. * Winner: Lloyds Banking Group * Highly commended: HSBC Bank plc Pre-Recruitment Programme of the Year, championed by BNP Paribas. * Winner: University of Warwick * Highly commended: Trowers & Hamlins Recruitment programme of the year, championed by Hedley May. * Winner: Howden Group Holdings * Highly commended: Lloyds Banking Group Progression programme of the year. * Winner: Close Brothers * Highly commended: Sodexo Community programme of the year. * Winner: Linklaters * Highly commended: Aberdeen Group plc University of the Year, championed by Sky. * Winner: University of Worcester * Highly commended: University of Exeter Tech for Social Mobility, championed by Lloyds Banking Group. * Winner: PA Consulting * Highly commended: NTT DATA Business Solutions UK&I Outstanding Contribution to Social Mobility. Sir Kenneth Olisa OBE, HM Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London, was also presented with the Outstanding Contribution to Social Mobility Award. Olisa has chaired the independent judging panel for the SOMOs and has been closely involved with the initiative's work to encourage organisations to address socio-economic inequality. Opening doors to opportunity. The UK Social Mobility Awards provide a national platform for employers, universities and other organisations working to ensure that a person's socio-economic background does not determine their future prospects. The awards are driven by social mobility charity Making The Leap and have taken place since 2017, marking almost a decade of recognising organisations and individuals seeking to widen opportunity across the UK. The organisation's founder and CEO Tunde Banjoko OBE has long argued that employers have an important role to play in tackling the barriers that prevent people from lower socio-economic backgrounds accessing education, employment and career progression. Speaking after this year's awards, Banjoko said: "A decade after the launch of the SOMOs, social mobility has, rightly, become a national priority. I want to congratulate all of this year's winners: as employers, government and communities look for ways to expand opportunity, they are helping to build a stronger economy and a fairer society. My hope is the success of this year's SOMOs winners will inspire many more employers and institutions to take action, open doors for young people from all backgrounds and help drive social mobility forward." Wake up call for employers. The awards build on a broader movement encouraging businesses to examine how factors such as family income, postcode, education, disability and access to professional networks influence people's chances of getting into and progressing at work. On Social Mobility Day earlier this year, Fair Play Talks highlighted how the growing opportunity gap should act as a wake-up call for employers - particularly as young people face increasing difficulty accessing that crucial first rung of the career ladder. Recent initiatives show some employers beginning to respond. Sainsbury's, for example, announced 10,000 work-experience opportunities for young people, while the Government and defence industry recently pledged 50,000 opportunities for young people. Talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not. Carl Trower, President of Global Capital at National Grid, congratulated this year's winners and finalists: "Congratulations to this year's winners and finalists. The SOMOs showcase the organisations turning commitment into action and demonstrate that social mobility advances fastest when we work together to create clear pathways into meaningful careers, because talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not." That distinction - between where talent exists and who gets access to opportunity - has become increasingly important as employers reconsider recruitment and early-career pathways. The Milburn Review found that many young people outside employment or education face multiple barriers, including lack of work experience, health challenges, skills gaps, transport and geography. Six in 10 NEET young people surveyed had never had a job, highlighting the danger of what can become a "no experience, no job" cycle. Turning commitment into action. Host Sue Perkins said the organisations and individuals recognised by the SOMOs demonstrate the difference practical action can make. "I loved hosting The UK Social Mobility Awards; it was inspiring to see and hear from individuals and organisations who are driving real change - whether by challenging barriers, creating new opportunities, or sharing their own experiences to support others," shared Perkins. "This year's winners have all, through meaningful, impactful and genuinely committed work, made a powerful contribution to improving social mobility across the UK. I hope this momentum continues, and more organisations are encouraged to play their part in opening up access and ensuring that everybody can thrive, no matter where they start in life." That final point is increasingly significant. At a time when almost a million young people remain outside employment, education and training, social mobility cannot simply be treated as a corporate responsibility initiative or an annual awareness campaign. For employers, it increasingly raises practical questions about who gets access to work experience, whose applications survive recruitment processes, who receives mentoring and sponsorship, and whether people from less advantaged backgrounds have genuine opportunities to progress once they enter an organisation. The organisations recognised by this year's SOMOs offer examples of what action can look like across those different stages of the employment journey. The winners were selected by an independent judging panel chaired by Sir Kenneth Olisa OBE. The 2026 SOMOs were supported by National Grid, Barclays, BNP Paribas, bp, Hedley May, Lloyds Banking Group, PwC, Sky and the Financial Times.

PA Consulting strengthens public sector practice with Simon King appointment. 01 October 2026 Consultancy.uk Simon King has joined PA Consulting as a partner. His arrival boosts the firm's public sector AI offering, at a time when government departments are looking to deploy the technology across their services. "I'm excited to share that I have joined PA Consulting to work on scaling AI in the public sector," King said in a comment on LinkedIn. He added in the post that he was "proud to join a team that not only understands the opportunities and risks of AI, but has the credibility, talent and ambition to turn its potential into lasting impact for clients and citizens." An experienced digital strategist, service designer and researcher, King has built a reputation for coupling design thinking approaches and innovative insight techniques in his previous roles. Most recently, that saw him spend a year as director of public sector AI adoption for the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. Prior to that, King spent five years with DWP Digital - helping to digitalise the Department for Work and Pensions' services. Latterly, that was again as director of AI and innovation, with responsibility across the DWP for development of digital strategy, innovation, running the DWP Innovation Lab, and business architecture. At PA Consulting, the former Civil Service expert will use his insight to help harness and scale AI across the public sector. This is something the firm says will be "instrumental as we continue supporting clients to deliver meaningful transformation and impact." Speaking on the new arrival, PA Consulting Partner Becky Noble said in a LinkedIn post, "I'm absolutely delighted to welcome Simon King to the team. Simon brings a wealth of experience in technology and transformation and will play a key role as we help clients adopt AI safely, responsibly and at scale. Looking forward to working together on some of the biggest opportunities and challenges in public sector AI." The news follows an announcement that PA Consulting has been inducted into a new coalition to boost Britain's sovereign AI capacity. As the UK looks to apply AI to key national infrastructure, questions of technological sovereignty are coming to the fore - and the firm will now work as part of an alliance of businesses to help ensure security and reliability when utilising large language models in the nuclear energy space - among other sectors.

Vogenx appoints Ken Toombs to Board of Directors. September 22, 2026 Ken Toombs Vogenx, Inc. (Nasdaq: VOGX) has appointed former PA Consulting CEO Ken Toombs to its Board of Directors, adding a veteran professional services executive with healthcare and life sciences experience as the clinical-stage biotechnology company advances its drug development pipeline. Toombs joined the board effective Sept. 21 and will serve as an independent director and Chair of the Audit Committee. He brings approximately 30 years of experience in consulting, corporate strategy, organizational development and mergers and acquisitions. Vogenx, based in Raleigh, North Carolina, is developing treatments for metabolic and gastrointestinal diseases. Its lead product candidate, mizagliflozin, is being developed for post-bariatric hypoglycemia, gastroparesis and GIP-dependent Cushing's Syndrome. Toombs most recently served as CEO of PA Consulting, the London-based innovation and transformation consultancy. He joined the firm in 2018 to lead its Americas business and also held global responsibility for its healthcare, life sciences, and energy and utilities practices. He served on PA Consulting's board before becoming CEO in October 2020. Earlier in his career, Toombs was Global Head of Infosys Consulting, where he led a business with more than 3,000 consultants worldwide. He also served as Deputy CEO of Capgemini Consulting and CEO of its North American operation. His career additionally includes time as a partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers and senior positions at IBM. His experience spans strategic development, new venture creation, M&A, post-merger integration and organizational design. "Ken has spent three decades helping organizations grow without losing the discipline that got them there, and he has done it having a deep familiarity with healthcare and life sciences," Vogenx CEO and Board Chairman James Green said. Green said Toombs' experience building and scaling organizations will be particularly relevant as Vogenx develops its clinical pipeline with a relatively small team. Toombs said he was attracted to the company in part because of the unmet treatment needs associated with post-bariatric hypoglycemia and gastroparesis and the clinical work completed to date on mizagliflozin. Mizagliflozin is an investigational oral small-molecule inhibitor of sodium-dependent glucose transporter 1, or SGLT1. The drug is designed to reduce and delay intestinal glucose absorption, which in turn affects post-meal glucose absorption and the secretion of insulin and glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide, or GIP. According to Vogenx, mizagliflozin has been administered to more than 500 subjects across 10 clinical studies. The company said those studies have shown statistically significant reductions in postprandial glucose absorption, GIP secretion and insulin secretion, as well as improvements in certain hypoglycemia measures among patients with post-bariatric hypoglycemia. Post-bariatric hypoglycemia, or PBH, can develop following bariatric surgery and may cause symptoms including dizziness, confusion, sweating, shakiness and loss of consciousness. There are currently no therapies approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration specifically for PBH. Vogenx is also studying mizagliflozin for gastroparesis and GIP-dependent Cushing's Syndrome as it evaluates the molecule across multiple metabolic and gastrointestinal indications. Toombs holds a bachelor's degree in accounting from the University of Southern California and an MBA from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management. He is based in North Carolina's Research Triangle region. His appointment adds commercial strategy and organizational scaling experience to Vogenx's board as the company works to advance mizagliflozin and build the infrastructure required to support its clinical development programs.