About the awards

2026 London & South East Finance Awards

The Awards, proudly organised by HSBC, CFGI, ACCA, Mills & Reeve, Aon and Robert Walters, seek to  celebrate the achievements of the London & South East top finance professionals. The awards also recognise the outstanding local businesses that contribute to the economy and employment in London & the South East across various award categories (This includes: Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire, Essex, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Hampshire, Surrey, Sussex & Kent).

The 2026 Awards will take place on Friday 13th November 2026 at Park Plaza, Westminster Bridge. 

2026 Awards Categories

• Finance Team of the Year 
  • Retail & FMCG
  • Media & Publishing
  • Property & Real Estate
  • Tech, Telco & FinTech
  • Leisure & Hospitality
  • Pharma, Healthcare & Life Sciences
  • Energy & Natural Resources
  • Financial Services
  • Business Services
• Accounts Receivable & Credit Control Team of the Year
• Accounts Payable Team of the Year
• Tax/Treasury Leader of the Year
• Senior Finance Leader of the Year (Less than £50 million turnover)
• Senior Finance Leader of the Year (£50-200 million turnover)
• Senior Finance Leader of the Year (Over £200 million turnover)
• Finance Leader of the Year (Less than £50 million turnover)
• Finance Leader of the Year (£50-200 million turnover)
• Finance Leader of the Year (Over £200 million turnover)
• Rising Star of the Year (Qualified)
• Rising Star of the Year (Non/Part-Qualified)
• Finance Transformation & Change

Award Criteria:

Finance Team of the Year
The Finance Team of the year will demonstrate excellence in their field, with proven examples of collective successes within the last 12 months. The winning team will have positively impacted the wider business through outstanding achievements in the delivery of projects and encompass an infectious team spirit.

This award is split into 9 different sectors:

Retail & FMCG:

• Retail including: Food & Beverage, Supermarkets, e-Commerce & Online, Apparel & Fashion, Electrical & Appliances, Home & Furniture, Luxury & Specialist
• FMCG including : Food & Beverage, Personal Care & Cosmetics, Household Care, Health & Wellness, Tobacco, Baby CareMedia & Publishing

Media & Publishing:

• Media including: Advertising, Music, Radio, Streaming, Film, TV
• Publishing including: Newspaper, Magazine, Book, Digital Media & Content Platforms, Gaming & Interactive Media

Property & Real Estate:

• Including: Residential, Commercial, Industrial & Logistics, Retail & Hospitality Real Estate, Public Real Estate, Land & Development

Tech, Telco & FinTech:

• Tech including: Enterprise Software, SaaS, Consumer Software, Hardware, Cloud & Infrastructure, IT Services & Consulting, Internet & Digital Platforms
• Telecoms including: Wireless/Mobile Operations, Fixed-Line Operators, Telecom Infrastructure, Satellite
• FinTech including: Digital Payments, Digital Banking, Lending & Credit Tech, WealthTech, InsurTech, Blockchain & Crypto

Leisure & Hospitality:

• Hotels & Resorts, Food & Beverage, Entertainment & Recreation, Sports, Travel & Tourism, Lifestyle Leisure

Pharma, Healthcare & Life Sciences:

• Including: Biotechnology, Healthcare Providers & Services) Medical Devices & Equipment, Diagnostic & Laboratory Services, Digital Health, Emerging Therapies

Energy & Natural Resources:

• Including: Oil & Gas, Renewables, Power & Utilities, Mining & Metals, Forestry, Water, Energy Services, Commodities Trading

Financial Services:

• Including: Banking, Insurance, Asset Management, Private Markets, Hedge Funds

Business Services:

• Including (but not limited to): Consulting, Facilities Management, Construction, Manufacturing, Engineering, Transport, Logistics, Education, Government

Senior Finance Leader of the Year
This Award will be presented to a senior finance leader with a demonstrable legacy of delivering transformation, leadership and an outstanding performance. The winner of this award may have been a pioneer of significant change, made a vital contribution to the leadership of the business and/or led a local finance function that is seen as adding significant value to the business. Examples of job titles which might sit within this category include but are not limited to: Finance Director & Chief Financial Officer.

This award is split into three categories based on company turnover:

• Senior Finance Leader of the Year (Less than £50 million turnover)
• Senior Finance Leader of the Year (£50-200 million turnover)
• Senior Finance Leader of the Year (Over £200 million turnover)

Finance Leader of the Year
This Award will be presented to a finance leader with a demonstrable legacy of delivery in financial performance, leadership and management. The winning individual may have been a pioneer of significant change, made a vital contribution to the leadership of the business and/or led a local finance function that is seen as adding significant value to the business. Examples of job titles which might sit within this category include but are not limited to: Financial Controller & Head of Finance

This category is split into 3 based on turnover.

• Finance Leader of the Year (Less than £50 million turnover)
• Finance Leader of the Year (£50-200 million turnover)
• Finance Leader of the Year (Over £200 million turnover)

Tax /Treasury Leader of the Year
This Award will be presented to a Tax or Treasury leader with a demonstrable legacy of delivery within their field. The individual will be rapidly making a name for themselves in the Tax or Treasury world. They will be able to share examples of providing strategic direction to their division and business.  

Accounts Payable Team of the Year
This award will go to a London or South East based Accounts Payable Team that has demonstrated excellence in its field. The winning team will have demonstrated collective successes within the last 12 months. The winning team will have positively impacted the wider business through outstanding achievements in the delivery of projects. The team will also embody a positive team spirit.

Accounts Receivable & Credit Control Team of the Year
This award will go to a London or South East based Accounts Receivable/Credit Control Team that has demonstrated excellence in its field. The winning team will have demonstrated collective successes within the last 12 months. The winning team will have positively impacted the wider business through outstanding achievements in the delivery of projects. The team will also embody a positive team spirit.

*Rising Star of the Year (Qualified)
Presented to the most passionate, driven and delivery focused person in the market. The winner of the qualified award will be a finance professional with less than 5 years of post-qualified experience. They will have provided examples of high achievement and outperforming their peer group.

*Rising Star of the Year (Non/Part Qualified)
Presented to the most passionate, driven and delivery focused person in the market. The winner of the non/part-qualified award will be a finance professional with less than 8 years of experience. They will have provided examples of high achievement and outperforming their peer group.

*After the initial application/nomination has been submitted for these four categories, a follow up form will be sent out to the nominator (or line manager if it was an application) to complete as a referencing stage. The judges will then shortlist prior to the judging stage. 

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