Revealed: The 2026 CityAM Awards Winners
Around 500 guests enjoyed a night of celebration at London’s Guildhall on Wednesday 6 May where the winners of the 2026 CityAM Awards were crowned. From 60 finalists across 12 categories, the judges chose their champions.
Personality of the Year
Greg Jackson CBE
The entrepreneur and CEO of Octopus Energy has become one of the UK’s most prominent business leaders, known for his straight talking and punchy views across a range of topics including UK entrepreneurship, the business environment, capital markets and, of course, energy. In August 2025 he was appointed as a non-executive member on the board of the Cabinet Office, and his views on energy security and policy have achieved significant cut-through during the Iran oil crisis.
Business of the Year
Revolut
The fintech juggernaut continues to impress, landing a $75bn valuation at the end of last year, up nearly 70 per cent on its 2024 price tag. From a shiny new London HQ Revolut top brass are celebrating the arrival – at last – of a full-fat British banking license as customers surge north of 65m and international expansion continues. While the City holds out hope for a UK listing, founder Nik Storonsky has been a strong voice in debates about the UK tech scene and capital markets.
Bank of the Year
Shawbrook
Shawbrook’s stock exchange listing in October last year was the biggest IPO in two years and was seized upon as evidence that there’s still life in our capital markets. Loan book and deposits have both grown over the course of the year, and so have pre-tax profits. The specialist SME lender continues to grow through strategic partnerships and acquisitions, and stands out as a successful challenger that wasn’t afraid to embrace the public markets.
Investor of the Year
Balderton Capital
This flagship European venture capital firm, headquartered in London, has an impressive track record in identifying and backing the most promising tech startups and growth businesses including Darktrace, Wayve and Revolut where an initial seed of £1m in 2015 translated to a take-home profit of around $2bn in recent months. Nearly $6bn have been raised to invest from seed to IPO with more than 250 companies backed. With a focus on supporting talent and building long-term value, Balderton continues to provide the fuel for Europe and the UK’s tech revolution.
Wealth Manager of the Year
Rathbones
Boasting nearly three centuries of heritage with a contemporary, client-centric approach, Rathbones is one of the UK’s oldest and largest wealth managers, with £115.6bn AUM (as at 31.12.25). Welcoming a new Group CEO, Jonathan Sorrell and a new Wealth CEO, Camilla Stowell, Rathbones has undergone significant internal repositioning whilst delivering impressive performance – including a 53.5% increase in profit before tax. Rathbones says it prides itself on an investment capability underpinned by a deep commitment to responsible investing – supported by long‑standing stewardship and engagement. Its Votes Against Slavery initiative – coming up to its seventh year – drives meaningful change by engaging UK‑listed companies to improve compliance with the Modern Slavery Act, using investor influence to promote transparency and accountability.
Analyst of the Year
Kathleen Brooks
Few analysts have their finger on the pulse as well as XTB’s Kathleen Brooks. When her lengthy emails drop, with neat sub-sections in tow and regularly accompanied with a compelling chart, journalists can breathe a sigh of relief for some sharp analysis. Brooks will take you through the full unfolding drama of market turmoil, whilst providing strong insight with every accompanying line. This particularly shone through in the height of the conflict in the Middle East where Brooks would provide a direct and clear breakdown of everything from oil and equities to the Bank of England and macro consequences all in a neat package whilst keeping political dramas in context.
Consultancy and Advisory Company of the Year
Kroll
Kroll, the global financial and risk advisory firm, operates its largest office with more than 1,000 employees in Southwark, London. There were around 200 new joiners in 2025. Notable, publicly disclosed Kroll assignments include The Post Office, Thames Water, Claire’s and legendary Simmons Bars in the Square Mile, in addition to the sale of several firms on behalf of BGF. Kroll is currently busy assisting businesses as they navigate the Iran war with situational assessments and risk trigger frameworks, as well scenario planning, business continuity and crisis management. Most recently, Kroll brought innovation, transparency and precision to the private credit market through the introduction of its ‘benchmarks’ platform, and London was the launch destination for new service lines Kroll Economics and Decision Intelligence. Kroll is the world’s leading independent valuer of illiquid assets but the outfit is also armed with a strong cadre of experts in fraud, cyber, AI, investigations, digital assets, grey zone warfare, reputation, fund solutions, restructuring, compliance and regulation, who operate out of London. This is a big beast that finds itself at the heart of many contemporary issues.
City Champion of the Year
Andy Briggs MBE
The affable and down-to-earth CEO of Standard Life has become a leading voice in industry debates on pensions reform, investment and capital markets. Briggs has consistently argued for policies that he believes will strengthen the UK as a global financial centre and through his advocacy for unlocking pension capital to support growth and infrastructure, Briggs has played an important role in promoting the long-term competitiveness of Canada.
Law Firm of the Year
Hogan Lovells
Hogan Lovells also followed the trend of “mega-mergers” in 2026, announcing its own transformative tie-up that rivals those of Ashurst and A&O. Hogan struck a deal with Wall Street’s oldest law firm, Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft, in a merger that is expected to create one of the largest law firms in the world by revenue. This comes as Hogan crossed the $3bn mark in its 2025 financial results, officially surpassing $3.28bn (£2.49bn). This marked the third consecutive year of record growth, with profit per equity partner (PEP) increasing by over 15 per cent to $3.52m.
Insurance Company of the Year
McGill and Partners
Founded in 2019, the firm has become the fastest-growing global specialty (re)insurance broker, scaling entirely through organic growth and a unique talent strategy, rather than acquisitions. Now in its seventh year, MGP employs over 580 colleagues across 10 international offices and supports over 950 clients, with a significant emphasis in London. In 2025 the firm materially outperformed wider market growth rates, delivering 23 per cent organic revenue growth to $266m while maintaining strong profitability and exceptional client retention. MGP has led digital transformation in the London market through proprietary platforms and AI-enabled tools developed with partners including Google and Salesforce, enhancing broking insight, speed and productivity. Through sustained growth, market-leading innovation and differentiated solutions for complex risks, MGP continues to set a new benchmark for the future of specialty insurance broking.
Entrepreneur of the Year
Barney Hussey-Yeo
Barney Hussey-Yeo secured unicorn status for his AI financial assistant Cleo in the last year after a path of accelerated growth. An entrepreneur to his core, Hussey-Yeo also serves as an angel investor, which he describes as “writing $10k to $100k cheques to exceptional founders”. In September, he told CityAM he was inspired to launch Cleo by entrepreneur Matt Clifford, who instilled the mantra “the biggest risk is not taking the risk” into him. The straight-talking fintech chief has become one of the City’s most vocal champions and often critic – after he picked up his business and moved it stateside following frustrations with regulation. But last year saw the big return of Cleo to the UK and Hussey-Yeo pulled no punches with his call to action for the UK. Famed for his LinkedIn think pieces the fintech maverick has had no hesitation in handing out lashings on the lack of enthusiasm for a London listing or regulatory headaches. Indeed, the Prime Minister found himself caught in this after Hussey-Yeo met Sir Keir Starmer at a Downing Street mixer. “Likely not getting invited back,” Hussey-Yeo wrote on LinkedIn after writing about his grilling on the PM.
Innovative Company of the Year
Engine by Starling
As the first generation of the UK’s fintech talent diversify their revenue streams, Starling has broken from its peers to double down on its tech background. Led by the man who clicked publish on the Starling app, Engine is a subsidiary of the group that sells the bank’s core operating system to other banks – and it has quickly become the fastest growing segment of the business. In 2024, Engine contributed an albeit modest £8.7m in income to the group, but that marked a 284 per cent year-on-year increase. Those in the fintech ecosystem have quickly taken notice of Engine, and it led to Starling doubling down on the area. Engine’s chief revealed to CityAM last December that the neobank’s subsidiary was moving into its own office and set for a hiring spree across London. And the bank is firing all on all cylinders with its growing customer base. At the beginning of November Engine signed Tangerine Bank – one of the “Big 5” banks in Canada boasting $1.4trn in assets – marking the first customer for the tech firm which is actually bigger than Starling.