In full: The winners of the Quality Professionals Awards final 2026
Manchester: The winners of The Quality Professionals Awards for Further Education and Employability 2026 were revealed on Friday, 19th June.
300 people from across further education and employability gathered at the Midland Hotel, Manchester, to honour the contribution of quality and compliance professionals in year two of the awards.
18 winning awards were presented across 13 categories this year. This included a new addition to the line-up for ‘Inclusion Quality Improvement Initiative’ and 2 overall outstanding winners selected from all the finalists.
In addition, 15 finalists were given highly commended awards in recognition of their achievements.
From over 500 nominees, 88 finalists represented organisations across the UK, including FE colleges, independent training providers, local authorities, universities, third sector providers, employers, and employability providers of all sizes.
The event, hosted by Lou Doyle, Co-Founder of SDN Mesma Group (founders of the Quality Professionals Awards), and Dan Howard, was an afternoon celebration at the Midland Hotel, Manchester.
Lou Doyle said. “The Quality Professionals Awards have built a reputation for being the place to come to celebrate each other’s work – not just your own. We are a community of people who recognise and admire each other’s strengths. By working together, we can – and do – achieve more.
We live by the idea that outstanding quality and compliance practice is what you do when no one is looking. Our finalists and winners exemplify cultures of trust, supportive challenge, and systemic changes that keep the dial moving on the experiences of students, apprentices and job seekers.”
A list of all the finalists and winners can be found below and at www.qualityprofessionalsawards.org
Winners of The Quality Professionals Awards 2026
Contact hello@qualityprofessionalsaward.org for more information.
Compliance Team of the Year (sponsored by Strata)
Compliance Team – University of Chester
Compliance Professional of The Year (sponsored by Roemer Barnes Consultancy)
Dani Smith – Kaplan Professional Education
Compliance Leader of the Year (sponsored by Lockhart Hawkins)
Gosia Lasota – Angila Ruskin University
Rising Star (sponsored by S Knights Recruitment)
Chloe Banks – Reed in Partnership
Quality Improvement Professional of the Year (sponsored by Chartered Quality Institute)
College & University winner: Colm Cambell – Sheffield Hallam University
Independent & ACL Provider winner: Gemma Morrell – Northumbria Police
Quality Improvement Champion of the Year – Colleges & Universities (sponsored by Kaplan)
College & University winner: Lindsey Ball – Heart of Yorkshire Education Group
Independent & ACL Provider winner: Anthony Robinson – West Lancs Borough Council – The Nest
Quality Improvement Leader of the Year (sponsored by Mindful Education)
College & University winner: Matt Gower – Heart of Worcestershire College
Independent & ACL Provider winner: Lisa MacCormac – JGA Group
Quality Improvement Initiative of the Year (sponsored by UVAC)
AI-Powered Quality Improvement – Cambridge Spark
Social Mobility Quality Improvement Initiative (sponsored by CogniSoft)
The JOBS Project – Barnado’s
Inclusion Quality Improvement Initiative (sponsored by Cognassist)
Clubhouse Model – Fedcap Employment Ltd
Quality Collaboration (sponsored by SDN Mesma Group)
Lifetime Training & Coach Core
Quality Improvement Team of the Year (sponsored by OAL)
College & University winner: Quality Team – Hull College
Independent & ACL Provider winner: Quality Team – Educationwise
Outstanding Contribution to Quality Improvement (sponsored by Tribal)
Lindsey Ball – Heart of Yorkshire Education Group
Outstanding Contribution (sponsored by Tribal)
Cambridge Spark
Highly Commended
- Kiri McGuiness
- Susan Prestridge
- David Byrne
- Lauren Spurling
- Sabeena Shah
- Christine Robinson
- Boston College
- Pareto
- Tim Hadler
- Tracey Lewis
- London South East Colleges
- Jess Roughley
- Belina Grow CIC
- Impact Futures Group
- Reed in Partnership and BEAM
About: The Quality Professionals Awards was founded by SDN Mesma Group to elevate the status of quality assurance and compliance and demonstrate the contribution of the many people who play a critical role working alongside delivery teams to pave the way for a bright future for learners and job seekers.