Sodexo UK & Ireland won the coveted Employer of the Year award at the star-studded British Business Awards ceremony held on 30 April in Edinburgh. The event is the UK’s largest business dinner with a focus on celebrating excellence, innovation and leadership across UK industry.
The awards brought together leading entrepreneurs, innovators and executives from across the country for a night of celebration, networking, and entertainment with guest speakers including Sir Bob Geldof, international superstar George Clooney and comperes Rob Brydon and Elaine C Smith.
Sodexo, an employer of more than 30,000 people across the UK and Ireland, was honoured to have been nominated to enter the Employer of the Year category, and proud to then be named the overall winner for its leadership in creating meaningful opportunities, careers and training within and outside of its business.
Jean Renton, CEO Sodexo UK & Ireland said: “I am incredibly proud that we have been named Employer of the Year at such prestigious awards because it recognises what we strongly believe – that investing in colleagues, opening up opportunity and doing the right thing for society creates lasting positive impact for individuals, communities and our wider industry. It shows how a strong employee culture and inclusive approach are key to driving sustainable growth and long-term success.
“Sodexo was founded 60 years ago on the belief that economic and social progress go hand in hand. Our purpose to improve quality of life for all and use our scale as a force for good – remains at the heart of Sodexo today.”
Sodexo’s nomination stood out for the significant initiatives in its Social Impact Pledge 2030 that support social mobility, food poverty through the Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation and supporting colleagues through training, development and entry level career pathways.
Sodexo leads its sector with pioneering inclusive recruitment, transparent pay gap reporting, celebrated employee culture, and community investment. Its achievements include being the first in its industry to publish an ethnicity pay gap, it is a Top 100 Apprenticeship Employer included in the Social Mobility Top 75 Index and is the first Ambassador Charter Mark holder for social recruitment.
Through initiatives like Starting Fresh, culinary academies, levy gifting, and the Stop Hunger Foundation, Sodexo delivers measurable, sustained social impact at scale. Its strategy is grounded in mapping social mobility cold spots, aligning job creation and skills development with needs of underserved communities. Partnering with local, and national organisations, Sodexo is committed to creating employment pathways for those furthest from the labour market.
All 150 companies shortlisted at this year’s British Business awards were independently evaluated across five core pillars: business performance, innovation, workforce and culture, customer impact, and contribution to society and the wider economy. The highest performing businesses across all categories were then selected to be awarded by 18 key figures from British industry, chaired by the former CEO of Unilever, Alan Jope CBE, and Emma Crystal, CEO of Coutts Bank.
Alan Jope CBE, Chair of the judging panel, said: “Congratulations to all the winners! It was a tough shortlist – the calibre was extremely high, so the winners were up against some impressive competition. The money generously donated by guests at the awards will go a long way to supporting people in our communities who need it thanks to Social Bite.”
The Awards’ chosen charity partner, homeless charity, Social Bite, will benefit from the £2 million raised this year. Having previously worked with Social Bite, Sodexo understands the value of these funds to the charity in its work to deliver a range of services, including free food services and employment programmes, to people who are experiencing homelessness.
Josh Littlejohn, founding partner of the British Business Awards said: “The huge turnout to the awards tonight is testament to the strength in the business community, and the extremely high standard of the winners speaks to the strength and bright future of our economy. A huge thank you to all the winners, those who came to celebrate with us, everyone who donated, and, of course, to our wonderful keynote speakers and hosts throughout the evening.”
Sodexo’s Social Impact Pledge 2030 represents the next phase in Sodexo’s social impact strategy, recognising how much more there is still to do, building on the foundations of the last ten years, how complex societal challenges are and how its understanding of those challenges has deepened.
