CRN Women & Diversity Awards 2026 winners receive their trophies!
A massive congratulations to all the highly commended and winning individuals and companies! The channel came together last night to celebrate our industry at a glittering ceremony hosted by Fleur East
The wait is finally over!
After months of whittling down some truly inspiring entries to create a shortlist, our 375 finalists got together at The Brewery in Chiswell Street, London last night to find out who would be lifting the 2026 CRN Women and Diversity in Channel Awards.
The atmosphere was electric, and it truly felt like a night of support and celebration of success, as one-by-one, the winners were announced, walking through hearty applause to collect their trophy on stage.
Congratulations to them all, but a special mention to everyone who made the shortlist – this was no mean feat considering the hundreds of entries and the strong calibre of competition.
See below for our full list of winners and Judges’ highly commended winners.
Best Apprenticeship Scheme
Winner: Advania UK
Commended: Softcat
Best Place to Work Award
Winner: Conv3rt
Commended: HPE
Cultural Inclusion Company of the Year
Winner: Softcat
Health and Wellbeing Recognition Award
Winner: HPE
Entrepreneur of the Year
Winner: Kim Simmonds, Cloud Contracts 365
Commended: Amber I. Makinwa, LEMP (IBM)
Executive Mentor of the Year - Reseller/Solution Provider
Winner: Mark Chandiram, Computacenter
Executive Mentor of the Year - Vendor/Distributor
Winner: Pauline Yau, HPE
Manager of the Year - Reseller/Solution Provider
Winner: Paige Smith, Air IT
Commended: Ellie Tindsley, Softcat
Commended: Kate Bentley, Trustmarque
Manager of the Year - Vendor/Distributor
Winner: Natalie Barrie, inforcer
Commended: Alida Jinnah, HPE
Marketing Employee of the Year - Reseller/Solution Provider
Winner: Huzmah Ahmed, Insight
Commended: Leanne Kavvadia, Air IT Group
Marketing Employee of the Year - Vendor/Distributor
Winner: Claire Towlson, Rapid7
Graduate/Apprentice of the Year - Reseller/Solution Provider
Winner: Hannah Cliffe, Computacenter
Graduate/Apprentice of the Year - Vendor/Distributor
Winner: Shekinah Allen, IBM
Commended: Bhavika Mistry, HPE
Outstanding Returner Award
Winner: Charlotte van Orsouw, HP
Commended: Millie Franklin, Computacenter
Rising Star Award - Reseller/Solution Provider
Winner: Sarah Rush, Saepio
Commended: Sadie Varnom, Softcat
Commended: Valentina Viazzani, Computacenter
Rising Star Award - Vendor/Distributor
Winner: Victoria Cracknell, HPE
Sales Employee of the Year - Reseller/Solution Provider
Winner: Vicci Boylin, Computacenter
Commended; Nishat Choudhury, Softcat
Sales Employee of the Year - Vendor/Distributor
Winner: Alice Hopgood, HP
Unsung Hero - Reseller/Solution Provider
Winner: Holly Pettinger, Softcat
Commended: Shahena Miah, WWT
Unsung Hero - Vendor/Distributor
Winner: Rachel Khalil, Sage
Commended: Tiegan Carter, HP
Technical Employee of the Year
Winner: Katie Mitchell, UiPath
Commended: Nicole Reader, The Bunker
Role Model of the Year - Reseller/Solution Provider
Winner: Rachel Pepperdine, Computacenter
Commended: Keisha Ffrench, Softcat
Role Model of the Year - Vendor/Distributor
Winner: Andreea Dumitrescu, QBS
Commended: Helen Wells, HP
Championing Diversity Award
Winner: Sage
Mental Health Champion of the Year
Winner: Bhavika Mistry, HPE
Diversity Champion of the Year
Winner: Katie Griffiths, Everpure
Commended: Mark Chandiram, Computacenter
Woman of the Year
Winner: Rachel Cowell, Softcat
Commended: Elisha Kirkham, Softcat