The British Recruitment Awards celebrate the individuals and teams shaping recruitment's role in building thriving organisations, with categories spanning AI in Recruitment Initiative of the Year, Diversity & Inclusion Initiative of the Year and Leader of the Year. This year's awards drew 317 entries from organisations across the UK, from start-up pioneers and public sector teams to global tech superstars, making the judging panel's selection process especially competitive.
Dovetail & Slate's Finalist status reflects 12 months of work embedding AI across its recruitment process, from job qualification and candidate matching to application preparation and client briefings, in support of the company's purpose, Empowering People, Changing Lives. The approach has already delivered measurable results, including significantly faster qualification turnaround and new consultants reaching senior-standard performance from day one. The company has extended the same approach across the candidate journey.
"Three hundred and seventeen entries went in, so being named a Finalist means a great deal to everyone here," said Jack Middleton, Chief Information Officer at Dovetail & Slate. "But the part I'm proudest of isn't the technology, it's who we've handed it to.
"Every person in this business is a specialist, some with decades of experience in their field. AI and data shouldn't be locked away with a couple of people everyone else has to queue behind, so we've put the keys directly into the hands of those specialists, training people right across the business to get their own answers and shape the tools around how they actually work. The result is a system that's genuinely built for them, not built for them to fit around.
"It hasn't been easy. We rolled this out at the busiest time of year, and the team's patience deserves real credit. But when people see their own ideas built and live within days, not weeks, they stop having change done to them and start driving it themselves. That buy-in is what's translating into faster qualifications, better matches and stronger client relationships, consultants spending their time on judgement and trust, not admin. That's the whole point."
This year's British Recruitment Awards judging panel includes senior talent acquisition and people leaders from organisations including Nokia, Warburtons, Western Union, Grant Thornton, VIOOH, HEINEKEN, Capgemini, Digital Realty, Selfridges, Paramount International, University of the Arts London, SSE, evoke, Amazon, Southern Water, BDO LLP and Cranfield School of Management, alongside independent workforce consultant Tom Hadley.
Commenting on this year's Finalists, Nate Harwood, Founder of New Possible and the British Recruitment Awards, said: “As we navigate a profound industrial shift, it has become more important than ever for organisations to attract, develop and retain the people who will build tomorrow's economy. The British Recruitment Awards celebrate the visionary teams and individuals leading this transformation. Congratulations to all our Finalists.”
The British Recruitment Awards is powered by New Possible. New Possible helps leaders build healthier organisations by providing meaningful insight that can drive real change.
Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony in Covent Garden, London, on 12th November 2026.
https://newpossible.io/resources/british-recruitment-awards-2026-finalists-announced