2025 Winners

Aurora Todisco, Finance, HR and Governance Development Lead

Local Voice in the Community

This individual inspired judges by embedding compassion and advocacy into practice. They improved pathways, built trust, and created culturally safe care models that raised patient voices. Their leadership extended beyond service delivery, shaping systems and influencing colleagues to prioritise experience, dignity and equity at every level.

Joan Pons Laplana, NHS Choices College Area Manager

NHS England

This ally used lived experience as a platform for authenticity, building initiatives that support both patients and colleagues. They confronted stigma head-on, educating peers and sparking cultural change with honesty and resilience. The judges commended their creativity, courage and tireless advocacy in improving professional pathways and inclusive practice.

Hannah Rahmani, Head of Nursing

Primary Care 24

This nurse inspired colleagues with their holistic approach to care, blending technical expertise with genuine compassion. They supported patients through complex needs, advocated for inclusion, and mentored peers to raise standards of nursing practice. Judges highlighted their consistent leadership and lasting contribution to both workplace culture and patient wellbeing.

Emmanouela Kladouchou, Principal Clinical & Forensic Psychologist

Central & North West London NHS Foundation Trust

This allied health professional championed innovation through service redesign, education and advocacy. They improved multidisciplinary collaboration, introduced culturally competent practice and delivered strong results in access and outcomes. Judges praised their ability to think system-wide while maintaining a patient-centred focus, setting new benchmarks for inclusive allied health leadership.

Helen Gbinigie, Neonatal Consultant/ Neonatal Clinical Lead

Medway Foundation NHS Trust/ Kent and Medway LMNS

This clinician demonstrated excellence in both practice and leadership, showing courage in addressing health disparities and improving access to quality care. They influenced national guidance, engaged in education and research, and built trust with diverse communities. Judges recognised their measurable impact and authentic commitment to tackling inequity.

Oana Ciurdarean, Population Health Programme Manager

Integrated Care Board Northamptonshire

This innovator harnessed technology to reduce disparities, designing solutions rooted in real user needs. Their digital tools improved accessibility, safety and equity while remaining scalable across systems. Judges highlighted the thoughtful blend of lived experience, robust data and innovation, proving digital health can be a powerful driver for fairness.

Marjani Orchery, Founder, Dual-Qualified Doctor and Dentist

SMILEquity

This educator transformed workforce development by tackling barriers, redesigning curricula and creating progression routes for underrepresented groups. Their mentoring and innovative training models strengthened skills, confidence and career mobility. Judges praised the sustainable, inclusive framework they created — proof that equitable workforce development improves both staff experience and patient outcomes.

Bernadette Charehwa, CEO/Managing Director

Woodleigh Community Lifeline – Woodleigh Healthcare Ltd

This partnership championed co-production, ensuring seldom-heard voices shaped services. Through trust-building, data and relentless outreach, they improved access and confidence in health provision. Judges were impressed by their ability to balance evidence with empathy, delivering practical, community-led solutions that created sustainable change in health equity and social care.

Paul Rees MBE, Interim CEO

Nursing & Midwifery Council

This clinician demonstrated excellence in both practice and leadership, showing courage in addressing health disparities and improving access to quality care. They influenced national guidance, engaged in education and research, and built trust with diverse communities. Judges recognised their measurable impact and authentic commitment to tackling inequity.

Benard Mensah, Managing Director, Children and Young People Mental Health Services

North London NHS Foundation Trust

This leader made inclusion operational: clear goals, transparent data, and everyday behaviours that shifted culture. They sponsored talent, empowered networks and held teams accountable, delivering improvements in representation, belonging and performance. Consistent, values-led leadership with visible results convinced the judges this approach should be replicated widely.

Yvonne Coghill, Managing Director

Excellence In Action

This trailblazer’s lifetime of work reshaped health and care, mentoring generations and embedding equity at the heart of policy and practice. They confronted inequality with courage, shifted national agendas and inspired lasting change. Judges honoured their legacy as a foundation for future leaders and a testament to principled leadership.

Bernadette Charehwa, CEO /Managing Director

Woodleigh Community Lifeline – Woodleigh Healthcare Ltd

This public health leader tackled systemic barriers with data-driven interventions and inclusive communication. They built coalitions, designed scalable programmes and delivered measurable population-level improvements. Judges praised the clarity of vision, cultural intelligence and practical outcomes, making this contribution a standout example of equitable public health practice.

Ebelechukwuka Ijomoni, Maternity Voices Partnership Lead 

NHS Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes ICB

This trailblazer delivered bold, structural change by challenging gatekeeping and redesigning progression routes. They influenced senior leaders, equipped colleagues and sustained inclusion as a performance driver. Judges admired their principled courage and tangible outcomes, recognising them as a powerful role model for driving systemic inclusion across the sector.