What an incredible day – and what a celebration of just how far menopause friendly workplaces have come.
This was a record-breaking year for Award entries, making the achievements of our winners, highly commended organisations and every one of our finalists even more special.
On 16 September, more than 300 members came together across London, Nottingham and Liverpool for our fifth annual Menopause & Menstruation Friendly Employer Event and Awards – a day of knowledge, connection and celebration.
We were delighted to recognise this year’s winners and highly commended organisations but we also want to congratulate every organisation and individual who reached the finals.
To be shortlisted by our independent judging panel from such a strong field is a real achievement. Every finalist had evidence of work making a difference – helping to create workplaces where menopause is understood, conversations are easier and people know they will be supported.
And together, they show just how much progress is being made.
Celebrating this year’s winners
Our 2026 Menopause Friendly Employer of the Year winners were Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service, taking the Public Sector award, and ScottishPower, named Private Sector winner.
They were joined by winners and highly commended organisations from across the public and private sectors, demonstrating the many different ways employers can make a difference – from creating open cultures and supportive working environments to engaging colleagues, training their people and building brilliant support networks.
Every award was independently judged by our expert panel, with organisations asked to demonstrate not simply what they had put in place, but the impact it was having.
Being menopause friendly isn’t about a single policy, event or awareness day. It’s about creating lasting cultural change: making it easier to talk about menopause, ensuring people can access the right support and helping everyone understand the part they can play.
And the winners are…
Menopause Friendly Employer of the Year
Winner, Public Sector: Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service
Winner, Private Sector: ScottishPower
Highly Commended: AtkinsRéalis, HF Limited, Northumbria Police and Manchester City Council
Most Open Culture
Winner: AMEX GBT
Highly Commended: BAE Systems and DHU Healthcare CIC
Most Menopause Friendly Environment
Joint Winners: Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and QVCUK
Best Engagement Campaign
Winner: South Yorkshire Integrated Care System
Highly Commended: Boots Opticians and London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust
Best Trained Workforce
Winner: Simplyhealth
Highly Commended: Leicestershire County Council
Best Support Group
Winner: Manchester City Council
Highly Commended: BAE Systems and British Airways
The Carolyn Lazarus Award
One of the most special moments of the Awards is recognising individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to making workplaces menopause friendly.
This year, the Carolyn Lazarus Award for outstanding individual contribution was jointly presented to:
Brigitte Kaviani – South Yorkshire Integrated Care System
Helen Gaier-Laidlaw – ScottishPower
Jackie Williams – HSBC UK
Three remarkable people who have helped turn commitment into action and made a real difference to others.
Learning from what works
There is another reason this event and awards matter.
The brilliant work being done by our winners, highly commended organisations and finalists doesn’t stay in the room.
We share their learning, ideas and experiences across the Menopause Friendly community so others can build on what works, avoid reinventing the wheel and keep raising the bar.
As Deborah Garlick, CEO and founder of Henpicked: Menopause in the Workplace, says “Employers are moving beyond raising awareness to creating real, measurable change and building cultures where people feel understood, supported and able to thrive.
“What makes these Awards so powerful is that the learning doesn’t stop with the winners. We share what works through our training, events and resources so other employers can learn from their experience, move faster and create meaningful change of their own.”
That feels particularly important this year as larger employers prepare for mandatory Gender Equality Action Plans, including supporting people through the menopause – Menopause Action Plans. The voluntary year gives employers valuable time to look at what they already do well, understand where they can strengthen their approach and learn from organisations that have already made menopause support part of everyday working culture.
Celebrating the people making change happen
Five years of the Menopause Friendly Employer Awards have given us the privilege of seeing just how much workplace support has evolved and this year’s record-breaking entries showed that progress continuing.
Behind every award entry are people who have listened, learned, started conversations, trained colleagues, influenced leaders, built support networks and kept going. That’s why these Awards are about far more than who takes home a trophy.
They are about recognising the people and organisations turning good intentions into action, and making a difference to people’s experience of menopause at work.
So, once again, a huge congratulations to every 2026 winner, highly commended organisation and finalist.
Thank you for sharing what you are doing, for allowing others to learn from it and for continuing to raise the bar for what being menopause friendly can look like.
And a very special thank you to our 2026 sponsors and hosts: HSBC UK including first direct and M&S Bank, Boots UK & No7 Beauty Company, Rathbones, AtkinsRéalis, BAE Systems, Mars UK, Ninja Theory, Onvero, ScottishPower and Menopace by Vitabiotics.
Your support helped us bring our Menopause Friendly community together across London, Nottingham and Liverpool for a very special fifth anniversary celebration. And stay tuned for the announcement about how much charity money we raised!
