Mark Allen Group was selected from a strong shortlist that included BBC Studios, Rightmove, TalkTalk, Telegraph Media Group Holdings, Nutanix and Digital Realty.

The award recognises exceptional performance, delivery or transformation by a Talent Acquisition team in support of its organisation’s wider talent strategy.

The judges said:

“Delivering innovation, consistency and measurable results, this team demonstrated how talent acquisition can become a genuine strategic partner to the business. Judges praised the clear business problem, the strength of the solution, and the compelling evidence of behavioural change, creating a lasting impact on hiring quality and long-term organisational success.”

Ben Allen, CEO of Mark Allen Group, said:

“This is a fantastic achievement for our Talent team and for Mark Allen Group. To be recognised alongside some of the UK’s best-known employers is a real testament to the quality of the work and to the progress we have made in how we attract, assess and welcome people into the business.

“Brilliant people are fundamental to everything we do. The success of Mark Allen Group has always been built on the talent, expertise and commitment of our people, and that will remain central as we continue to evolve and grow. This work is helping us raise the bar further in how we identify and bring in the people who can contribute to our next chapter, while staying true to the values and culture that make Mark Allen Group distinctive.

“Congratulations to Claire and the Talent team, and to everyone across the business who has helped make these changes a success.”

The winning entry focused on the transformation of recruitment at Mark Allen Group over the past 18 months, strengthening the quality of hiring decisions across the Group and embedding a more rigorous, values-led approach.

A central part of the work has been the development of the Mark Allen Group Values Assessment Framework, which translates our four Group values and twelve supporting behaviours into clear assessment criteria. Alongside strengthened interview scorecards and greater support for hiring managers, the framework helps teams across Mark Allen Group make more confident, evidence-based hiring decisions.

The work has delivered measurable improvements across recruitment, including stronger shortlist-to-hire conversion, higher candidate satisfaction and offer acceptance, improved hiring manager satisfaction, and fewer early behavioural or cultural-fit concerns.

Claire Wise, Talent Director at Mark Allen Group, said:

“I’m incredibly proud of what the team has achieved. From the outset, this has been about working with colleagues across Mark Allen Group to raise the quality of our hiring decisions and create an approach that is practical, human and right for our business.

“Winning against such a strong field is wonderful external recognition of that collective effort. Thank you to the Talent team, our hiring managers and everyone across the Group who has embraced the changes and helped us make them work.”

The award reflects Mark Allen Group’s continued investment in its people and its ambition to be a place where brilliant people can join, develop, do their best work and make a real impact.

The TIARA Talent Acquisition & Talent Tech Awards Europe celebrate organisations, teams and technology providers setting new standards across talent acquisition, employer branding, candidate experience, recruitment technology and workforce transformation.

The 2026 winners were announced at the Royal Lancaster London on 24 September.