Big Wins for Bupa, Octopus Energy & DHL Express at UK National Contact Centre Awards
- Awards night honours UK contact centre industry’s top organisations and professionals
- Winning organisations include Caravan and Motorhome Club, DHL Express, ManyPets, Octopus Energy, Specsavers, TP and VodafoneThree
- Bupa receives prestigious Contact Centre Excellence Award
- Hosted by Jake Humphrey and attended by over 1,000 industry professionals
Organisations including Caravan and Motorhome Club, DHL Express, ManyPets, Octopus Energy, Specsavers, TP and VodafoneThree were among those recognised with Gold awards at last night’s UK National Contact Centre Awards 2026, organised by the CCMA (Contact Centre Management Association).
Over 1,000 industry professionals gathered at Old Billingsgate in central London to celebrate the leading individuals, teams and organisations driving best practice in customer experience, employee engagement and operational excellence across UK contact centres.
Among the evening’s biggest winners was Bupa, receiving the Contact Centre Excellence Award in recognition of their continuous improvement and development in the process of becoming a CCMA Accredited Contact Centre in 2026.
Leigh Hopwood, CEO of the CCMA, said,
“Last night was a celebration of our industry and helped highlight that contact centres continue to be at the forefront of positive change within the UK’s top organisations, leading the way on technological and operational transformation while redefining what great looks like for their people and teams,”
“Our independent judges consistently commented on the innovation, creativity and measurable impact demonstrated across the nominations,” added Jason Mann, Head Judge for the awards. “The competition was incredibly strong, making the achievement of becoming a finalist, let alone a winner, a significant accomplishment.”
The growing influence of artificial intelligence across customer operations was also on display among this year’s award winners, including in the stories behind Benenden Health’s Gold award for Change & Innovation Team of the Year in a Small Contact Centre and the Caravan and Motorhome Club’s Gold award for Best Quality Management Programme.
However, human expertise was the overriding trait defining the award successes, as characterised by Octopus Energy’s win in the Specialist Team of the Year – Small Team category, which showcased how in response to the escalating cost‑of‑living crisis and rising levels of customer vulnerability, Octopus became the first UK energy supplier to embed qualified Social Workers directly into its contact centre – an industry‑shaping decision that has since inspired other major providers to follow suit.
This year’s winners also reflected the industry’s diverse talent, with women strongly represented across individual and team categories, underlined by Jen Sharp of DHL Express being crowned Contact Centre Leader of the Year.
“Every year we’re inspired by the stories shared through these awards, but this year’s entries were among the strongest we’ve seen,” said Kate Knowles, Services Director at the CCMA.
“The winners have demonstrated not only excellent business outcomes but also a genuine commitment to their people and customers. We look forward to being able to share many of these fantastic stories with our members in more detail at the UK National Contact Centre Conference on 29th September 2026 and at other CCMA events across the year, as we continue to support progress and inspire others in the industry.”
The UK National Contact Centre Awards 2026 were hosted by media personality and High Performance presenter Jake Humphrey, with guests enjoying a night dedicated to recognising excellence across the contact centre profession.
“Congratulations to all the winners and nominees this year, for whose passion, resilience, innovation and commitment continue to raise the bar for our industry,”
Craig Pumfrey, VP Marketing at Sabio, the Headline Partner for the awards, said,
“These are the people and organisations that represent the very best in customer contact in the UK, and we’re proud to have been able to once again celebrate their achievements with them at these fantastic awards.”
Directly following the awards, finalists took to social media to celebrate their success:
“What an incredible evening at the UK National Contact Centre Awards in London last night. We didn’t take home Gold but I couldn’t be prouder, to be shortlisted was amazing and to win Bronze is a huge achievement.” – AQA
“Such a well deserved win for a brilliant team making a real difference every day. Even more special to be there with colleagues to celebrate this moment together, these are the nights that really matter.” – TP
“What a fantastic evening at the UK National Contact Centre Awards 2026. Set against the stunning backdrop of London’s skyline, with breathtaking views of the Thames, Tower Bridge and The Shard, it was a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the very best talent, innovation and achievements across our industry.” – ATM Group
