The 2026 National Mentoring Matters Awards, organised by Enterprise Nation, Newable, and the Association of Business Mentors (ABM), celebrated the contribution that Help to Grow: Management mentors make to the personal and business growth of their mentees.
The event took place in London at Insurance Hall and saw mentors and mentees of the Help to Grow: Management Course gather from across the UK. Over the last four years, 3,000 mentors have been trained and supported, more than 40,000 hours of mentoring have been delivered, and thousands of small business leaders have been enabled to grow their businesses with confidence.
With these statistics in mind, each category was highly contested. The winners were:
Biggest Impact Award: Steve Ennis
Excellence Through Diversity Award: Roxana Lawton
Best Mentor Award, Personal Impact: Pete Lonton
Outstanding Contribution Award: Bernie Allen
Most Inspirational Award: Phineas Mhlanga
Best Mentor Award, Business Impact: Marie Guyot
Excellence in Mentoring Award: Jurgen Visser
The Mentor’s Story Award: Melanie Archbould
The Mentor’s Choice Award: Richard Sadler
Reflecting on the event, Ben Jacobs, Chief Operating Officer at the Association of Business Mentors, said: “The Mentoring Matters Awards ceremony is an important opportunity to recognise the outstanding contribution our volunteer mentors make to the UK SME community. Only the top 2% of mentors across the programme are nominated for an award, reflecting the exceptional standard of mentoring being delivered.
“The nominations themselves tell powerful stories of impact. The mentee of one winner commented that their mentoring quite simply ‘saved their business’, while one of the nominations describes a company now on track to exceed £2 million in turnover after implementing structured planning, forecasting, and market expansion. Another nomination highlights how mentoring helped a neurodivergent founder transform an early idea into a structured business plan and launch-ready venture.
“The Awards also celebrate the course participants themselves - leaders who have committed their time and energy to strengthening their businesses and contributing to the continued growth of the UK SME economy.”
The Help to Grow: Management Course includes 10 hours of 1-2-1 business mentoring, with a mentor of your choice. You can find out more about the mentoring offered on the Help to Grow: Management Course here.
