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2025 IRMS Award Winners
Each year the IRMS recognises excellence in the field of information management with our prestigious Industry Awards. These highly sought-after awards are presented at a glittering ceremony following our Gala Dinner, the centrepiece of our annual Conference.
The awards for 2025 were presented on Monday 19th May 2025 at the Gala Dinner, held during the IRMS Conference in Birmingham.
Professional of the Year
Victoria Blyth
After much discussion we also wanted to acknowledge a runner-up as we sometimes do, and this went to Yagmur Sahin.
The winner was Victoria Blyth, who can be proud of the IG Guidance she has produced on significant issues in London, child vaccination, serious violence, damp and mould in social housing, which are making a significant impact. Her work on the Strategic Insights Tool for Rough Sleeping for London Boroughs and charities has drawn international attention. This is just a flavour of what she is achieving. She is friendly and approachable, supports fellow professionals directly and indirectly, and receives fantastic feedback.
New Professional of the Year
Carys Hardy
Our winner, Carys Hardy, submitted an essay that took us through how we can overcome terminological barriers such as poor communication and inconsistent definitions and to align these more to institutional contexts.
Creating a comprehensive, institution-specific glossary offers a practical path forward and brings people with us, rather than losing them in sea of information management speak.
The essay will appear in the IRMS Bulletin so look out for it.
Team of the Year
JISC and the HE/FE Sector team
This year, we received six excellent nominations, all of which were put to a public vote by the IRMS community.
The winners of the award were JISC and the HE/FE Sector Team for their outstanding work revising and republishing the Higher and Further Education Business Classification Scheme and Records Retention Schedule.
Supplier of the Year
Rachel Mitchell, Leadership Through Data
We had three high-quality nominations and we asked the IRMS Membership to decide the winner through a public vote. The award this year went to Rachel Mitchell, of Leadership Through Data. Her work with the Electoral Commission over the past year has been exemplary, showcasing her dedication, expertise, and commitment to excellence.
Innovation of the Year
Jaki Stockwell, Leadership Through Data
As with several categories, this award was put to a vote by the Membership, and it was a close contest.
This year’s winner was Jaki Stockwell of Leadership Through Data who impressed the IRMS community with her development of an innovative suite of online eLearning courses designed specifically for information managers, governors, and privacy officers. The 522 Droplets microlearning approach makes education more accessible, flexible, and tailored to the unique demands of our profession.
Digital Decarbonisation Award
Oasis Group
We were fortunate to receive two strong nominations for this award. Due to conflicts of interest among the judging panel (which included David Reeve, Jaana Pinnick, Tom Jackson and Ian Hodgkinson), we handed over the judging to the brilliant doctoral researchers into decarbonisation at Loughborough University – the next generation of experts choosing our winner and runner up. Our runner-up was Informu Solutions. The winner was the Oasis Group. Their submission stood out for its structured, proactive work in digital decarbonisation, responsible data governance, and knowledge management. They are already translating research into practical tools that reduce digital waste, improve efficiency, and promote the responsible use of AI.
Lifetime Achievement Award
Vicky Beddall
We received two exceptional nominations, each representing decades of dedication to the information and records management profession. After careful consideration, the panel selected one winner and one very worthy runner-up. The runner-up, Jane Marley, has made an outstanding contribution to the field.
The winner, Vicky Beddall, began her career in 1994, as a Document Controller at Sellafield Ltd (formerly BNFL). Even then, she was already showing the tenacity and integrity that would define her future.
Over the next 31 years, she built a remarkable career in the nuclear industry, rising to become the Information Management Lead at Cavendish Nuclear, where she’s now been leading the function for over two decades. Today, she oversees a team of more than 40 Document Controllers, ensuring that data and information are created, managed, accessed, and protected across the entire organisation—supporting more than 5,000 employees across multiple sites and hubs.
But her impact doesn’t stop there. She is a STEM Ambassador, a mentor, and a passionate advocate for our profession—shining a light on the often unsung but critical roles of Information Management and Document Control.
Her knowledge is vast. Her leadership is inspiring. Her contribution is profound.
Full list of IRMS 2025 Award Winners:
- Professional of the Year Award: Victoria Blyth
- Alison North Award for New Professionals: Carys Hardy
- Team of the Year Award:JISC and the HE/FE Sector team
- IRMS Supplier of the Year: Rachel Mitchell, Leadership Through Data
- Innovation of the Year Award: Jaki Stockwell, Leadership Through Data
- Digital Decarbonisation Award: Oasis Group
- IRMS Lifetime Achievement Award: Vicky Beddall
All our winners join a proud history of previous award winners so we say congratulations to them all!
Hall of Fame
Below is a list of our past award winners over the years.
Professional of the Year
- 2025: Victoria Blyth
- 2024: Sophie Moss
- 2023: Natali Higgins
- 2022: Emily Overton
- 2021: Rod Stone
- 2020: Graham Snow
- 2019: Tim Turner
- 2018: Sarah Graham
- 2017: David Paris
(Runner-up: Madi McAllister) - 2016: Michael Read
(Runners-up: Alex Fitzgerald, Barry Moult, Jamie McDonald) - 2015: Vicky Beddall
- 2014: Michele Noad
- 2013: Claire Johnson
- 2012: Jenny Godfrey
- 2011: Roger Poole
- 2010: Gordon Hobbs
- 2009: Cerys Ledger
(Runner-up: Ava Wieclawska) - 2008: Heather Jack
- 2007: Ken Glasgow
- 2006: Jamie Burton
- 2005: Dr Julie McLeod
- 2004: (no award)
- 2003: (no award)
- 2002: Alistair Tough
- 2001: Clotilde Wang
- 2000: Philip Jones
- 1999: Carl Newton
- 1998: Richard Bennett
- 1997: Bob McLean
- 1996: Jean Samuel
Team of the Year
- 2025: Jisc and the HE/FE Sector team
- 2024: Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Public Inquiries KIM Support Unit
- 2023: Information Governance Team, Wellcome Trust
- 2022: KIM team, Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS)
- 2021: The Dapian Project Team
- 2020: Information Governance Team at Historic Environment Scotland
(Runners-up: IG Team at the Care Inspectorate, Training Team at Leadership Through Data and the National Health & Social Care Strategic Information Governance Network) - 2019: Information & Records Management Service, Houses of Parliament
- 2018: Leicester City Council Information Governance & Risk Team
- 2017: Fife Council Archive and Records Store Project Team
- 2016: Warwickshire County Council
(Runners-up: Chelmsford City Council, London Borough of Barnet) - 2015: British Land plc
(Runner-up: Cyngor Caerphilly Council) - 2014: Belfast Health and Social Care Trust RM & DP Team
- 2013: National Archives of Scotland PR(S)A Implementation Team
- 2012: WASPI Implementation Team
- 2011: Somerset County Council
- 2010: Staffordshire County Council
- 2009: Network Rail
Runners-up: Camden Children, Schools and Families Records Team, Diageo, Wirral Council) - 2008: European Central Bank Records Management Specialists (Runner-up: Unilever Archives and Records Management)
- 2007: Scottish Executive
(Runners-up: University of Dundee Centre for Archive & Information Studies, Falkirk Council Corporate Records Team, National Library of Wales Digital Preservation Team) - 2006: Cairn Energy plc
- 2005: University of Edinburgh
- 2004: Deutsche Bank Central Business Records Team
Supplier of the Year
- 2025: Rachel Mitchell, Leadership Through Data
- 2024: Act Now Training
- 2023: Oyster IMS
- 2022: Act Now Training
- 2021: Act Now Training
- 2020: Oyster IMS Ltd
(Runner-up: Leadership Through Data Ltd) - 2019: MeLearning Ltd
- 2018: Egress Secure Email
- 2017: Crown Records Management
(Runner-up: Webfooted Designs Ltd)
Innovation of the Year
- 2025: Jaki Stockwell, Leadership Through Data
- 2024: the Records Management team at The Pensions Regulator
- 2023: Digital Knowledge and Information Management team, Cabinet Office
- 2022: Lancashire County Council for their COVID 19 Records Management Project
- 2021: Dapian Data Protection Impact Assessment Platform
- 2020: Training & Learning Model at Leadership Through Data Ltd
(Runners-up: Data-Sync Solution at Bridgeworks) - 2019: FOI Request Services, Hackney Council & MySociety
- 2018: Information Governance Support DPO Service for Schools, Essex County Council
- 2017: The re-imagined digital preservation handbook by the Digital Preservation Coalition
Alison North Award for New Professionals
- 2025: Carys Hardy
- 2024: Joseph Hettrick
- 2023: Payton Kufeldt
- 2022: Claire Archibald
- 2021: Ewa Kapica
- 2020: Leanne Robertson, Anne Nagley, Glenn Atkins and Ashley Wiliams
- 2019: Alison Forsey
- 2018: Penny Wright and Ruth Azzam
- 2017: Jaana Pinnick
(Runner-up: Fiona Firth) - 2016: Abigail Wharne
(Runners-up: Sunny Seregen, Katherine O’Keeffe) - 2015: Vanessa Platt
(Runners-up: Sian Angharad Morgan, Joe Chapman) - 2014: Jonathan Ellis
- 2013: Bilal Ghafoor & Hannah Burling
(Runners-up: Sarah Palmer, Dr Maryam Borumand) - 2012: Scott Sammons
- 2011: Deirdre Allison
- 2010: Alison Barnard
Bulletin Author of the Year
- 2025: (no award)
- 2024: (no award)
- 2023: Robert Bath (Highly Commended: James Lappin)
- 2022: Gillian Mapstone
- 2021: David Canning (Highly Commended: Laura Millar, Stuart Davidson, Richard Long)
- 2020: Robert Bath
- 2019: Rowenna Fielding
- 2018: Andrew Harvey
- 2017: Ralph T O’Brien
- 2016: Alan Bell
Lifetime Achievement Award
- 2025: Vicky Beddall
- 2024: David Smith
- 2023: Dr Paul Duller
- 2022: Elizabeth Lomas
- 2021: Deirdre Allison
- 2020: Barry Moult
- 2019: Julia Jones
- 2018: Denise Lynd
- 2017: Marc Fresco
- 2016: Roger Poole
- 2015: Claire Graham
- 2014: John Wilson & Collin Crooks
- 2013: Sue Garland
- 2012: Susan Healy
- 2011: Christopher Johnson
- 2010: Alison North
- 2009: Elizabeth Barber
- 2008: Mike Steemson
- 2007: Richard Blake
- 2006: Dr Anne Thurston
Special Award
- 2023: Elizabeth Barber, Keith Batchelor & Claire Archibald
- 2021: David Smith
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