Express Recruitment has been named Best Independent Recruitment Agency 2026 for Nottinghamshire and has also picked up the Client Service Excellence Award 2026 at this year’s UK Enterprise Awards. Two wins in one year is a first for the business, and it caps off what has already been a strong year of recognition following our Top 3 Recruitment Agency ranking in both 2024, 2025 and 2026.

For a company that started life in 1987 as a small independent agency, this recognition means a great deal. We have spent nearly forty years building relationships across Nottingham, Derby and Leicester, and these two awards reflect exactly what we have always tried to stand for, doing right by both the businesses we work with and the people we place into new roles.

What The Awards Recognise

The UK Enterprise Awards celebrate businesses that go beyond the basics of their industry, recognising genuine excellence rather than simply longevity or size. Being named Best Independent Recruitment Agency 2026 for Nottinghamshire puts Express Recruitment ahead of agencies across the county, judged on service quality, client outcomes and the strength of our reputation within the local business community.

The Client Service Excellence Award looks specifically at how a business treats the people it works with day to day. This one means just as much to us, because it is not about a single big win or a headline figure, it is about the small things done consistently well. Every phone call answered properly, every candidate given honest feedback, every client kept in the loop rather than left guessing. That is the standard our team holds itself to, and it is brilliant to see it recognised externally.

How The Awards Are Judged

The UK Enterprise Awards do not hand out recognition based on size or turnover alone. Entrants are assessed against genuine service standards, client outcomes, staff development and community involvement, which means smaller independent businesses like Express Recruitment are judged on the same footing as much larger national players. Winning in an open field like that carries real weight, because it reflects how the business actually performs rather than how big its marketing budget is.

For an agency built on face to face relationships rather than high volume, low touch recruitment, that kind of judging criteria plays to exactly the strengths we have spent almost forty years developing.

Why This Matters For Nottingham Businesses And Job Seekers

Recruitment is a trust business. Whether you are a business owner trying to fill a difficult role or a candidate looking for the right next step, you want to know the agency you are working with actually cares about getting it right, not just getting it done. Independent verification like this gives that reassurance in a way that marketing on its own never quite can.

For the many clients across Nottingham, Derby and Leicester who already work with us, this award is confirmation that the service you receive stacks up against agencies of any size, anywhere in the country. For anyone who has not worked with us yet, it is a good reason to get in touch.

A Team Effort

Awards like these are never won by one person. They reflect the work of every consultant across our Temporary, Sales & Marketing, Business Support, Customer Care, Engineering, Professional Services, Tech & Automation and Not-for-Profit divisions, as well as the people behind the scenes keeping everything running. Our Managing Director Lesley Beauchamp founded the business in 1987 with a simple aim, to help clients and candidates exceed expectations every time. Nearly forty years on, that is still exactly what drives the team.

We have picked up a good number of awards over the years, from Family Business of the Year to the Volunteering and Charitable Impact Award, but there is something particularly satisfying about winning on service excellence specifically. It is the area that is hardest to fake and the one our clients and candidates notice the most.

Our motto has always been to help clients and candidates exceed expectations every time. It sounds simple written down, but it takes consistency across every division and every consultant to actually deliver on it day after day. These two wins are proof that the approach is working exactly as intended, not just for the big placements but for every interaction along the way.

What This Means Going Forward

Winning these awards does not change what we do day to day, but it is a strong reminder that the approach works. We will keep doing what has got us here, face to face interviews with every candidate, honest advice for clients rather than just filling a vacancy for the sake of it, and a genuinely local team who understand the Nottingham, Derby and Leicester markets inside out.

The East Midlands recruitment market has become more competitive in recent years, with national agencies expanding their regional presence and smaller operators coming and going. Staying independent through all of that has been a deliberate choice, not an accident. It means every decision about how we work with clients and candidates is made locally, by people who actually know the Nottingham, Derby and Leicester markets, rather than being set centrally by a head office somewhere else entirely.

These awards are a welcome sign that the choice to stay independent, and to keep service quality as the priority above everything else, continues to pay off for the businesses and people we work with.

If you are a business looking for your next hire, or a candidate looking for your next role, our award-winning team is ready to help. Get in touch with us today and see what the difference looks like for yourself.