Kate Allen a winner at the REC Awards 2025

Kate Allen, Founder and Executive Chair of Allen Associates, was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Recruitment & Employment Confederation’s 16th annual REC Awards 2025.

The REC Awards celebrate the best in UK recruitment, showcasing the work of brilliant recruiters from across the industry, from agency to in-house and from start-ups to multinationals.

REC’s role is to drive standards and empower recruiters to be brilliant, and the annual REC Awards celebrate those who hit and exceed the standards.

In all, 45 individual and 62 company entries were shortlisted across 19 categories. The winners were announced at the REC Awards ceremony at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London on 20 November 2025.

Kate Allen said:

‘Receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Recruitment and Employment Confederation last night is an honour I will cherish for the rest of my life. I am deeply grateful to everyone who has contributed to this - colleagues, clients, candidates, suppliers, and the incredible leaders I’ve been fortunate to work under in my previous roles. I would also like to thank Neil Carberry and the entire REC team for their unwavering support of our industry and for this truly humbling recognition.

We are incredibly lucky to work in Oxfordshire, a region with a truly thriving and ambitious economy—one built on innovation, talent, and the forward-thinking spirit that inspires all of us in recruitment to keep raising the bar. The UK recruitment industry is so much more than matching people with jobs. We open doors that change lives. We help businesses grow, strengthen communities, and champion social mobility and diversity every single day.

Thank you for giving me one of the most meaningful moments of my career.’

Neil Carberry, REC Chief Executive, said:

“The REC Awards celebrate a profession that is central to the prosperity of the UK, contributing more than £40 billion directly to the economy every year and enabling billions more. But we also make a big contribution to addressing challenges in society - and it is so good to take time to celebrate those stories on a night like the Awards. 

Last night was a celebration of people and firms who have stood up to headwinds this year, and their successful approach should inspire others to make 2026 a big year.”