For 10 years, the UK Social Mobility Awards (SOMOs) have celebrated the organisations working to make opportunity fairer and progression more accessible. As we mark this milestone year, we’re proud to spotlight Hedley May, long-standing supporters of Making The Leap, the charity behind the SOMOs, and champion of the Recruitment Programme of the Year category.
Hedley May is a specialist executive search firm working at the senior end of the market – a space where decisions carry weight, shape organisational culture, and influence who gets to lead. Their commitment to social mobility is not an add-on; it’s embedded in how they define talent, how they challenge bias, and how they open doors that have historically been closed.
In this partner spotlight, we speak with Nick Hedley, co-founder and partner at Hedley May, about why social mobility matters to their organisation, the urgency of the current landscape, and the change they hope to see across the UK.
Q&A with Nick Hedley
Why is social mobility so important to your organisation?
Hedley May exists to find and place exceptional leadership talent. That sounds straightforward, but it carries a significant responsibility because the way you define exceptional, the networks you draw on, and the signals you use to identify potential either open the door wider or push it shut.
We work at the senior end of the market, where clients are making consequential decisions about who leads their organisations. If we get this right — if we genuinely broaden the definition of who belongs in those roles — the impact ripples outward in ways that matter.
Social mobility isn’t peripheral to what we do, it’s at the heart of it.
Can you share a story that captures the real‑life impact of your work?
One of the Making The Leap fellows who came through our Skills Day said the programme gave him the confidence and clarity to present his best self — and the willingness, as he put it, to take a leap of faith.
Confidence isn’t something these young people lack by nature. It’s something that gets eroded when the world consistently tells them, ‘There isn’t a place for you’. What Making The Leap does, and what our Skills Days exist to reinforce, is to reverse that signal.
How do you feel about the current state of social mobility in the UK?
Honestly, it’s difficult to look at the numbers and feel anything other than urgency. Youth unemployment has just hit its highest level in eleven years.
The sectors that traditionally gave young people their first foothold — hospitality, retail, entry‑level roles — are shedding jobs faster than any other part of the economy.
What makes this particularly frustrating is that the talent is there. These are not young people who lack ability or drive, they lack access.
How does visibility through the SOMOs help shift perceptions and drive wider change?
Visibility matters because stories matter. When an organisation stands up and says publicly: this is what we believe, this is what we’ve done, this is who we’ve brought in — it changes what other organisations think is possible. It changes what young people think is possible.
Recruitment is where bias can most often exist. The language of job descriptions, the networks used to source candidates, the proxies for potential — these are the moments where social mobility is either advanced or set back.
Recognising the firms who are doing this differently sends a signal to the whole sector.”
What change would you most like to see across the UK in the next 5–10 years?
I’d like to see social mobility become unremarkable — that the story of someone who grew up in difficult circumstances reaching a senior role is met not with surprise, but with the recognition that of course talent comes from everywhere.
We’re not there yet. But the direction of travel matters, and the organisations willing to measure it, talk about it, and hold themselves to account are the ones who will get us there faster.
That’s what Making The Leap does every day. And it’s why this partnership means so much to us.
Why should we celebrate the 10th UK Social Mobility Awards?
Ten years is a moment worth celebrating. A decade of recognising the organisations doing the hard, sometimes unglamorous work of opening doors and a decade of proof that it’s possible to do things differently.
The SOMOs matter because they create accountability. It’s easy to have good intentions around social mobility. It’s harder to put your practices in front of a rigorous judging process and ask: are we actually doing this, or are we just talking about it?
For organisations that are genuinely committed, the awards provide a platform to share what’s working and in doing so, raise the bar for everyone else.
A landmark year, and a moment to celebrate
2026 marked a significant chapter of the UK Social Mobility Awards. As the UK’s leading cross-sector celebration of social mobility, the SOMOs continue to spotlight the organisations driving meaningful, measurable change – and to champion the belief that opportunity should be open to all.
This 10th year is a moment to recognise the organisations that are:
- Widening access
- Breaking down structural barriers
- Opening doors for underrepresented talent
- Investing in long-term opportunity creation
Partners like Hedley May, who are reshaping how talent is defined and how leadership is accessed, play a vital role in accelerating this progress across the UK.
We look forward to celebrating this year’s finalists and winners on 6 October at the annual awards ceremony – a night dedicated to honouring the people and organisations moving the dial on social mobility.
If you’d like to join us to change business and create opportunity with the SOMOs in 2027, contact Eugene Blavo or Clementine Kumar at 020 8962 1900, eugene.blavo@mtl.org.uk or clementine.kumar@mtl.org.uk.
Celebrating this year’s leaders in social mobility
The UK Social Mobility Awards in association with National Grid shine a spotlight on the employers who are not just talking about social mobility, but transforming it. Explore how employers across the UK are advancing social mobility by discovering this year’s finalists here.
