StoryBlok and industry-leading professionals honoured at landmark celebration of UK sales excellence
The winners of the inaugural National Sales Awards 2025 were announced on 13th November at a prestigious ceremony in Birmingham, marking a historic moment for the UK sales community.
Co-located with the National Sales Conference, the event celebrated outstanding achievements across 14 categories, recognising top-performing individuals, teams, and organisations.
Major Winners Announced
StoryBlok emerged as the evening’s biggest success story, claiming two prestigious awards: Sales Team of the Year and Sales Employer of the Year, cementing the company’s reputation as a leader in sales excellence and talent development.
Individual honours were distributed across a diverse range of categories, showcasing the breadth of talent within the UK sales landscape:
| Category | Winner Name | Company |
| Account Manager of the Year | Rachel Beaumont-Johnstone | ACCU |
| Inside Sales Representative (SDR/BDR) of the Year | Noah Koeck | Kong Inc |
| Rising Star (General) | Sophia D’Agostino | Make Venues |
| Rising Star (Software) | Genna Cooper | nudge Global |
| Sales Director of the Year | Yafa Al-Raheb | Phrase |
| Sales Manager of the Year | Lauren Dormand | IAmProperty/IAmSold |
| Sales Professional of the Year | Harry Tinson | HarvestEye |
| Enablement Professional of the Year | Francesca Kennedy | IAmProperty |
| Enablement Team of the Year | Softcat | Softcat |
| Top Sales Influencer | Sean McPheat | MTD Sales Training |
Development and Training Excellence
The awards also recognised outstanding contributions to sales development and training:
- Sales Development Programme (Internal): Hiral Soneji, Royal Mail
- Sales Development Programme (External Trainer): Revolve for Budweiser Brewing Group
The final award of the night, the Outstanding Contribution award, was specially selected by the organisers. It was presented to legendary National Sales Conference speaker, Steve Head, International Speaker and Performance Coach to the England Wheelchair Rugby League World Champions, in recognition of his incredible support of the National Sales Conference over the years and his impactful work as a mentor and motivator.
Winner Reactions
Sean McPheat, Founder of MTD Training, and winner of the Top Sales Influencer award said: “I’m absolutely over the moon. There’s a lot of hard work that goes into it, and the competition is fierce, but I’m so, so happy.”
ACCU’s Rachel Beaumont-Johnstone, winner of the Account Manager of The Year award said: “I’m very proud and happy that I’ve won. I didn’t expect it, and there was some tough competition. It was hard, but I’m very proud and happy.”
Francesca Kennedy, of IAmProperty, winner of the Enablement Professional of The Year award, said: “I’m genuinely surprised and shocked. I’m so over the moon: my team is amazing. I’m not a confident person so I’m shocked, but so happy.”
Inside Sales Representative Of The Year winner, Noah Koeck, From Kong Inc said: “I’m very grateful. Thanks to everyone that nominated me. I’m so happy to be here.”
Sophia D’agostino, of Make Venues, and winner of the Rising Star award said: “I feel amazing. I can’t believe it. It’s been such a difficult few years for the industry and everybody has worked so hard. I’m privileged to be named with everyone who made the shortlist.”
Genna Cooper of Nudge Global, winner of the Rising Star (Software) award said: “I love it!! Completely unexpected but very honoured. It was a big change in career from teaching!”
Phrase’s Yafa Al-Raheb, winner of the Sales Director Of The Year award, said: “I’m absolutely buzzing, completely overwhelmed. It’s fantastic. I’m over the moon.”
Lauren Dormand from IAmProperty/IAmSold, winner of Sales Manager Of The Year said: “I feel over the moon! I wasn’t expecting it at all. Thank you so much to everyone involved.”
HarvestEye’s Harry Tinson, Winner Of The Sales Professional Of The Year award said: “I’m very pleased, really excited. I’ve got some of the team here for the first time at the National Sales Conference, and I couldn’t have done it without them, to be fair. So thank you very much to them!”
A Milestone Event for UK Sales
The inaugural National Sales Awards brought together more than 400 sales professionals, industry leaders, and representatives from organisations across multiple industries in the United Kingdom. The evening celebrated not only individual and team achievements but also the critical role that sales professionals play in driving business growth and economic prosperity.
Steve Lindsey, Event Director for the National Sales Conference and National Sales Awards said: “The calibre of entries for our inaugural National Sales Awards has been exceptional. Each winner represents the very best of UK sales talent, demonstrating excellence in performance, innovation, leadership, and client relationships. These awards establish a new benchmark for recognising and celebrating sales achievement in the UK.”
The judging panel, comprising senior sales leaders and industry experts, reviewed entries based on criteria including performance metrics, innovation, client impact, leadership qualities, and contribution to the sales profession.
Phil Jones MBE, Managing Director of Brother UK Ltd, and Head Judge of the National Sales Awards 2025, said: “Let me extend my thanks to all the 37 judges who gave up their time to evaluate, debate, and finally choose the winners. I was so impressed by the very deep consideration that they gave to every single entry, and the rigorous evaluation against the judging criteria to ensure the consistency. We’ve got to make sure that if you’re a winner here, you’ve been judged fairly, and you’re here for the right reasons. Now, if you did make it to the shortlist, my, my big congratulations to you.”
Looking Ahead
Following the success of this inaugural event, the organisers confirmed that the National Sales Awards will become an annual fixture, continuing to recognise and celebrate excellence across the UK sales community. The National Sales Conference will return in a new slot in January 2027.
The co-location with the National Sales Conference provided winners and attendees with additional opportunities for networking, professional development, and knowledge sharing, creating a comprehensive celebration of sales excellence.
For media enquiries, interviews with winners, or high-resolution images from the event, please contact:
Keely Portway
[email protected]
