September 18, 2025
First Direct Bank Takes Home Two Wins at the UK EX Awards 2025
First Direct Bank walked away with two major honours at the UK Employee Experience Awards 2025, winning gold in the Best Company Culture (1000+ employees) category and silver in the Best Employee Engagement category.
The bank, which has been operating for more than 35 years, has built a reputation for putting people at the heart of its operations. While technology and systems continue to change, its cultural foundation has remained consistent.
Speaking after the win, Sajid Hussain, Head of Customer Service Delivery at First Direct Bank, reflected on the values that secured their success, saying: “[For over 35 years] our golden thread has remained the same: to pioneer amazing service, and be people-powered. We’ve got some fantastic people behind here, and although our systems are changing, technology’s changing, we’ve got AI upcoming as well. What hasn’t changed is the culture of our people. It’s the fact that you can be completely yourself, you can raise whatever you want, and we will try to fix it, and we’ve all got this great attitude to do even better.”
Central to this achievement is a deliberate approach to listening. The bank has invested in forums, employee-led groups, and initiatives such as “leadership time,” which pairs staff from junior roles with senior leaders. These sessions ensure frontline perspectives are heard at the highest level and converted into meaningful actions.
See the full list of winners here.
