What is the IESE Hall of Fame?
Over 15 years of the IESE Awards, we have had the privilege of recognising hundreds of outstanding initiatives across public service. Year after year, the awards have showcased organisations responding to increasingly complex challenges – financial pressure, rising demand, digital transformation, and changing community expectations.
Yet over time, a clear pattern emerged.
A small number of organisations were not just excelling once, but consistently. They returned year after year with new examples of transformation, innovation, and measurable impact. They adapted as the landscape changed. They learned, evolved, and continued to deliver services that materially improved people’s lives.
The IESE Hall of Fame was created in 2024 to recognise this exceptional and sustained performance, and to shine a light on what is possible, even in the most challenging conditions.
At its heart, the Hall of Fame represents hope: that even as public service becomes more complex and constrained, organisations can still find the capacity, creativity and leadership to innovate and deliver better outcomes for their communities.
IESE Hall of Fame Winners
We currently have 10 organisations and one individual who sit in the IESE Hall of Fame. Browse our winners below:
Public Sector Organisations
Adur and Worthing District Councils
Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils – 2024
County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service – 2026
East Ayrshire Council – 2023
East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service – 2023
Isle of Wight Council – 2023
South Hams and West Devon Councils – 2023
State Social Protection Fund of Azerbajian -2023
South Staffordshire Council – 2023
Individual Winners
Cllr Paul Bettison – 2024
Recognition
It honours organisations that have demonstrated long-term excellence — not isolated success, but repeated achievement at the highest level.
Learning
It creates an opportunity to understand why these organisations succeed. What cultural, leadership, operational and strategic characteristics allow them to perform year after year?
Inspiration
It provides a visible roadmap for others. These organisations show that excellence is not abstract or theoretical — it is practical, achievable, and replicable.
What the Hall of Fame Recognises
Membership of the IESE Hall of Fame is not automatic, and it is not awarded lightly. It reflects a sustained pattern of achievement against demanding criteria, including:
- Consistent success over five years or more in the IESE Awards, demonstrating longevity rather than one-off performance
- Transformation at a community-enablement level, not just internal efficiency, but tangible improvements to outcomes, access, and lived experience
- Bleeding-edge innovation, showing how organisations are using new approaches, technologies, or models to reshape services
- Wider contribution to the sector, such as: supporting IESE’s research and insight programme, hosting “Seeing is Believing” site visits, actively sharing learning, evidence, and experience with peers.
Together, these criteria ensure the Hall of Fame reflects organisations operating at the very highest end of transformation and innovation in public service.
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“For the Isle of Wight Council to be recognised in the IESE Hall of Fame is absolutely amazing for us. When we attend these awards and see all the innovation and the hard work that other local authorities are doing, to be standing out amongst all of that year after year is a real privilege to us.”
Peter Smith
Deputy Chief Executive
Isle of Wight Council -
“We are very honoured to be in the IESE Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame provides a fantastic opportunity to share best practice to share innovation and creativity, how we are having to do things differently in the public sector to address latest challenges. We are incredibly proud and delighted to share our experiences with colleagues.”
Richard Grieveson
Deputy Chief Executive
East Ayrshire Council -
“In the context of where we are in the moment for local government with all the financial challenges, being recognised for our success and sharing good practice is essential.”
Cllr Angus Dunn
Former Leader
Adur District Council -
“Joining the IESE Hall of Fame there’s a particular opportunity to share and to learn. I really like the workshops and showcases that IESE hold to ensure that there is benchmarking against other public sector organisations, and allow for sharing of ideas that are put forward in awards submissions.”
Dawn Whittaker
Chief Fire Officer
East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service -
“The IESE Hall of Fame is very important for us because t’s not just acknowledgement of your achievements, its also the sharing practice and information – IESE is a great platform to share experience.”
Himlay Mamishov
Chair of the State Social Protection Fund of Azerbaijan
Want to be part of the IESE Hall of Fame?
The IESE Hall of Fame is not a retrospective honour. It is a living standard, one that evolves as public service evolves. It represents ambition, resilience, and the belief that excellence is not only possible, but repeatable.
Above all, it tells a powerful story: that even in the most demanding circumstances, organisations can still innovate, transform, and make people’s lives better.
If you would like your organisation to join the IESE Hall of Fame, start your journey by submitting your nomination for the IESE Awards.
