Carnegie Group Nominated for Three Prestigious UK Business Awards

Key Points

• Carnegie Group, a construction business with operations all over the South East, is in the top three for three awards in the UK.
• The firm is in the top five finalists for the Vistage Growth Business of the Year Award at the Lloyds British Business Excellence Awards 2026.
• Carnegie Group is also in contention for two awards at the Growing Business Awards 2026 – Growing Business of the Year (Turnover £5-10m) and Growing Business of the Year (South East).
• The Vistage Growth Business of the Year is for companies with revenues of up to £25 million who show strong and sustainable growth.
• Since 1998, the Growing Business Awards have been recognising the UK’s most outstanding high growth businesses.
• The short list is essentially about the company’s relationships, investment in people and its commitment to providing value to clients, said Carnegie Group Co-Founder David Mindham.
• The company is an ‘employee-owned company ‘, and this fosters accountability, collaboration and pride among its employees, it says.
• Carnegie Group also provides a full concept-to-completion construction service for expansion, new build and refurbishment projects.
• The winners of both the award programmes will be announced in November 2026.

England (Britain Today News) September 01, 2026 — The company has been named a finalist for the Vistage Growth Business of the Year Award at the Lloyds British Business Excellence Awards 2026, alongside two shortlistings at the Growing Business Awards 2026, marking a significant milestone in the construction firm’s ongoing development.

The three nominations arrive at a pivotal stage in Carnegie Group’s growth trajectory, as the employee-owned business continues to expand its footprint across the South East while maintaining its stated focus on quality, customer experience and workplace culture.

What Has Carnegie Group Been Shortlisted For?

Carnegie Group has secured three separate shortlist places across two of the UK’s most recognised business award programmes. The first is the Vistage Growth Business of the Year Award, part of the Lloyds British Business Excellence Awards 2026, described as one of the UK’s largest programmes celebrating British business achievement.

The second and third nominations come from the Growing Business Awards 2026, where Carnegie Group has been shortlisted in two distinct categories:

• Growing Business of the Year – Turnover £5–10m
• Growing Business of the Year – South East

Together, the three shortlistings represent recognition across both a national award scheme and a long-running programme dedicated specifically to high-growth British companies.

Why Has Carnegie Group Been Recognised at the Lloyds British Business Excellence Awards 2026?

The Lloyds British Business Excellence Awards’ Vistage Growth Business of the Year category is aimed at businesses with revenues of up to £25 million that have demonstrated strong and sustainable growth. Judges assess entrants across several criteria, including employee and customer engagement, leadership and innovation, financial performance and growth, and purpose beyond profit.

Carnegie Group’s inclusion on the shortlist suggests the judging panel found evidence of sustained growth alongside a broader commitment to culture and purpose, rather than financial performance alone.

What Are the Growing Business Awards 2026 Categories Carnegie Group Has Entered?

Carnegie Group’s two shortlistings at the Growing Business Awards 2026 place it in competition within both a turnover-specific category and a regional category. The Growing Business of the Year – Turnover £5–10m category benchmarks the firm against other companies of a similar financial scale, while the Growing Business of the Year – South East category assesses its performance specifically against regional competitors.

Being shortlisted in both categories simultaneously indicates that Carnegie Group’s growth is being recognised on two separate measures: its financial bracket and its geographic base of operations.

What Does the Vistage Growth Business of the Year Award Recognise?

According to the awards’ own criteria, the Vistage Growth Business of the Year category is not solely focused on turnover or profit figures. Instead, it takes a rounded view of a business’s performance, examining how companies engage with employees and customers, the strength and innovation of their leadership, their financial growth trajectory, and whether the business demonstrates purpose beyond profit.

This multi-faceted judging approach means that Carnegie Group’s shortlisting reflects an assessment of the company’s culture and values as much as its commercial results.

What Has the Growing Business Awards Achieved Since 1998?

The Growing Business Awards have been running since 1998, making them one of the UK’s longest-established celebrations of high-growth businesses. Over nearly three decades, the awards have recognised companies demonstrating entrepreneurial ambition, innovation and commercial success across British industry.

Carnegie Group’s shortlisting places the construction firm among a long lineage of businesses that have been recognised by the programme for their growth and ambition.

What Did Carnegie Group Co-Founder David Mindham Say About the Shortlisting?

Carnegie Group Co-Founder David Mindham welcomed the news, describing it as a significant achievement for the whole business. He said:

“To be shortlisted for three major business awards is a fantastic achievement for everyone at Carnegie Group. What makes it particularly meaningful is that these awards recognise not just financial growth, but the way we have grown, through strong relationships, investment in our people, and a relentless focus on delivering value for our clients.”

Mindham went on to describe the company’s broader philosophy towards construction projects, stating:

“We have always believed that construction should be about more than simply delivering a building. Whether a client is expanding for growth, creating new opportunities or refurbishing to unlock performance, our role is to make the entire process feel reassuringly easy and different from day one.”

He also addressed the company’s ownership model directly, saying:

“As an employee-owned business, everyone at Carnegie Group has a personal stake in our success. That shared ownership creates accountability, strengthens collaboration and gives our people a genuine sense of pride in every project we deliver.”

Reflecting on the company’s future ambitions, Mindham added:

“We’re ambitious about where Carnegie can go next, but we’re equally determined that growth should never come at the expense of quality or the relationships we build with our clients. Being shortlisted for these awards is recognition of the whole team and the culture we have created together.”

How Does Carnegie Group Approach Construction Projects?

Carnegie Group provides what it describes as an end-to-end, concept-to-completion construction service. The company supports businesses through a range of project types, including expansion projects, new-build developments and refurbishment programmes.

Its stated approach combines construction expertise, project management and practical commercial advice, which the firm says helps clients navigate complex projects from their earliest stages through to completion. This full-service model is positioned by the company as a way of reducing the burden on clients who may not have in-house construction expertise.

Why Does Carnegie Group Believe Employee Ownership Matters?

Central to Carnegie Group’s identity is its employee-owned structure, which the company describes as a key differentiator within the construction sector. Because members of the Carnegie team are personally invested in the success of the business, the company says this ownership model fosters a culture in which staff take genuine ownership of projects.

The firm states that this structure empowers employees to build long-term relationships not only with clients, but also with consultants and supply-chain partners, creating continuity across the full lifecycle of a project. Carnegie Group positions this as a distinguishing feature that separates it from more traditionally structured construction firms.

What Services Does Carnegie Group Provide to Its Clients?

Beyond its core construction offering, Carnegie Group’s approach is designed to turn complex construction projects into outcomes where businesses, people and communities can thrive, according to the company. This reflects a broader ambition that extends past the physical delivery of buildings, towards supporting the long-term success of the clients and communities the firm works with.

The company operates across the South East, working with businesses at various stages of their development, from those expanding into new premises to those refurbishing existing sites to improve performance.

When Will the Award Winners Be Announced?

Both the Lloyds British Business Excellence Awards 2026 and the Growing Business Awards 2026 are due to announce their winners in November 2026. Carnegie Group will therefore await the outcome of all three shortlistings within the same month, across two separate award ceremonies.
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What Does This Mean for Carnegie Group’s Future Growth?

The three shortlistings arrive at what the company describes as a significant stage in its development, as it continues to expand its market presence across the South East. Taken together, the nominations suggest growing external recognition of Carnegie Group’s commercial performance, its employee-ownership model, and its approach to client relationships.

Should the company go on to win any of the three categories in November, it would mark a further milestone in Carnegie Group’s positioning as a growth-focused, employee-owned construction business within the UK market. For now, the shortlistings themselves stand as formal recognition from two of the UK’s established business award programmes, both of which draw entrants from across British industry.