Client relationships are often spoken about as the foundation of great work. However, they are not always given the recognition they deserve. The Client Impact Awards were created to change that. These awards celebrate the people, partnerships and ways of working that turn trust, collaboration and shared ambition into meaningful results.
On Wednesday 10 June 2026, HB hosted the Client Impact Awards Winners Celebration at Clerkenwell & Social. The event brought together finalists, winners, judges, sponsors and industry peers for an evening. Importantly, the evening highlighted just how much happens behind every successful client relationship.
As headline sponsor of the inaugural awards, we were proud to support a programme that places client service at the centre of the conversation. As Tom Foulkes, Managing Director at HB, put it,
I find it almost impossible to believe this didn’t exist before…
It is a sentiment that goes to the heart of the awards: client impact has always been central to great work. However, until now, the relationships, care and commitment behind it have not had a dedicated platform of their own.
For agencies and client teams alike, that kind of partnership takes work. It means understanding the pressures on both sides, creating space for curiosity and challenge, and building enough trust to have the conversations that lead to better thinking. When those relationships are strong, they do more than make projects run smoothly. Instead, they also create the conditions for better ideas, braver decisions and longer-lasting value.
That was what made the evening so inspiring. The stories shared by this year’s finalists and winners showed the many different ways client impact can take shape. These range from navigating complex briefs and building confidence in new directions to creating work that has a tangible effect on organisations, audiences and communities.
They were also a reminder that the best client relationships are not passive. In fact, they are active, intentional and constantly evolving. They rely on people who listen properly, ask better questions, bring clarity when things are uncertain and stay committed to the shared outcome, not just the immediate task.
This is why awards like these matter. They create a space to celebrate an area of the industry that is essential to great work but often happens quietly in the background. The strategy, creativity and delivery are important. Yet, so too are the relationships that enable those things to succeed.
Congratulations to every finalist and winner, and thank you to everyone who joined us for such a celebratory evening. We were proud to host the Winners Celebration. We were also proud to support an awards programme that recognises the people, partnerships and commitment behind meaningful client impact.
Want to learn more about the awards? Client Impact Awards