The winners of the 2026 IoD Isle of Man Director of the Year Awards, sponsored by SW Legal, were announced at the Comis Hotel & Golf Resort at a gala event last Friday.
The awards recognise the broad spectrum of leadership talent, success, and achievement in the Isle of Man.
The award winners across the categories were as follows:
Aspiring, sponsored by Appleby
- Juliet Gomes, KPMG in the Crown Dependencies
Small Business, sponsored by Atla Group
- Gail Yeowell, Smart Solutions HR Limited
Medium Business, sponsored by Crowe Isle of Man LLC
- Jayne Hartley, Noventre Limited
Large Business, sponsored by Canaccord Wealth
- Nina Johnston, Equiom Isle of Man
Innovation, sponsored by KPMG in the Crown Dependencies
- David Cox-Cooper, Koops & Co.
- Donald Edwards, Atla Group – Wealth Services
Public & Third Sector, sponsored by Conister Bank
- Victoria Hotchkiss, Isle of Man Football Association
Sustainability, sponsored by SW Legal
- Mark Emmington, Comis Hotel & Golf Resort
Highly Commended Certificates were awarded to:
- Paul Healey BEM, Craig’s Heartstrong Foundation
- Capt Kuba Szymanski FNI, Ramsey Shipping Services
- Chloe Chau, The Galpals Collective
- Graham Makepeace-Warne, Manx Wildlife Trust
Chair of IoD Isle of Man, Steve Billinghurst, said: “The 2026 Director of the Year Awards reminded us yet again of the excellent depth of leadership talent we have in the Isle of Man. I extend my warmest congratulations to each winner and to the shortlisted candidates who did so well to become finalists in what were our most popular awards ever, based on the number of submissions.
“All finalists are an inspiration to the wider business and third sector communities, and a reminder of why strong leadership, with good governance and commercial acumen, matters more than ever.
“The night celebrated the best of the Isle of Man, not only with the shortlisted candidates and winners, but also with the food on the night. I’d like to thank our main sponsor, SW Legal, the networking sponsor Equiom, and all our category sponsors for allowing us to host this glittering awards event.
“The night was also made possible with the technical expertise of ELS and the hospitality of the Comis Hotel and Golf Resort. We closed the evening with a fantastic performance by the award-winning Manx band “Scran”, who shared their exceptional musical talent and delighted the guests with their traditional music and Manx Gaelic lyrics.”
Stephen Savage, Director of lead sponsor SW Legal, said: “SW Legal was proud to be the Headline Sponsor of this year’s Institute of Directors Isle of Man Director of the Year Awards.
“One of the things we value most about the Isle of Man is the willingness of people and businesses to support one another and celebrate each other’s success. Events like these are an important reminder of the talent, leadership, and ambition that exist across our Island.
“The evening was exceptionally well organised, with fantastic hospitality and a wonderful atmosphere throughout. The feedback we have received from guests has been overwhelmingly positive.
“Congratulations to all nominees, highly commended recipients and winners. Your achievements are a credit not only to your organisations, but to the wider Isle of Man business community.”
Pictured: Left to right – David Cox-Cooper; Victoria Hotchkiss; Jayne Hartley; Juliet Gomes; Nina Johnston; Mark Emmington; Gail Yeowell, Donald Edwards.
