Results
Winner
DEI and Me: What Grinds My Gears - From Frustration to Function
David Otudeko
"DEI and Me" helps people move beyond statements, targets and tick-box exercises to engage more honestly with diversity, equity and inclusion. It combines lived experience, practical insight and humour to examine why DEI efforts can become frustrating or performative, and what people can do differently. Readers have described the book as “straightforward, fearless and refreshing”, saying it brings “honesty, heart and sharp humour” to the subject. They have praised its “fresh clarity”, its ability to “inspire action and challenge your thinking”, and its practical advice on making a real difference. One reader said it would make them “a better person, a better employee and a better manager”.
One of the judges who selected "DEI and Me" as the winner of the 2026 Business Book Awards’ Diversity, Inclusion and Equality category said it went beyond textbook advice, sparked her learning and challenged her thinking. The book helps people turn good intentions into meaningful action.
Winner
Age Against The Machine: New rules for working in an ageist world
Lucy Standing
Martin Hyde, Maggi Evans
This book blows apart some of the myths that prevent older workers from fully participating in the world of work. Work is the cornerstone of purpose, income and connection - typically denied to people as they get older either directly through ageism or indirectly through the misselling of the retirement dream. The book's first part is a wake up call: readers will understand how retirement came about and why it’s no longer fit for purpose. Part 2 provides a structure for people to navigate change in an ageist world and show them how to be a constructive age activist so they can become part of the solution. The book helps older workers to maximize their human capital, raises awareness of the ways in which older people can be active in the community, and encourages businesses to find ways of using older talent and combatting ageism.
Finalist
The Architecture of Inclusion: How Leaders Engineer Equity, Align Their Organizations, and Build Institutions that Last
Effenus Henderson
The Architecture of Inclusion gives organizational leaders a structural blueprint for inclusion that survives political and economic pressure — not as an aspirational add-on, but as load-bearing infrastructure. Drawing on 40+ years of DEI leadership, including service as a Fortune 500 Chief Diversity Officer and as Convener of the ISO 30415:2021 international diversity and inclusion standard, Henderson identifies seven structural pillars leaders must align for inclusion to hold under stress: strategy, accountability, culture, talent systems, learning, measurement, and external community engagement. Written for the current anti-DEI backlash, the book reframes the debate: exclusion, not diversity, is the organizational defect. Practitioners, HR and legal leaders, and executives gain both the engineering logic and the courage to execute it now, building systems of equity that last rather than collapse under political pressure.
Finalist
Belonging at Work: Navigating DEI Challenges and Embedding Inclusion in your Organization
Asif Sadiq
Belonging at Work is a strategic guide for business leaders, senior HR professionals, and DEI practitioners navigating resistance, fatigue, and misinformation around diversity, equity, and inclusion. It shows how to reframe DEI as a business-critical priority, address concerns with clarity, and create practical strategies that strengthen trust, engagement, and organizational resilience. With practical guidance on data, technology, intersectionality, and the employee lifecycle, this book helps leaders create sustainable programs that build trust, accountability, and measurable impact.