Five Financial Stars Win Gold!

June 13th, 2025: Five financial education, inclusion and literacy initiatives have each won a top award at the Inaugural UK Gala awards for Financial Capability. It is believed that these are the first ever awards to recognize those working in this field in the UK.

The awards were jointly conceived by the London Foundation for Banking & Finance (LFBF) and the global Money Awareness & Inclusion Awards (The MAIAs) and presented at London’s historic Guildhall – Livery Hall on the evening of 12th June 2025.

Meet our stars: (left to right) Leon Ward, CEO of Money Ready; Author Fleur Iannazzo; Maddy Keaveney and Harriet Boland from The Economist Educational Foundation, Stephanie Fitzgerald and Katherine Tilsed from The Money Charity; Michael Gilmore Founder of The MAIAs and LFBF CEO Shelley Doorey-Wiliams; Kirsty Brownlie from Aberdeen; Tasha Hoskins and Sherin Griesser from GAIN – Girls Are Investors.

Over one hundred guests from the banking, finance, voluntary and charity sectors joined hosts Shelley Doorey-Williams, CEO of the LFBF and Michael Gilmore, Founder of The MAIAs, for the occasion.

The five award winners are:

1. Best Book UK: The Money Pizza, written by Fleur Iannazzo – a clear, accessible take on personal finance for those overwhelmed by traditional advice.
2. Best Content (UK): The Economist Educational Foundation’s Topical Talk programme, which empowers 10 – 16 year olds to understand economic issues and make informed financial decisions. The Foundation aims to reach half a million UK students by 2026.
3. Best Project for UK Underserved Communities (For Profit): Money House, a multi-pronged initiative from Aberdeen. Over 4,000 young people have benefited, with reduced financial distress, increased savings and a 91% projected rate into work or training.
4. Best Project for UK Underserved Communities (Non-Profit): The Money Charity, which is making financial education inclusive through activity-based workshops designed for individuals with learning difficulties.
5. Best UK Closing the Gender Gap: GAIN – Girls Are INvestors, which is boosting career ambition among young women and non-binary students through its Investment Challenge for students in years 10 – 13 in England and Wales. The programme reached over 740 students in 2025.

Shelley Doorey-Williams comments:

“It’s a joy for the LFBF to partner with a like-minded team at The MAIAs in order to celebrate the fantastic work being done to tackle the chronic challenge of financial capability.  In addition, by bringing our guests and winners together in person, we hope to spark new ideas, create new connections and increase the momentum around a shared ambition for even greater, faster change.”

Michael Gilmore adds:

“The MAIAs are global awards and these five winners represent the very best of the UK. I’m humbled by the hard work and dedication of all our winners, and by all those working to make money better for others.  I’m also delighted to be working with the LFBF to showcase these outstanding projects in person. Congratulations all!”

Read the full press release here.