George Clooney confirmed as speaker at the 2026 British Business Awards

The next annual British Business Awards ceremony will take place on 30 April 2026, at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre. The aim is to again raise a minimum of £1m for Edinburgh homelessness charity, Social Bite. 

The 2025 awards featured a performance from Sting and keynote speech from Sir Bob Geldof. The next event will include a special guest appearance and conversation with award-winning actor and humanitarian, George Clooney.

He will attend both the awards ceremony in Edinburgh, as well as a fundraising dinner organised by Social Bite at Gleneagles Hotel on 29 April, and will discuss his career in Hollywood, as well as his humanitarian work as the co-founder of the Clooney Foundation for Justice.

Entry to the awards is now open with a wide range of award categories to enter including Entrepreneur of the Year, Socially Responsible Business of the Year, International Business of the Year, Employer of the Year and Green Business of the Year. To enter, businesses are required to submit a 1000 word written application by 13 March.

Josh Littlejohn MBE, event director of the British Business Awards and founder of Social Bite said: “George made such an incredible impact to Social Bite when he visited our café 10 years ago and we’re honoured to have him join us again at these events which help us raise much-needed funds to help end homelessness in the UK.

“Last year’s British Business Awards were a triumph. Not only did we recognise and celebrate some of Britain’s biggest success stories, but we also smashed our target and helped to raise over £1.3m for Social Bite, alongside a special fundraiser at Gleneagles Hotel. This year’s awards are set to be even more exciting, and we couldn’t be more delighted to welcome back George Clooney to Scotland.

Alan Jope CBE, chair of the judging panel and former Unilever chief executive commented: “The calibre of entries for last year’s British Business Awards was extremely high and we’re expecting an even higher standard for 2026.

“Despite challenging times, British businesses continue to show remarkable resilience and innovation. My fellow judges and I are very much looking forward to hearing about some of the incredible ways British companies are making an impact in their sectors and celebrating their success.”

www.britishbusinessawards.co.uk

Photography: Social Bite