We’re incredibly proud to share that TruRating has won the Best Brand & Values Initiative at the 2025 Business Culture Awards.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the awards, which celebrate organisations that put people and purpose at the centre of performance. To win in such a competitive and meaningful category is a powerful validation of the cultural journey we’ve been on, and the impact it has had on our people, our customers, and our business.
TruRating was recognised alongside an impressive cohort of winners and finalists, including KPMG, Currys, Pernod Ricard, Sage, and The Financial Times, a testament to the calibre and impact of culture-led organisations across industries.
Where the award took place
The award was presented at the 2025 Business Culture Awards Ceremony in London, held at the elegant Royal Lancaster Hotel, where leaders from across the UK and international organisations gathered to celebrate innovation in people, purpose, and workplace culture. The evening brought together some of the most forward-thinking brands in the world.
Culture as our operating system
At TruRating, culture isn’t an initiative or an afterthought; it’s the operating system that powers everything we do. As one judge commented:
“At the heart of this submission is the recognition that company values need to be embedded — to live, connect with people, and enable business activity. And done well, as is the case here, values impact real business results and company growth.”
As we’ve scaled globally, we’ve worked hard to ensure our culture scales with us, sharpening and embedding the shared principles that guide how we hire, collaborate, innovate, and serve our customers every day. These values were co-created through honest conversation and story-sharing sessions, a process the judges described as:
“Very authentic… with the CEO front and centre leading the change.”
The TruValues
Our values are simple, clear, and designed to be lived:
- Startup Mindset – entrepreneurial, scrappy, fast to act
- Tru to Ourselves – authentic, optimistic, inclusive
- You Own Tru – every team member is an owner and decision-maker
- Easy to Choose, Easy to Use – simplicity for colleagues and customers
- Spreading TruLove – impact that reaches beyond our business
These values sit at the core of our identity, and as the judges noted:
“Deep integration of values into operational systems and rituals. Values are not just stated — they are operationalised.”
Turning words into action
Embedding our culture has always been about systems, not slogans. Over an 18-month period, we integrated the TruValues into every part of the employee and customer journey, a transformation the judges described as:
“Comprehensive… involving the redesign of many business processes. Hardwired it, as they say.”
This included:
- Onboarding traditions and team rituals that help new joiners feel connected from day one
- Ownership at every level, from equity participation to involvement in strategic decisions
- Values-led behaviours embedded into coaching, performance reviews, and 1:1s
- Peer recognition systems and transparent feedback loops that amplify every voice
- Innovation, inclusion, and wellbeing initiatives that make culture an everyday experience
The impact has been both human and commercial. As the judges highlighted:
“A 90% adoption rate of AI tools, an 18% rise in engagement scores, and a 22% reduction in operating costs, all tied directly to the new cultural framework.
A word from our CEO
“I was reminded recently of the phrase ‘Culture eats strategy for breakfast’, and it couldn’t feel more true today. Two years ago, we were hiring fast, stretched across time zones, and shifting into a fully remote world.
What I’d always believed was simply ‘in the DNA’ of TruRating suddenly raised its amorphous head and demanded attention. We needed to formalise our culture – not as a slogan, but to help us hire better, engage better, and stay aligned as we scaled.
What makes this award so meaningful is that our culture didn’t come from the top. Every member of TeamTru shaped our values through workshops, conversations, and story-sharing. They’re the reason our culture lives and breathes in how we meet, make decisions, and show up for each other every day.
A huge and heartfelt thank you to all of TeamTru who live these values daily, and especially to the amazing Rachel Gowers, who collected the award on our behalf and continues to set the bar for what a values-driven organisation can be.
Culture really is our operating system, and this recognition shows just how powerful it can be when people and purpose lead the way.”
— Georgina Nelson, CEO & Founder, TruRating
A word from our Global Head of People & Culture
Representing the company on the night, Rachel attended the award ceremony in person and accepted the award on behalf of the entire TruRating team.
“Accepting this award on behalf of TruRating was super special for me. This recognition belongs entirely to our incredible team, every single person who has poured energy, honesty, and heart into building the culture we have today.
Our values aren’t documents or slogans. They come to life through the way our team show up for each other every day. The ownership they demonstrate, the optimism they bring, and the care they extend across teams and time zones is what makes TruRating truly special.
I am deeply grateful for the hard work, commitment, and belief that our team have invested in shaping this culture. They are the reason we continue to grow stronger, stay aligned, and deliver exceptional experiences to our customers.
This award is a celebration of them, their resilience, their collaboration, and their unwavering dedication to living our values. I couldn’t be more thankful for the amazing people I have the pleasure of working with.”
— Rachel Gowers, Global Head of People & Culture, TruRating
Impact beyond the workplace
Our values shape how we support and serve our customers. Being “easy to choose, easy to use” is a commitment that applies equally to our employee experience and to the retailers who rely on TruRating to drive performance.
As one team member put it:
“Every employee is a stakeholder of the company… It’s a true collaborative environment where our feedback matters.” – TruRating employee
And as one customer shared:
“Thanks to TruRating, we’ve been able to simplify our customer journey and uncover new opportunities for innovation.” – TruRating customer
A thank you to our team
Winning this award is a celebration of every TruRating team member who brings the TruValues to life daily. Your optimism, ownership, and energy turn culture into a competitive advantage, and make TruRating a place where people and performance thrive side by side.
We’re deeply grateful to the Business Culture Awards for recognising the impact of values-led organisations and proud to stand alongside such an inspiring community of winners and finalists.
