ILM Award nominations go live today
January 26, 2026
Today (26th January), we are delighted to launch applications for the annual Legacy Professional of the Year 2026 and ILM Mentor of the Year 2026 awards.
Providing an opportunity to shine a light on those exceptional Legacy Professionals who consistently go above and beyond, the awards are presented annually at the ILM Conference, which this year takes place on 8 May.
The awards honour expertise and skill, reward excellence, and provide the opportunity to celebrate the incredible work of Legacy Professionals.
Matthew Lagden, CEO, says: “Our annual awards give our members an opportunity to acknowledge and say thank you to those colleagues who give back to the legacy community.
“Each year we are blown away by the stories our members share which highlight the exceptional work being done by Legacy Professionals across the country.
“Whether you work with a colleague who has shown particular compassion in working alongside lay executors; someone who has utilised their knowledge in a challenging case to ensure your charity received the legacy it was due; or has provided mentoring support to help you drive your career forward – we would love to hear from you.”
Last year’s winner of Legacy Professional of the Year was Marie Baines, Senior Legacy Income Manager, at RSPCA. Speaking about what the award meant to her, she said: “By winning the award I now sit amongst some incredible Legacy Officers who have won the award before me. To be chosen as someone who is actually quite good at doing legacies is a wonderful boost and I am humbled to be part of that now.
“I was surprised and honoured to receive such a prestigious award. This was completely unexpected but I’m thrilled. I have been working as a legacy professional for 35 years this year, as I started my first role in the sector in 1990, so it feels like a lovely way to celebrate this ‘anniversary’.
“A Legacy Officer fulfills such an important role as the frontline face for their charity when working with lay executors, family members and professionals. When a person has suddenly thought ‘I want to help this cause by leaving them a gift in my Will’, they have committed the ultimate act in charitable giving, they will never see the results of that thought, so it is our job to ensure that the echo of it is treated with utmost respect and that this is conveyed to those who are left behind, to make sure that the gift can be used for whichever cause they have chosen. That is why we must inspire everyone about legacies and be passionate and committed to what we do, it is our debt to those who support our charities, many of which would not exist without legacies.
“I work as part of an amazingly hard working and professional team at the RSPCA, for me the Award is shared with them as they inspire me daily, so I do hope that we can add some legacy awareness to our newly created ‘intranet’ at the RSPCA through sharing the news of the Award.”
Her views were echoed by Meenaxi Patel, Head of Legacy Management at British Heart Foundation, who was named ILM Mentor of the Year 2025, praised for her ‘incredible insight’ and the fact that she challenged her mentee to push herself .
Talking about how it felt to win the award, Meenaxi said: “To be honest, I was surprised as I wasn’t expecting it at all. It was a very proud moment to have received the award and to know that I had, in a small way, made a real difference to someone’s growth and learning as they continue their legacies career.
“I have been mentoring people for a number of years now and there is nothing more satisfying than seeing people thrive and achieve their aspirations. There is something incredibly powerful about watching someone gain confidence, develop their knowledge and being able to help unlock their potential. In my opinion, the biggest compliment is someone believing in your abilities before you do and them helping you believe in yourself – that is what mentoring is all about!
“I feel incredibly lucky and privileged for the career that I have had to date and I would go as far as to say, I have the best job in the sector (you’d be hard pushed to convince me otherwise!). I am passionate about training and development – I wouldn’t be where I am today had it not been for the support and guidance of some key people over the years and mentoring is therefore my way of paying it forward.“
For further details about the awards, please click below:
ILM Awards 2026Nominate
Nominations are only open to ILM members and must be submitted by 5pm on Friday, 20 March 2026.