This accolade, which was previously the Queen's Award, is the UK's most prestigious business award and has been bestowed to only  8,000 companies since it began in 1965.

As the bank celebrates its fourth time winning the award, we reflect on how it ties in with our history and what the latest win means for us. 

Our journey with the awards 

Back in 2004, when Triodos won the award for the first time, we had been operating in the UK for less than 10 years. Bevis Watts, Triodos Bank’s outgoing CEO, reflects: “The bank was still very much a start-up, and perceptions were mixed among many of my colleagues at the Waste and Resources Action Programme, where I was working at the time.”  

“Then, in 2004, the bank won the then Queen's Award for the first time. Carrying the award emblem on the bank's headed paper and website added considerable gravitas and helped shift perceptions of the bank's professionalism, underlining the unique depth to which it considered sustainability in every aspect of the business and what it financed.” 

Each award extends for five years, and it was 2010 when the bank next entered. At the time, the financial sector was still reeling from the effects of the 2008 financial crisis.  

“Because the bank was not exposed to sub-prime mortgages or the contagion from inter-bank lending, many people saw Triodos as a safe port in a storm and we grew very quickly – particularly our lending, as many other banks contracted or stopped lending,” explains Bevis.  

“We again applied for a Queen's Award and were successful, and this time the accolade attracted media attention because it really emphasised the bank's point of difference. When banking in general was public enemy number one, with the aftershocks of the crisis, it highlighted how Triodos had continued to be true to its principles through challenging economic conditions. The award supported a further increase of the bank's profile and credibility, and ultimately further growth in our customer numbers.” 

Fast forward to 2020 and another Queen’s Award provided a great celebratory moment during the depths of the Covid pandemic. By this point, Triodos had increased greatly in its number of customers and the range of products it offered from ten years before. 

Bevis explains: “We’d now become a very important institution in the UK banking landscape – a reference point for how banking can be a force for positive change and improve the quality of life for people today without compromising the quality of life or natural environment for future generations.”  

Receiving the award in 2025 

Since last winning in 2020, Triodos Bank UK has gone on to deliver even more positive impact through our work – financing innovative projects across transport, energy and nature, and much more. Triodos Bank is also consistently ranked number one globally for the number of clean energy projects it finances and is now recognised as the UK's number one or Best Buy ethical and sustainable bank by Which?, Ethical Consumer and Good with Money, as well as the UK's most trusted bank by Fairer Finance.    

Bevis Watts adds: “As I step down during my tenth year leading Triodos Bank UK, it’s a real honour for the bank to once again be recognised. At a time where it feels the world is scaling back on its sustainability commitments, Triodos continues to be a global pioneer in ethical banking and using the power of finance to support projects that benefit people and the planet.” 

The award also offers the opportunity to shine a light on the sector and encourage more people to explore sustainable banking. Its timing coincides with the bank launching a new national TV advertising campaign, which we hope will spread the message that it’s possible to have banking work for a better future.   

Over time, the King’s Award has played a key role in supporting us in our journey and we hope our fourth title will be another great marker in the bank’s history.