David McDowall, CEO of Stonegate Group, the UK’s largest pub company, has been named Most Inclusive Group Chief Executive Officer in Hospitality, Travel and Leisure at the Inclusion In Awards 2026. The ceremony took place at the London Hilton on Park Lane on Tuesday 3 November.
The awards, run by WiHTL and Diversity in Retail, recognise leaders driving real change in inclusion across hospitality, travel, leisure and retail.
David was recognised for embedding inclusion throughout Stonegate’s culture and operations, and for his wider contribution to representation and opportunity across hospitality.
He has championed initiatives that give colleagues a voice, including Stonegate’s Think Tank forums, which bring together colleagues from across the business to share ideas and influence decisions directly. He has also supported the introduction of Wellbeing and Inclusion Ambassadors across the organisation and played a key role in strengthening policies on family leave, menopause, neurodiversity, flexible working and gender transition.
Outside Stonegate, David mentors for Boardwalk, the not-for-profit programme supporting senior women in hospitality as they prepare for board-level roles.
Under his leadership, the business has also become a visible advocate for LGBTQIA+ inclusion through its annual Serving with Pride campaign and its support for Stonewall Housing, a national charity supporting LGBTQIA+ people facing homelessness.
David said: “I’m honoured to receive this award, but the credit really belongs to the brilliant people across Stonegate who make inclusion something we act on, not just talk about. Hospitality is all about people. When colleagues feel listened to and know they belong, they do their best work, and our guests feel the difference.
“We’ve made real progress, but there’s more to do. Inclusion isn’t a project with an end date. It’s something we have to keep working at.”
Stonegate’s inclusion work forms part of a wider people strategy focused on colleague wellbeing and development, supported by meaningful partnerships with a number of organisations. This includes their charity partnership with Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM), which has raised over £620,000 since January 2026.