Cabinet Secretary’s Outstanding Leader Award Shortlist
Lewis Attenborough
Department for Work and Pensions
Lewis took up a senior leadership role at the start of 2024 during a period of high workload, low morale and elevated staff turnover. He was tasked with stabilising delivery, rebuilding trust and restoring performance across multiple business areas.
Lewis led a values-driven, co-designed recovery plan focused on engagement, inclusion and wellbeing. Key interventions included extensive engagement sessions with frontline and back-office staff, the introduction of People-First frameworks, the creation of cross-grade working groups to give junior staff influence over local priorities, and 1:1 leadership mentoring to strengthen line managers. He emphasised visible, transparent communication and weekly check-ins to track progress.
The impact was measurable and sustained: staff engagement scores rose by 28%, absenteeism fell by 35%, and service performance exceeded all quarterly targets for the first time in 18 months. Over 80% of colleagues cited Lewis’s leadership as a key reason for remaining in post. His approach also generated a renewed sense of belonging and purpose across teams.
Lewis now regularly mentors aspiring leaders, advises on cross-departmental culture initiatives and represents operational delivery at directorate level. His methods — combining staff empowerment, clear governance and focused wellbeing interventions — have delivered rapid performance recovery and a scalable blueprint for resilient, people-centred leadership.
Nicola Hughes
HM Courts & Tribunals Service
Nikki is a transformative leader within HMCTS and has delivered measurable impact across complaints across National Services, by centralising complaint handling. She led the successful merger of legacy and Service Centres complaints teams, creating a collaborative and psychologically safe environment that empowered staff to co-design processes and adopt best practices. Initially Nikki was operating two grades higher than her substantive role and was able to secure promotion due to her exceptional work.
Under her leadership, the probate complaints backlog of over 600 cases was reduced to under 50 cases one month ahead of schedule. She reallocated resources, secured additional staff, and delivered targeted training, ensuring high service standards were maintained throughout. Following this, Nikki piloted the centralisation of civil complaints, managing over 650 cases monthly. Response rates improved from 43% to 93%, while escalations dropped from 48% to 14%, reflecting both operational efficiency and enhanced team performance.
Her leadership and operational excellence were recognised nationally when she won Complaints Manager of the Year at the UK National Contact Centre Awards, HMCTS’s first-ever gold award in the programme. This is a national prestigious award, in which Nikki competed against quality leaders across public and private sector organisations.
Nikki combines integrity, empathy, and a people-first approach to inspire teams, deliver measurable outcomes, and improve service delivery. Her work has reshaped national complaints handling, driven lasting efficiency improvements, and established a model of high-performing, inclusive leadership that continues to influence colleagues across HMCTS and the wider Civil Service.
Shahida Mamanji
Home Office
With a distinguished 32-year career in the Home Office, spanning UK Visas & Immigration and Immigration Enforcement, Shahida Mamanji exemplifies exceptional public service and transformational leadership. Rising from AA to G7, she brings deep operational insight, inclusivity, and strategic direction to every role she undertakes.
As Head of Non-Detained Casework within the Foreign National Offender Returns Command, Shahida has revolutionised case management for foreign national offenders (FNOs) in the community. By creating dedicated decision-making teams and introducing new methodologies, she increased deportation decisions by 120% and achieved the highest-ever number of enforced removals from the community. Her leadership of joint operations on charters, and Skylark has strengthened collaboration with HMPPS and police partners, delivering tangible public protection outcomes.
During the pandemic, Shahida played a pivotal role in advising Ministers, coordinating crisis briefings, and leading on improvements in the judicial process to deliver early finality in deportation appeals.
Beyond her operational impact, Shahida is a passionate advocate for inclusion and community service. As a charity trustee and former school governor, she supports underprivileged youth and local food initiatives. Her career reflects integrity, compassion, and an unwavering commitment to safeguarding the public and supporting others to succeed.