KH Hair has celebrated the achievements of its top performing teams and individuals by coming together with VIP guests from Wella and ghd at the group’s annual award ceremony in Nottingham.
The event took place on 14 June on the outdoor terrace at Binks Yard in the city centre. Group Managing Director, Darren Messias, opened proceedings by congratulating 12 individuals for their long service to the company, before 22 awards were handed out in recognition of KH Hair’s top achievers of the past 12 months.
This year, the most prestigious award, ‘Salon of the Year,’ went to the group’s Ripley salon in Derbyshire, recognising the team’s excellent all round performance. The team also collected the ‘Salon Customer Service’ award for the fifth year running.
On presenting Ripley Salon Director, Sarah Storer – and her team – with the awards, Darren said: “To win Salon of the Year, you have to be consistent in all areas, and that is exactly what Sarah and her team have done. Delivering a fantastic customer experience, while having a happy and motivated team is not easy, so I couldn’t be happier for team Ripley, who richly deserve the title. Many congratulations to you all.”
Sarah said she was totally shocked but absolutely buzzing about the wins. “The team always work so hard, so to have been rewarded like this is fantastic.” she said. “They are such lovely people to work alongside, and this recognition means the world. The Customer Service award is always a special one for me as it comes directly from client feedback and we wouldn’t have won it without their lovely reviews, which we’re so grateful for.
“Working for KH Hair for 40 years shows just how much I love the company and I’m forever grateful to past and present salon, head office and training school teams and, of course, to Darren. It’s an honour and a privilege to be part of the KH Hair family and I’m looking forward to soon recruiting the next generation of our team and welcoming them into the fold.”
The KH Hair Arnold salon team also shone, picking up the ‘Salon Clients’ and ‘Salon Highest Turnover’ awards; the second of the two ‘Marketing’ awards and, for the fifth year in a row, the fiercely-contested ‘Image of the Year’ award.
The group’s Nottinghamshire salons also did their county proud, with KH Hair Castle Gate celebrating two team trips to the stage to collect the ‘Salon Highest Retail’ award and one of two ‘Marketing’ awards sponsored by Toast PR. Salon individuals recognised for their achievements were Steve McIntee, for ‘Individual Turnover’ and ‘Individual Retail’ awards, and Amber Newton, for the ‘Master Colour Expert’ award.
Meanwhile, Stylist Amelia Krasinski was announced the winner of this year’s ‘Special Recognition’ award.
“Amelia’s journey over the past year has been incredible,” said Darren. “From working at London Fashion Week and industry events, to being the first KH Hair stylist to win the Wella TrendVision Transformation award – and all this in just one year. All of us at KH Hair are so delighted and proud of everything she has achieved, and we are sure that this is just the beginning for her.”
After all the winners were announced, guests were entertained by live band, Electric Kicks, including Ultimate Bandeoke, which gave the chance for would-be singing stars in the audience to show off their vocal skills up on the stage. Guests then danced the night away to finish off yet another fantastic evening of celebrations.
Commenting further on this year’s awards, Darren, said: “The KH Hair awards are always one of the highlights of our company’s year. It gives us a chance to be together, celebrate and recognise the outstanding achievements our KH Hair teams have made. It is so important that we make time for these moments, and many congratulations to all the winners. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our teams for their hard work and loyalty.”
Full List of 2026 Awards
Nottinghamshire
- Salon Highest Turnover Award – Arnold
- Salon Clients Award – Arnold
- Image of the Year – Arnold
- Special Recognition Award – Amelia Krasinski (Arnold)
- Marketing Award sponsored by Toast PR – Arnold and Nottingham
- Individual Turnover Award – Steve McEntee (Nottingham)
- Individual Retail Award – Steve McEntee (Nottingham)
- Master Colour Award – Amber Newton (Nottingham)
- Salon Highest Retail Award – Nottingham
- Individual Clients Award – Erica Miller (Sutton)
- Salon Colour Award – Sutton
- Rising Star Award – Erin Woolley (West Bridgford)
Derbyshire
- Salon Customer Service Award – Ripley
- Salon of the Year Award – Ripley
- 2nd Year Award Sponsored by RDG Accounting – Libby Naylor (Ilkeston)
- ghd Retail Award – Sadlergate
- Salon Turnover Improvement Award – Ashbourne
Leicestershire
- 1st Year Award Sponsored by RDG Accounting – Lily Draper (Leicester)
- 3rd Year Award Sponsored by RDG Accounting – Ruby Hanwell (Leicester)
- Salon Retail Improvement Award sponsored by Wella – Ashby
- Salon Retail Improvement Award sponsored by Sebastian – Ashby
Long Service Recognition Announcements
25 years
Carly Saxton – Long Eaton
Sarah Mitchell - Arnold
Martin Quenault – Ashby
Joanne Read - Ilkeston
30 years
Robert Gould - Sadlergate
Gayle Lucas – Arnold
Nicola Beighton - Ripley
40 years
Joy Marson - Nottingham
Dawn Bramhall - Arnold
Sarah Storer – Ripley
Carol Smith – Ashby
45 years
Caroline Waterfield - Leicester
