IoL and Francis Taylor Building pleased to announce the inauguration of The Charles Holland Award

The Institute of Licensing (IoL) and Francis Taylor Building are pleased to announce the inauguration of The Charles Holland Award, a new accolade designed to honour the legacy of Charles Holland, who passed away on 9 February 2025 at the age of 55.

Charles was a distinguished barrister at both Trinity Chambers in Newcastle and Francis Taylor Building in London. He was a highly respected figure in the licensing world, known for his significant contributions to the IoL, his numerous speaking engagements at conferences and regional meetings, and his role as deputy editor of the Journal of Licensing. 

In recognition of his achievements, Charles was made a Fellow of the Institute in November 2024, one of his last public appearances. The Charles Holland Award aims to serve two primary purposes; to pay tribute to Charles and, to fill a gap in the current awards landscape. Unlike existing awards such as the Jeremy Allen, Chairs Special Recognition, and NALEO’s Brian Denby awards, this new award will focus on rising stars in the licensing field. 

It seeks to recognise, celebrate, and motivate individuals in the early stages of their licensing careers, reflecting Charles’ generosity in mentoring younger colleagues. The award, which will be jointly presented by the IoL and Francis Taylor Building, is open to licensing practitioners under the age of 30 or with less than 10 years of experience in licensing, who have demonstrated excellence in their work. 

The award is open to all individuals, including local authority officers, police officers, lawyers, and industry practitioners. Membership in the IoL is not required, but non-members will receive a complimentary one-year membership. Nominations are open to all, and individuals can nominate themselves or be nominated by others. The deadline for nominations is 1 August annually. Nominations can be sent to awards@instituteoflicensing.org.

Nominations will be shortlisted, and the final three candidates will be invited to attend the Gala Dinner at the IoL National Training Conference in November. The winner will be announced at the Gala Dinner awards presentations.

IoL National Chair, Kate Nicholls said:

“It is a pleasure to announce this award in partnership with Francis Taylor Building as an enduring tribute to Charles Holland. Charles was a superb licensing practitioner who felt passionately about licensing and wholeheartedly supported others throughout his career. As with any profession, it is essential to support learning and recognise achievements, particularly for new entrants into the profession, and this award will highlight those individuals and celebrate their successes.”

IoL Vice Chair, Gary Grant, said:

“An award for up and coming, rising, licensing stars is an ideal tribute to Charles. His deep knowledge and patience in helping his younger (and not so young) colleagues with the most simple and most complex of licensing problems was legendary. 

“It was just one of the shining virtues for which he’ll be remembered. I know his family are delighted to support this award, as am I and my whole Chambers at FTB.”