The members of the judging panel are selected from a broad spectrum of industries and have a wealth of experience across the full range of business disciplines. The judges all give their time, professional abilities and enthusiasm to the Awards. They consider each entry independently and impartially.
Chief Judge
Stephen Woolfe – Harvey Ingram LLP
Stephen has headed up the panel of Judges for many years having previously been a judge in the Innovation category. He also acts as a link between the judging panel and the Awards' Board. He has acted as a judge in the Business in the Community National Collaborative Action Awards, the Midlands Business Awards and in the Chamber Regional Business Awards. Stephen is a partner at Harvey Ingram LLP, Chairman of the East Midlands Chambers of Commerce and the immediate past-President of the Leicestershire Chamber of Commerce.
Substitute Judge
Roger Merchant
Roger has 4 years experience as a judge on the Leicester Business Awards. He is a business services partner at PKF, specialising in helping owner managed businesses with their growth plans. He is also a due diligence specialist, assisting on the financial aspects of acquisitions. His work with fast growth companies makes him ideally placed to act as a judge on these Awards.
Roger has 4 years experience as a judge on the Leicester Business Awards. He is a business services partner at PKF, specialising in helping owner managed businesses with their growth plans. He is also a due diligence specialist, assisting on the financial aspects of acquisitions. His work with fast growth companies makes him ideally placed to act as a judge on these Awards.
Sales & Marketing Category
Trevor Flannery - Stocks Taylor Benson
Trevor is Sales & Marketing Director for Enderby based Stocks Taylor Benson, a top 10 UK design agency. Trevor joined STB in 2001 responsible for generating new business and driving forward the marketing activity. In 2005 Trevor compiled an entry for the Leicestershire business awards for the sales & marketing category. This endeavour not only complemented the marketing objectives but was also maximised by a flexible marketing strategy. The entry was a winner!
In 2007 Trevor moved to Storm Brand Design, a design agency in West Yorkshire. As Sales & Marketing Director Trevor was tasked with raising the profile of the business and devising a marketing plan and strategy geared to growing the business.
Overseas opportunities were identified and evaluated and Storm began exporting design services to the USA and Ireland.In 2009 Trevor returned to Stocks Taylor Benson, assuming his previous role of Sales & Marketing Director.
Eager to promote the importance and benefits of the design industry Trevor championed the Design Leicestershire initiative in 2007 with other industry peers, which secured funding of £250k from the regional development agency to support collaborative ventures for the region nationally and internationally. He was nominated to represent Stocks Taylor Benson, the Design Business Association and Design Leicestershire on a Trade Mission to Brazil in March 2007. Trevor has been invited to talk at CIM events, and work with The Prince of Wales Trust inspiring people to generate new business and implement a simple and effective marketing plan.
Trevor is a governor of Calderdale College in West Yorkshire.
Neil McGhee
Neil appreciates the different needs of both start-up and established companies as they carve out their place in the markets they serve, he understands the effectiveness of the range of sales and marketing tools available from mail-shots to internet action, agents to direct sales.
Neil has been a key player in several emerging markets, from mobile communications, through developing cable TV and Telephony in the newly deregulated UK market and creating the 3rd largest/profitable Internet Service Provider.
Signum & now Sempervox are Leicester based businesses that are serving clients across the globe with effective telecoms, internet and IT services. Neil is particularly proud that they have a 95% customer retention record.
Investing in Leicestershire Category
James Sinclair FRICS – Prospect Leicestershire
James has spent his career in the private sector, principally in the commercial property investment and development markets. This has included directorships of a City merchant bank, where he ran investment portfolios in both the UK and USA; of private investment and development companies – both British and Scandinavian; and of his own companies, active in London and the South East.
Anticipating the downturn in the property markets and tiring of daily commuting from Wiltshire to London, James joined the then Leicester Regeneration Company at the end of 2006 and is active in regeneration projects throughout the city and county. This is his second year as a Business Awards judge.
Ashwin Mody - Spearing Waite
Insolvency Partner, Ashwin Mody of Leicester law firm Spearing Waite is a well known and highly respected figure in Leicestershire’s business community.
Anticipating the downturn in the property markets and tiring of daily commuting from Wiltshire to London, James joined the then Leicester Regeneration Company at the end of 2006 and is active in regeneration projects throughout the city and county. This is his second year as a Business Awards judge.
Ashwin Mody - Spearing Waite
Insolvency Partner, Ashwin Mody of Leicester law firm Spearing Waite is a well known and highly respected figure in Leicestershire’s business community.
Ashwin joined the firm three years ago after 12 years with Leicester legal practice Howes Percival. He has worked on numerous high profile insolvency related and commercial disputes in Leicestershire and throughout the Midlands.
Acting for clients in a wide range of sectors, he has assisted major multi-national firms through to SMEs and has built strong, ongoing client relationships.
His specialisms include asset recovery, civil and corporate fraud, larger commercial and corporate disputes as well as insolvency and corporate recovery.
Ashwin’s expertise and experience has proved invaluable in helping many county companies to grow and flourish and his in-depth knowledge of Leicestershire’s economic scene makes him an ideal candidate for the business awards judging panel. Taking a rational and reasoned approach to corporate strategy, Ashwin also brings to the table an inherent understanding of the particular financial and business issues facing the county’s employers during these challenging times.
Success Through People Category
Andy’s early career was in a variety of roles for banking giant HSBC. A number of senior managerial appointments throughout the country finally led him to Leicestershire where, over the last few years, saw him lead and manage teams of 20 to 200 in a number of disciplines within the financial services sector. Andy is now Managing Director of management consultancy company, MC², dealing primarily with management, leadership, team building and individual coaching. Andy is a firm believer in the phrase ‘people make it happen’ and looks forward to witnessing Leicestershire firms achieving fantastic success through their most valuable resource, their people.
Mujib Nathalia - Walkers Midshire Foods
Mujib is Finance Director at Walker Midshire Foods, part of Samworth Brothers Ltd – A graduate of De Montfort University and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants. He has worked at a senior level in competitive sectors for over 15 years, these include Aerospace, Chilled Foods and Charities. The knowledge and understanding gained through contact with the broad range of employees, customers and suppliers, that he encountered, has been invaluable.
While observing, engaging and delivering into the above environments Mujib has recognised the catalysts behind the successes: Each success began with the empowerment of an individual or team of people. Mujib is a staunch supporter and advocate for investment in people.
Enterprise Through Innovation Category
Stephen is the Finance Director of Ashfield In2Focus and has been with the company almost since its inception some 10 years ago. He has been an integral part of the senior management team which has successfully turned the company into the number 1 player in the UK CSO arena and currently trades in 3 countries. In that time Ashfield In2Focus has picked up the Leicestershire Business Awards for Success Through People, Investing in Leicestershire, Business Personality of the Year and the most coveted Leicestershire Business of the Year award so understands fully what is required to win. He qualified as a Management Accountant in 1994 and has worked for a variety of Blue Chip companies in a variety of roles and industries within the Leicester and Nottingham area.
Patric Phelan - Vantis
Patric Phelan is the managing partner of the Vantis office in Leicester. Vantis is one of the largest accountancy and advisory businesses in the region and provides value-added business services to owner-managed businesses and private individuals.
Patric often jokes that he is an accountant by training rather than instinct! As a result his wider approach has benefited many businesses over the years. He has an ability to see the big picture and this is illustrated by the changes that he has led in his legacy firm Pole Arnold over the years leading up to its joining Vantis.
Patric’s client portfolio includes all types of owner managed and family businesses in many sectors and over the years he has been involved in many notable acquisitions and disposals. He has substantial experience of owner managed businesses and enjoys helping them identify the strategic issues facing them and supporting them with solutions.
Patric is often called upon by the media when a contrary opinion needs to be expressed on a range of business related subjects. He also has vast knowledge of the local marketplace having spent the majority of his life in the county.
Vantis have sponsored the Entrepreneur of the Year category of the Leicestershire Business Awards for the past four years and Patric is looking forward to now being involved as part of the judging panel.
On a personal note, Patric is a self confessed “petrolhead” with many years involvement in Motor Sport in a wide range of experience including the management and ownership of a professional motor race team that won a World Championship.
Contribution to the Community Category
David Sprason – Leicestershire County Council
David has been an elected County Councillor representing the Markfield, Desford and Thornton Division in North West of Leicestershire since 2001. He is a senior member of the County Council Cabinet with responsibility for Adult Social Care and Health. He is a peer member for the Improvement and Development Agency assisting other local authorities and elected members to improve services. Prior to that he held the position of Sales Executive for 5 years of a leading US fluid handling systems manufacturer. David has worked in both the public and private sectors in senior management positions, and is looking forward to using his personal experience of business success with competitive engineering solutions, in judging this year's entries.
Anoushka Lander – Alliance & Leicester
David has been an elected County Councillor representing the Markfield, Desford and Thornton Division in North West of Leicestershire since 2001. He is a senior member of the County Council Cabinet with responsibility for Adult Social Care and Health. He is a peer member for the Improvement and Development Agency assisting other local authorities and elected members to improve services. Prior to that he held the position of Sales Executive for 5 years of a leading US fluid handling systems manufacturer. David has worked in both the public and private sectors in senior management positions, and is looking forward to using his personal experience of business success with competitive engineering solutions, in judging this year's entries.
This is Anoushka's second year judging the Contribution to the Community Award. Anoushka has worked for Alliance & Leicester for the past eight years and looked after the Group's Corporate Social Responsibility programme for two years until the take over from Santander last October. She is now a CSR Communications Manager within the Community Relations team. With a solid background in Corporate Social Responsibility Anoushka is ideally placed to judge this award. Alliance & Leicester Commercial Bank are both past winners and finalists of the Business Awards and have shown their commitment to the community through their sponsorship to this category in the past.
New Business Category
John has spent over 12 years in corporate sales, most recently with Oval Insurance Broking in Leicester, where his focus is on developing relationships with and providing insurance and risk management advice to Midlands based businesses.
The Oval Insurance Broking has a long history of supporting the community of Leicestershire as a sponsor of the Success Through People business award, as a major sponsor to the Leicester Tigers and as the main shirt sponsor to Leicestershire County Cricket Club.
John has previously held sales positions in start-up businesses and is well aware of the huge commitment and hard work entrepreneurs put into making a new business a success. He hopes to use this experience when judging the New Business Category. In 2005, John moved back to Leicester after spending 10 years in London and has become fully involved in the Leicester business community as a Board member of the Leicestershire Business Voice.
Mairi Watson - De Montfort University
Following a successful career as a senior manager, Mairi Watson has been a senior lecturer in the Business School at De Montfort University since 2005, leading programmes that focus on the development of people to achieve business success. Since 2000, Mairi has also run her own business as a management and leadership development consultant and is a regular contributor to international conferences presenting her research on the leadership of change. As a judge, Mairi hopes to bring her experience and research interests together to judge business success in this category.
Entrepreneur of the Year Category
Barrie Stephen - Barrie Stephen Hair
Barrie Stephen is one of the country’s most talented and prominent hairdressers, with prestigious wins in both the regional business and hair industry awards including Leicestershire Entrepreneur of the Year, Hair magazine’s Salon Stylist of the Year and the UK’s Most Wanted Business Pro. He is director and owner of four Barrie Stephen Hair salons across Leicestershire - based in Anstey, Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Narborough (Carlton Park) and King Street in the city.
Barrie started his business in 1996, transforming a former butcher’s shop into a high-class boutique salon – always with the vision of creating a sophisticated and stylish set-up to rival the services found in London. He employed just one other person but after a mere 18 months his skills were so highly sought after, that he had to take on another 15 employees and expand the salon to accommodate the increase in demand. Now, Barrie’s expertise is widely recognised, and he has a strong media profile, speaking engagements at industry events, and judging engagements, as at the Irish Hairdressing Business Awards.
With a generous incentive programme, in-house awards, professional training and a personal wellbeing Fit4Business schedule, Barrie has a 40 strong team and a 98% staff retention rate. From his expertise and experience of running a thriving, growing business Barrie is looking forward to identifying the future star of the Leicester commercial world.
Stewart Collier – Mark J Rees
This is Stewart’s third year judging the Leicestershire Business Awards. He has held the position of partner at Mark J Rees, Chartered Accountants and Business and Tax Advisers in Leicester for over 20 years. During this time he has connected with and works for a number of entrepreneurs some well known locally and others, nationally. Stewart's first hand business experience of working at this level has given him a fantastic insight into the differentiating traits of an entrepreneur. He looks forward to using his background to add value to the process of crowning the 2010 Leicestershire Entrepreneur of the Year.
Barrie started his business in 1996, transforming a former butcher’s shop into a high-class boutique salon – always with the vision of creating a sophisticated and stylish set-up to rival the services found in London. He employed just one other person but after a mere 18 months his skills were so highly sought after, that he had to take on another 15 employees and expand the salon to accommodate the increase in demand. Now, Barrie’s expertise is widely recognised, and he has a strong media profile, speaking engagements at industry events, and judging engagements, as at the Irish Hairdressing Business Awards.
With a generous incentive programme, in-house awards, professional training and a personal wellbeing Fit4Business schedule, Barrie has a 40 strong team and a 98% staff retention rate. From his expertise and experience of running a thriving, growing business Barrie is looking forward to identifying the future star of the Leicester commercial world.
Stewart Collier – Mark J Rees
This is Stewart’s third year judging the Leicestershire Business Awards. He has held the position of partner at Mark J Rees, Chartered Accountants and Business and Tax Advisers in Leicester for over 20 years. During this time he has connected with and works for a number of entrepreneurs some well known locally and others, nationally. Stewart's first hand business experience of working at this level has given him a fantastic insight into the differentiating traits of an entrepreneur. He looks forward to using his background to add value to the process of crowning the 2010 Leicestershire Entrepreneur of the Year.
Leicestershire Business of the Year Category
The finalists from each Award category are automatically submitted for consideration for the Leicestershire Business of the Year Award. During the judges’ visit to each finalist they are asked to present any additional information which they feel may be relevant for consideration.
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