The awards are judged by an esteemed panel of industry leaders and experts, the judging is a rigorous two-stage process including pre-scoring to determine shortlists and a judging meeting where entries are discussed and evaluated in detail to decide the winning entries.
From a transparency perspective, we may video aspects of the judging session to show on the evening and give entrants an insight into why a winning entry was chosen.
Lucky Ali | Governor | Undergraduate | Digital Coach | Research Intern at University of Oxford | University of Liverpool
Lucky Ali is a purpose-driven Biomedical Scientist at the University of Liverpool. Since her college years she has an avid passion for leadership and her proactiveness led her to be elected as the President of Wirral Metropolitan College Students’ Union. Recently she has undertaken clinical vaccine research with the Oxford Vaccine Group at the University of Oxford. Lucky is passionate about exploring and researching the potentialities of current and novel technologies for the enhancement of medicine and healthcare. Her specific research interests lie in Lifestyle Medicine, AI/AR, Health Data Science, and Healthcare Technology. Lucky fervently supports value-led innovations and has just embarked on her own entrepreneurship journey. She has been appointed as the Governor of Wirral Metropolitan College, and as an active member of the Board of Governors she is working towards a more inclusive and quality Further and Higher Education in the Liverpool City Region. Lucky’s aim is to invest in the BAME communities and break the socio-economic barriers. Her vision is to empower underprivileged and underrepresented communities and bring them into the mainstream of talented positions within Europe and across the globe.
Dr Marilena Antoniadou | Head of Education for the Faculty of Business and Law | Manchester Metropolitan university
Marilena Antoniadou is the Head of Education for the Faculty of Business and Law of the Manchester Metropolitan university. She is a Reader in Management and Organisational Psychology, and currently leads the undergraduate programme of BA Business Psychology while teaches modules across Levels 4 to 7. She specialises in emotional (self-)management in the workplace and has published within the fields of educational management and organisational psychology. Marilena is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, an Academic member of the CIPD (MCIPD) and CMI (MCMI), a Certified Management & Business Educator (CMBE), and a committee member of North-West committee of The Association for Business Psychology.
Ruth Ashford | Emeritus Professor
Former Pro Vice Chancellor and Dean at Manchester Metropolitan University and Executive Dean at University of Chester, Professor Ruth Ashford has over 25 years of teaching and learning experience in HE. Ruth was also former Chair of Academy of Marketing (AM) and former Chief Examiner for Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) for many years, as well as serving on the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) panel responsible for Business and Management Benchmark Statements and this has a provided wealth of experience in managing teaching quality.
Paul Baines | Professor of Political Marketing and Associate Dean | University of Leicester
Paul Baines is Professor of Political Marketing and Associate Dean (Business & Civic Engagement) at the University of Leicester School of Business, Councillor, Charnwood Borough Council and Mayor of Charnwood (2021-2022), and Visiting Professor, Cranfield University. Paul has delivered undergraduate, postgraduate and executive courses and classes in universities around the world, including in USA, Canada, Malaysia, Sweden, Finland, Ireland, Holland, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. He is a Fellow of the Market Research Society (MRS) and the Institute of Directors. For over two decades, Paul’s research has particularly focused on political marketing, public opinion, and propaganda. He has co-written and co-edited circa 25 books on marketing topics, including the best-selling Marketing now in its 6th edition with Oxford University Press. Paul’s consultancy work includes experience working with government departments on strategic communication research projects, as well as with many small, medium, and large private enterprises, including Glassolutions Saint-Gobain, IBM, 3M, and many more. Paul is director of Baines Associates Limited, a strategic marketing/research consultancy and a non-executive Director of the Business Continuity Institute, a professional body for organizational resilience professionals.
Dr Eleanor Brown | Senior Lecturer in Education and Social Justice | University of York
Eleanor is a senior lecturer in education and is part of the Centre for Research on Education and Social Justice. As a collegiate university, York has nine colleges, and Eleanor is also the Principal of Derwent College where she works closely with students and alumni on a range of projects, including living-learning communities and student-led events. Prior to working at York, she worked at the University of Nottingham, where she also completed her PhD, which included spending a year based at the University of Granada, Spain. Eleanor has worked with a number of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in Britain and Spain and has conducted research in Cambodia, Brazil and Mexico. Her research looks at education in both formal and non-formal educational settings with adults as well as young people, with a particular interest in alternative forms of education and informal learning. Her research focuses on the role of education in development agendas, and she has research interests in global citizenship education, international volunteering, social justice, and critical pedagogy.
Mehmooda Duke MBE | Founder | Moosa-Duke Solicitors
Mehmooda is the founder of Moosa – Duke Solicitors specialising in medical negligence claims, a firm she set up in 2003; she spent the first 10 years defending health professionals and since 2003 she has acted for victims of the NHS and GPs. She specialises in complex spinal injury claims attracting multi million pound awards and leads a team of 18 professionals. In the History of English Cricket, Mehmooda is the first female and also the first person of colour to become the Chair of a First Class County Cricket Club. Her journey began in 2021 as the first female Board Advisor to the Leicestershire County Cricket Club; 2019 saw her become the first female Board Director and just 2 months later in May 2019 she was elected. She was re-elected in May 2020 and again in March 2021; during her time she has inter alia developed important relationships with key stakeholders, secured £2.45m refinancing, brought about financial stability, changes in leadership, structure and overall strategic approach to include the establishment of the Academy of Cricket and South Asian Strategy group. She stands down as Chair in March 2022 to take up the role of High Sheriff for the County later that month, only the 2nd Asian female to hold that position. Mehmooda was the first Asian female in the 155 year history of Leicestershire Law Society from 2015-2016 to be President; she was appointed Chair in May 2017 and stood down at the AGM in September 2020; Nationally, Mehmooda is a founder member and founder Executive Board member of the Society of Clinical Injury Lawyers (SCIL); she is now on its Public Affairs Group representing Clinical Injury Lawyers at national level; She was appointed Trustee of the MCC Foundation in February 2021; In 2017, Mehmooda was appointed Deputy Lieutenant for Leicestershire and Rutland (2nd Asian female in the history of Leicestershire) and will hold this position to age 75; Mehmooda was awarded an MBE in the New Year Honours List 2019 for services to the Legal Profession and female entrepreneurship; Awarded Leicester Mercury Business Woman of the Year 2017;Awarded Leicestershire Law Society Solicitor of the Year 2018; Mehmooda is the founder and Chair of ‘Leading Ladies’ a membership organisation made up of professional and non - professional women of all generations ( oldest member aged 82). The aim is to inspire, mentor, coach and support one another to ‘dream big and fly high’. In June 2019, with the support of the Leicestershire County Cricket Club community team brought 180 women from the local and business community to a health and well being event to play Bolly Cric-Hit at Grace Road; In 2020, in collaboration with Leicester High School for girls and the local business community, we invited children from 3 state schools and ran an IWD evening with careers panels and interactive presentations and workshops; on the back of this, during the pandemic, we provided mentoring and training for women and girls (age 11 to 16) and involved them in local radio as guests and presenters. Mehmooda has organised six 10 mile charity walks for local lawyers and business people, done two 10K runs and climbed Kilimanjaro raising over £130,000 for charity; Mehmooda was a founder member and Co-President of the Fosse Business Breakfast club a local organisation of small businesses for 7 years.
Pooja Furniss | Associate Director of HR & Recruitment Services | The University of Sheffield
Pooja Furniss is an experienced Senior HR professional, a Chartered Fellow of the CIPD with diverse and considerable multi sector experience in fast moving complex organisations, including Further Education, Local Government, manufacturing, retail, hospitality and now Higher Education. She is currently the Associate Director of HR & Recruitment Services at The University of Sheffield. Prior to her current appointment she was the Executive Director of People and Culture at Wirral Met College and was previously Head of HR and Payroll at Kirklees College. She has always driven and developed a strong customer focused approach driving a true student centric approach within the teams she has led. She is a people architect with a real passion for people. She adopts a visionary approach to the value added and competitive advantage that can be achieved through driving a positive people agenda. She is passionate about diversity and inclusion and the enrichment it brings to an organisation and the importance of truly imbedding inclusion through education. Pooja has also worked closely with ACAS in instilling best practice in employee relations.
Jamie Griffiths | Smooth Radio Content Director | Communicorp UK
Phil Harris | Emeritus Professor, University of Chester & Professor Extraordinarius, University of South Africa (UNISA), Pretoria | Chair of the Judging Panel
Phil Is Professor Emeritus at the University of Chester and was previously Executive Director of the Business Research Institute, a Dean of its Business Faculty and held the Westminster (Grosvenor) Chair in Marketing and Public Affairs. He is Professor Extraordinarius at the University of South Africa. He is a past Chairman of the Marketing Council (UK) PLC, Board member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, Professor of Marketing at the University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand and Founding Director of the Centre for Corporate and Public Affairs at Manchester Metropolitan University, where he led one of the largest business start-up and support initiatives in the North. Prior to becoming an academic he held positions in the international chemical, and foods industries with ICI and RHM and has chaired or been a board member of the American Marketing Association, Academy of Marketing, and the Australian and New Zealand Marketing Academy. Phil has advised government on Medium Sized Businesses and Small Business and helped found the Educate North Awards in 2015 and University Enterprise Challenge in 2016. He is recognised for his work in developing high quality entrepreneurs regionally and internationally both in the not for profit, private and public sectors. He serves on a number of boards, trusts and holds visiting positions and professorships in China, Germany, India, New Zealand and South Africa.
Mike Jones | Past Director General of Association of MBA’s
Mike had a 20 plus year career as a human resources professional. His industrial appointments included periods as Personnel Manager/Director in the Food Products, Engineering and Paper industries before joining the St Helens-based Pilkington Group, as Group Management Development Manager and Managing Director of its subsidiary leadership business, Lakeside Training and Development. This role led Mike into the university business school world when he was appointed to a Visiting Fellowship at Manchester Business School. In more recent years he was Director General of the Association of MBAs.and Director and Professor of the Foundation for Management Education, responsible for furthering the development of postgraduate management education. He was Dean of the Business School at the University of East London and has served on various Government committees concerned with linking Business and Business School academia. In his semi-retirement, Mike continues to work in a consultancy role within the International Business School community. His views on management and business education are widely sought and he has held Advisory Board appointments at a number of the UK leading business schools. Mike has developed an interesting portfolio of volunteer activities in addition to his role at AUKWirral including being a Board member for a national housing association, a School Governor, a Trustee at Balliol College, Oxford and a member of the Wirral Schools Appeals Panel.He is currently a Visiting Professor at Chester University’s Business School. Mike holds a Doctorate of Business Administration degree and an MSc in Management, and is a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. He is a member of the Worshipful Company of Marketers and a Freeman of the City of London.
Dr Amna Khan | Senior Lecturer | Manchester Metropolitan University
Dr Amna Khan, is a senior lecturer in Marketing and Retail. She has written, teaches and leads the Consumer Behaviour units for undergraduate marketing degrees and commercial programmes. She contributes original case material based on her unique academic and commercial experiences. She has strong ties with retail education, apprenticeships, executive education, teaching retail managers from Tesco, Asda, Booths, The Co-op, McDonalds, Halfords the Post Office. Amna has taught marketing at a variety of institutions in countries such as Singapore. Amna regularly provide comments to media (TV, Radio, Print) on consumer behaviour, consumer psychology, retail, supermarkets, the highstreets, on/offline retailing.
Professor George Lodorfos | Dean of Leeds Business School | Leeds Beckett University
Professor George Lodorfos is an electrical and electronic engineer by first degree, he holds Masters degrees in Automation and Control as well as in Innovation and Technology Management, and a PhD in Strategic Management of Research and Development. In addition, he has supervised to completion and he has examined many PhDs both in the UK and Europe and is an external examiner for two UK universities. He has extensive practical and academic experience in the field of Strategic Management, R&D and Adoption of New Technologies and Innovation. In addition, he has done extensive research and enterprise work in the areas of buyer behaviour with particular interest in online purchasing and the use of technology to enable the sustainable growth of businesses. Furthermore, he has done extensive research and enterprise work in the areas of Small Businesses Development and Growth. Teaching Experience George is a Principal Fellow of the HEA and has more than fifteen years of teaching experience at all levels, in areas including, Business Strategy, Business Planning, International Business, Managing Innovation and Change, Entrepreneurship, and others. Research Interests Professor Lodorfos' research interests are in the broad thematic areas of Innovation, Enterprise and Change, and Consumer Behaviour. Particular research themes include: • Organisational changes in the form of mergers, acquisitions, demergers and divestments and the effect that they have on organisations' performance. • The management of research and development in technology intensive industries. • The factors that enable SMEs' sustainable development. • The factors that affect consumer behaviour in the food and drinks industry. • The focus of his research and enterprise work, and therefore the impact of his work is on how to "boost" business growth for enterprises.
John Mohin OBE | Senior Corporate Director
John Mohin was educated at the Blue Coat School in Liverpool, University of Central Lancashire, qualified as a graduate of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, later elevated to Fellow and studied strategic marketing at Harvard Business School. During a thirty-five year career with Wedgwood, John Mohin held several key international positions including President of Wedgwood Japan and Managing Director of Waterford Wedgwood Australia where he received a commendation for his contribution to the Commonwealth of Australia and was duly granted citizenship, which is held jointly with the United Kingdom. John is a Freeman of the City of London and serves as a Business Mentor for the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council. He is an accomplished public speaker most recently addressing the issue of Commonwealth Trade. John Mohin was conferred with an Honorary Doctorate for his contribution to the British Pottery Industry and made OBE for Services to Business and Charity in the North West of England.
Dr Shobana Partington | Head of Department, Business School | Manchester Metropolitan University
Shobana has over 20 years experience of working in Higher Education in the UK and abroad. She leads the department that delivers undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in the subject area of business technology, business analytics, project management, operations and supply chain, events and hospitality management. The department is also home to the sector leading Degree Apprenticeship programme in Digital Technology Solution.