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Judging Panel

The Judging Panel for these prestigious awards is made up of leading figures from business, charity, politics and the public sector. We are pleased to announce that once again the Chair of the Judging Panel will be Sir Kenneth Olisa OBE.

We will be updating this page as more judges are approved, please check it from time to time to see who else will be joining our esteemed panel.

Sir Kenneth Olisa OBE

Sir Kenneth Olisa OBE

Chair of Restoration Partners

Chair of Judging Panel

Alderman Vincent Keaveny

Alderman Vincent Keaveny

Lord Mayor of the City of London 2021-22

David Carrigan

David Carrigan

Group Director of Diversity, Inclusion & Wellbeing

Sky
Hannah Awonuga

Hannah Awonuga

Kerry Dryburgh

Kerry Dryburgh

Executive Vice President for People & Culture

bp

Laura Battley

Laura Battley

Company Secretary & General Counsel PLC

Watches of Switzerland Group

Michael Zdanowski

Michael Zdanowski

Director

Ventures Consulting

Nic Budden

Nic Budden

Nick Hedley

Nick Hedley

Partner

Hedley May

Sarah Whipp

Sarah Whipp

Steven Cooper CBE

Steven Cooper CBE

CEO

Fairstone Group

Wendy Lyons

Wendy Lyons

Managing Director

Human Assets

Gemma Lines

Gemma Lines

Chief People Officer

MS Amlin
Helen Fletcher

Helen Fletcher

UK General Counsel

BNP Paribas

Darren Peiris

Darren Peiris

VP & Group Head of Recruitment

National Grid

Chris Reeve

Chris Reeve

Joanna Hughes

Joanna Hughes

Founder & Director

Joanna Hughes Solicitor Apprenticeships

Stuart Martin

Stuart Martin

People Director

Lloyds Banking Group

Fergus Hynd

Fergus Hynd

Senior Manager-UK Social Mobility

DEI
National Grid

The UK Social Mobility Awards is a fundraising initiative for the registered charity, Making The Leap.

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Sir Kenneth Olisa OBE

Chair of Restoration Partners

Chair of the Judging Panel

Ken is Founder and Chairman of Restoration Partners, the boutique technology merchant bank and architects of the Virtual Technology Cluster model Ken’s technology career spans over 30 years commencing with IBM from whom he won a scholarship while at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge University. In 1992, after a twelve years as a senior executive at Wang Labs in the US and Europe, Ken founded Interregnum, the technology merchant bank.

He was elected as a Fellow of the British Computer Society in 2006. He has considerable public company Board-level experience on both sides of the Atlantic. He is currently a director of Thomson Reuter. He is also on the board of The Institute of Directors as a Non-Executive Director. Ken is a Freeman of the City of London; Past Master of the Worshipful Company of Information Technologists; a Director of the Thomson Reuters Foundation; Chairman of Thames Reach (for which he received an OBE in 2010); Chairman of Shaw Trust, was an original member of IPSA (Independent Parliamentary Standard Authority) and Founder and Chairman of the Powerlist Foundation. In 2009, he was named the Sunday Times Not for Profit Non-Executive Director of the year.

Ken was voted number one in the Powerlist’s Top 10 most influential British black people in 2016. In 2015 Her Majesty the Queen, appointed him as her Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London. Ken was knighted for services to Business and Philanthropy in the 2018 New Year’s Honours List.

Alderman Vincent Keaveny

Lord Mayor of the City of London
2021-22

Alderman Vincent Keaveny was Lord Mayor of the City of London in 2021/22. He is a Partner in the international law firm, DLA Piper, advising on finance and debt capital markets transactions in the UK and Europe.

In 2014/15 he served as President of the City of London Law Society. He is a graduate of University College Dublin (BCL) and Trinity College, Dublin (MLitt), holds a Doctorate of Science (honoris causa) from City, University of London and is an Honorary Bencher of Gray's Inn.

Vincent’s Mayoral theme - People and Purpose - championed a purpose led and people focused UK FPS sector. He co-chaired the Socio-Economic Diversity Taskforce and currently chairs Progress Together, the financial services membership body promoting greater socio-economic diversity in the industry.

He is the senior independent trustee of the Sir John Soane's Museum, chairs the board of the vocal ensemble, Exaudi, and is a director of Actors Touring Company.

David Carrigan

Group Director of Diversity, Inclusion & Wellbeing

Sky

David joined Sky from Live Nation/Ticketmaster, where as Director of Diversity he worked across 40 international markets.

Previously, he was the Head of Equality Strategy at Citizen’s Advice, headed Legal Affairs at the Commission for Racial Equality, and lead National Policy at the Housing Corporation/Homes and Communities Agency (HCA).

David has also held advisory roles to the College of Policing and served as a Board member for a Human Rights Charity.

David was the first member of his family to complete his secondary education and worked as an apprentice Gas Engineer after leaving school. He was fortunate to be able to study at night school before attending the University of Nottingham. He is an alumni of Druids Health and is a proud Brummie. He is married with two daughters and lives in Surrey.

Kerry Dryburgh

Executive vice president for people & culture and chief human resources and communications officer

bp

Kerry is bp’s executive vice president for People & Culture and the company’s chief human resources and communications officer. As a key enabler of business delivery, Kerry and the People & Culture team are discovering, developing, and empowering 80,000 employees across six continents to progress and communicate bp’s strategy and create a culture of purpose, winning, and care that grows the value of bp.

Kerry was appointed to her role in 2020, as bp began its transformation from an international oil company to an integrated energy company. Under her leadership, bp is building and enabling a culture and environment that encourages and supports everyone to perform at their best – and is delivering on its sustainability aims and DE&I framework.

Across internal and external communications, DE&I, talent, reward, wellbeing, and workplace, Kerry’s teams protect and advance bp’s reputation, invest in the communities where we live and work, and develop programs that build the next generation of talent, regardless of background.  

Kerry began her career with an apprenticeship, and then worked across a range of sectors across Europe and Asia before joining bp in 2010.

Laura Battley

Company Secretary & General Counsel

Watches of Switzerland Group PLC

Laura Battley is Company Secretary and General Counsel at Watches of Switzerland Group PLC, a FTSE 250 luxury watch and jewellery retailer. Before joining Watches of Switzerland, Laura was Company Secretary and General Counsel at high street retailer New Look, with responsibility for the legal and secretariat teams as well as the wider group compliance functions across the business. Laura was also responsible for ESG at New Look (including diversity and inclusion).

Laura trained and qualified as a corporate lawyer at Magic Circle law firm Slaughter and May and later spent time at Addleshaw Goddard and KPMG, where she was seconded to New Look before joining on a permanent basis.

Michael Zdanowski

Director

Ventures Consulting

Michael is a strategic advisor to leading global organisations across a range of sectors including energy, industry and technology, and is an expert on coalition building and how to build public advocacy campaigns. Among other roles, he currently acts as Chair of the UK's Fusion Industry Taskforce.

He is passionate about the potential of innovation and technology to decarbonise the economy and has led international campaigns to convince complex stakeholder audiences of the benefit of that change. He is committed to promoting diversity and inclusion in organisations having seen the benefits to businesses of social mobility and diverse thinking.

Michael has worked for several leading international consultancies and has lived, worked and studied across Europe. He has a PhD in European history from the University of Leeds and a Masters' degree from the College of Europe in Warsaw, Poland.

Nick Hedley

Partner

Hedley May

Nick is a recognised leader in the appointment of C-suite functional leaders, with a specialist focus on General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officers and Chief Risk Officers. He has worked across industry sectors and geographies on behalf of a diverse range of clients, helping them recruit talented individuals who are able to transform the impact a corporate function has on the business. Nick is a qualified lawyer who began his career in law before moving into search in 1995. He has an LLB from London University.

Steven Cooper CBE

CEO

Aldermore Bank

An established CEO and Non-Executive Director with extensive experience of leading and growing UK and international banking, payments & wealth businesses; delivering transformational strategic change and large technology & digital programmes. Steven has a reputation as a leader who builds outstanding leadership teams and transforms organisation culture.

Steven is currently CEO of Aldermore Group and Executive Committee member of First Rand Group (Africa’s largest bank). He is leading a strategic repositioning of the UK based mid-sized multi-specialist financial services group. This includes a significant, multi-year investment programme, overhauling the culture, leadership, technology and target market of the organisation including inorganic activity.

Prior to Aldermore, Steven served as CEO of C. Hoare & Co. He led the modernisation of the UK’s oldest private bank. Significant growth was achieved as a result of new digital capabilities, new customers and the introduction of diversified revenue streams.

Steven spent the majority of his career at Barclays PLC; he held several executive roles including CEO Personal Banking UK & Europe. CEO UK Business Banking and CEO Barclaycard Business & global payments. During his time at Barclays, Steven developed a reputation for transforming large scale business through digital technology, cultural change and a relentless focus on customers.

Steven’s current non-executive portfolio include Cashflows (a PE backed payment scale-up business) where he chairs the RemCo, Audit and Risk committee and Chair of Experian UK PLC. He has recently stepped down from the global recruitment company Robert Walters PLC where he served for 6 years.

Steven is an advocate for greater social mobility across society; he is a regular speaker on the challenges faced by disadvantaged groups. He leads by example, creating apprenticeship schemes and opportunities for those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Wendy Lyons

Managing Director

Human Assets

Wendy is an Occupational Psychologist and a chartered member of the British Psychological Society. She runs a talent management consultancy, Human Assets, based in central London. Wendy helps organisations to access, secure and benefit from the full diversity of talent.

Wendy has worked with a wide range of organisations in private, public and not for profit sectors and has led high profile projects in government departments and the private sector where the imperative has been to increase the diversity of applicants and recruits. She has also designed development initiatives to help people from underrepresented groups progress. She has extensive experience designing and delivering bespoke assessment and development initiatives at all levels within the organisation from graduates to Boards of Directors. Wendy co-authored ‘Holding on While Letting Go: A Director’s Guide to Contemporary Talent Management’ and enjoys contributing to public debate on business issues, her comments have featured in The Times, The Observer, Sky News as well as various industry publications.”

Gemma Lines

Chief People Officer

MS Amlin

A communications professional by background, now MS Amlin's Chief People Officer, Gemma is passionate about Leadership, Inclusion, Learning, Recruitment and all things Talent. A trained executive and career coach, skilled in employee engagement and change, Gemma also holds an MSc in International HR Management.

Gemma’s aim is to drive a healthy, high performing culture enabling people to do their best work. State-school educated, Gemma is focused on levelling the playing field for young people entering financial services.

Helen Fletcher

UK General Counsel

BNP Paribas

Helen is the General Counsel for the UK at BNP Paribas, the international banking group, where she heads a team of 180 lawyers around the UK. During the course of her career with the BNPP group, Helen has held roles within Legal and front office teams. Prior to joining BNPP, Helen started her career with City law firm Herbert Smith Freehills, followed a role at a US investment bank in the front office securitization and real estate finance team.

She is a graduate of the University of Cambridge, a qualified solicitor in England & Wales, and in Ireland, as well as a Certified Bank Director.

A passionate advocate for social mobility, diversity and young people, and has served as a trustee of children’s charity Chance UK since 2021.

Darren Peiris

VP & Group Head of Recruitment

National Grid

Darren is currently the VP & Group Head of Recruitment at National Grid, leading a team of recruitment professionals across the US and the UK and sits part of the People Leadership Team. Additionally, he holds the role of co-executive sponsor of the Global Pride Employee Resource Group. He is a multiple award-winning HR executive with experience globally in all facets of Human Resources, most recently being recognised at the 2024 British Recruitment Awards as Highly Commended Recruitment Leader of the Year. At National Grid, his team have been nominated for over 11 awards across the UK and the US most notably winning Talent Acquisition Strategy of the Year at the British Recruitment Awards

Prior to his role at National Grid, Darren worked at The Kraft Heinz Company where he was Head of Talent & Capability – International where he managed the international talent strategy and organisational development activities for over 50 countries and saw his team won over 15 industry awards and prior to his time at Kraft Heinz, Darren worked in a number of HR generalist roles at Telstra and Australia Post. Darren commenced his career as a Management Consultant in the People Advisory Services team at EY. He has recently been awarded a Chartered Fellowship into the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.

Chris Reeve

Chris was formerly the London Regional Chair at PwC working with some of PwC’s priority clients, local organisations and with communities throughout London. Born in Middlesbrough with a background in professional services firms, Chris has been a partner at PwC for 17 years working with Private, Listed and International businesses varying in size from startups to the worlds largest. Recently joined the board of the Community Interest Company supporting Brigade Bar & Kitchen, a Social Enterprise hub offering training opportunities to vulnerable people and those in danger of homelessness.

A sponsor of the Female Executive Mentoring programme which provides 1:1 Executive level mentoring to help women from public, private and third sectors to achieve their aspirations and build future Boards and leadership teams that reflect the diverse communities we live in. Chair of the London leadership Board of Business In The Community (BITC) working with 20 senior leaders in tackling some of the biggest challenges in London such as skills development, levelling up and Climate change.

Joanna Hughes

Founder & Director

Joanna Hughes Solicitor Apprenticeships

Joanna is the Founder and Director of Joanna Hughes Solicitor Apprenticeships. A driving force in setting up this company was to improve socio-economic diversity in the legal profession. Prior to 2022, Joanna was a solicitor for 25 years in a large international law firm and co-led the introduction of solicitor apprenticeships there. In her role as a Member of the City of London Law Society Training Committee she is working with the Chair of that Committee, as Co-CEOs of 'City Century, to greatly increase the number of solicitor apprenticeship opportunities available in the City of London.

In May 2021 Joanna was appointed to join the Taskforce to boost the socio-economic diversity at senior levels in UK financial and professional services, as a Working Group member, and was nominated by the Mayor of the City of London for the Freedom of the City of London for her work in the Taskforce. She is now a Liveryman of the City of London Solicitors' Company.

Joanna holds a number of judging and advisory roles including with The Sutton Trust and UCAS, and she is one of the Patrons of the Multicultural Apprenticeship Alliance.

She is also the proud recipient of UK Social Mobility Awards 2020 Mentor of the Year Award!

Stuart Martin

People Director

Lloyds Banking Group

Stuart is an international expert in AI enabled digital transformation, digital HR, and international operations, with a strong focus on leveraging AI and Gen AI solutions.

He currently serves as the Colleague Success Director on the People & Places Executive team at Lloyds Banking Group. He has lived in seven countries and his career includes significant roles at IBM, The Coca-Cola Company, EY, and Accenture. Stuart is recognised as a thought leader in HR, with a focus on the ethical use of AI, application of Gen AI in HR and enhancing the employee experience through combining design thinking with emerging technology.

As one of the few senior Black executives in this arena, Stuart actively champions the elimination of racial discrimination and has an extensive background in promoting diversity and inclusion, including efforts to bridge the digital divide in South Africa and advising LEAD, a female owned London-based charity that supports individuals from deprived backgrounds in entering the workforce.

He holds a Bachelor of Social Science degree in Industrial Psychology from the University of Cape Town and has completed numerous executive education programs, including at Harvard Business School and Oxford School of Business.

Fergus Hynd

Senior Manager - UK Social Mobility

DEI
National Grid

Fergus Hynd is in charge of the Pathways to Progress social mobility programme for National Grid UK; dedicated to advancing social mobility and supporting people in our communities facing employability challenges and socioeconomic barrier into work in both our organisation and our supply chain. Fergus was honoured to serve as a judging panelist for Making The Leap.