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

Chair of Restoration Partners

Chair of Judging Panel

Nic Budden

Chief Executive Officer

Foxtons

Laura Hinton

Chief People Officer

PwC

Frank Roden

Head of Asset & Fund Services

BNP Paribas Securities Services

Adrian Burns

Air Commodore

Royal Air Force

Nick Hedley

Partner

Hedley May

Andy Long

Chief Executive Officer

Pentland Brands

Sarah David

Founder & Managing Director

Thrive Consulting Collaborative

Steven Cooper

Chief Executive Officer

C. Hoare & Co

Katja Hall

Corporate Affairs Director

Capita

Laura Battley

Company Secretary & G C

New Look

Adam Lisle

Head of Recruitment & Brand

Lidl

Jacky Kelly

Co-head of the Global Structured Finance

Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP

Amber Wilkinson

Strategy, Brand & Communications Director

AXA UK & Ireland

Ira Read

Global Head of Inclusion & Diversity

Diageo plc

Geoffrey Williams

Diversity & Inclusion Professional

Rocking Ur Teens

Lyn Garner

Chief Executive

London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC)

Janet Hill CBE

Wendy Lyons

Director

Human Assets

Paul Cleal

Michael Zdanowski

Head of Energy

Madano

Simon Söder

Partner

Antin

Headline Sponsor

Gold Partner

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.

Nic Budden

Chief Executive Officer

Foxtons

Prior to joining Foxtons in 2005, Nic had an international career in business development, operations, marketing, strategy and finance, having held positions at BT Group plc (1990 to 1997), Cable & Wireless Group (1997 to 2002) and Severn Trent Group (2003 to 2005). Nic holds a degree in economics from the University of Essex.

Laura Hinton

Chief People Officer

PwC

Laura graduated from King’s College, London with a Business Management degree. She trained in audit prior to moving into HR Consulting. Laura joined PwC in 2005 and became a Partner in 2006. Before joining the Executive Board, she held a number of Leadership roles including Head of People for the Tax Practice, and UK HR Consulting Leader. Laura continues to work with global clients to support them with people transformation programmes and culture change.

Frank Roden

Head of Asset & Fund Services UK

BNP Paribas Securities Services

Frank Roden has worked for BNP Paribas Securities Services for 15 years in UK and international fund markets. In July 2016 Frank was appointed head of the firm’s UK asset and fund servicing business, and in addition, acts as the senior business sponsor for CSR in the UK.

Prior to 2016, Frank has been in a number of roles focused primarily on the strategic development of BNP Paribas Securities Services businesses in international markets, servicing institutional asset managers across a range of mutual and alternative funds structures.

Frank holds a degree in Physics and Mathematics from the University of Leeds and is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.

Adrian Burns

Air Commodore

Royal Air Force

Air Commodore Adrian Burns joined the Royal Air Force in 1990 as an Administration officer. He has undertaken a range of support roles at the RAF’s frontline bases and has a variety of operational experience in the Middle East, South Atlantic, Africa and Afghanistan. In staff appointments he has held a range of strategic roles and has held senior positions in the MOD’s Financial and Military Capability Team and Headquarters Air’s Manning Authority.

He has most recently completed Command of Royal Air Force Halton and a one year course at the Royal College of Defence Studies. He is married and has two grown-up children. He is a passionate believer in Social Mobility and the associated responsibilities that institutions and employers should discharge freely and gladly, using Role Models, Ambassadors and Advocates.

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.

Andy Long

Chief Executive Officer

Pentland Brands

Andy Long is Chief Executive Officer of Pentland Brands, a UK based private, family owned brand management company operating in sports, outdoor and fashion.

Pentland owns a number of well-known brands including: Speedo, Berghaus, Canterbury, Mitre, and Ellesse. Pentland is also the global licensee for Lacoste and Ted Baker footwear and sells its products in over 190 countries worldwide.

A Chartered Management Accountant, Andy has been with the company since 2005 and previously worked at Procter and Gamble and Boots Group. In 2016 Andy was appointed to the Board of Sport England, the arm’s length body of the UK Government charged with increasing the number of people enjoying the benefits of sport and activity in England – no matter what their background, ability or age.

Sarah David

Founder & Managing Director

Thrive Consulting Collaborative

Thrive founder and managing director Sarah David has built her consulting career having previously held senior executive level roles in a range of businesses going through significant growth and change. Her early career was spent as a lawyer with Slaughter and May, before moving into sales and management as a director of QD Legal, a highly successful recruitment business.

A key player in business acquisitions, Sarah has unusually strong experience in change situations, particularly engaging teams in major change, restructuring international teams and leading change programmes vital to growth and retrenchment strategies. She has been able to apply her tactics and strategies in organisations ranging from £2bn to $1m turnover, particularly in professional services, search, regulatory and education sectors, and in all ownership models, private, listed, public and private equity backed.

Her MBA, executive Harvard Business School programme, executive coaching training and investment in professional development are components of her success. She was the first person in her family to go to university.

Sarah’s not for profit experience includes board roles at The Children’s Society, inspire* and as CEO of Firefly, an autism school and outreach centre in Colorado, USA. She coaches and mentors CEOs in the charity space and has led CSR programmes for businesses in an executive capacity. Thrive is a social business, supporting social justice and mobility causes and charities.

Returning from the US after being suddenly widowed, Sarah took her experiences into consultancy and founded Thrive with her belief that business leaders do have time to make changes that will make them and their businesses prosper.

Steven Cooper

Chief Executive Officer

C. Hoare & Co

Within his 32 years in the banking industry, Steven was most recently CEO of Barclaycard Business Solutions, managing the payments division for Barclaycard including Merchant Acquiring, Commercial Payments and Sales Finance. Prior to this, he was CEO of Personal Banking at Barclays for both UK and Europe, where he gained a wealth of experience in the rapidly changing landscape of consumer banking with digital technology and data. He has also led UK Business Banking and businesses for Barclays in Africa, India and Offshore locations.

Steven sits on a number of advisory boards, including being a commissioner for the social mobility commission. Steven is a NED at Robert Walters PLC and the FSCS and is an Alumni of Harvard Business Schools

Katja Hall

Corporate Affairs Director

Capita

Katja Hall Corporate Affairs Director Katja is responsible for both Capita’s internal and external communications, including employee engagement and public affairs, she was Group Head of External Affairs at HSBC where she was responsible for external communications, public affairs and sustainability. Prior to joining HSBC, Katja was Deputy Director-General at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and led CBI’s policy development and advocacy work in the UK and internationally. She led campaigns on skills and education, public service reform, trust in business and diversity.

Laura Battley

Company Secretary & General Counsel

New Look

Laura Battley is Group Company Secretary and General Counsel at New Look. Having spent over 6 years at Magic Circle law firm Slaughter and May, Laura spent time at Addleshaw Goddard and then KPMG, where she joined New Look initially on secondment and then later returned in a permanent role. She now has responsibility for the legal and secretariat teams as well as the wider group compliance functions across the business (including data protection, internal audit, operational audit, corporate governance, profit protection, insurance, incident management, business continuity and health and safety).

Laura is also a lay trustee, appointed to the board of King’s College London Students’ Union and acts as Chair of their Governance and Policy Committee.

Adam Lisle

Head of Recruitment & Employer Brand

Lidl

Having joined Lidl GB in 2005 on one of their Times Top 100 recognised graduate programmes, Adam’s career with Lidl has been a genuine example of the opportunities and diversity a career in retail can offer. After studying a BSc in European Business and Management at Swansea University, working for one of the largest food retailers in Europe was the perfect fit.

Adam began at Lidl in Store Operations learning about the core of a food retail business and went on to undertake an 18 month secondment in Germany as part of the company’s international job rotation programme, before returning to the UK in 2011 in the HR function at Head Office. He initially led the Learning and Development team, before more recently transitioning into the role of Head of Recruitment and Employer Brand, where it is his job to attract, select and onboard the best talent in the market, so that Lidl can continue its impressive growth story.

Jacky Kelly

Co-head of the Global Structured Finance & Derivatives practice

Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP

Jacky Kelly is a partner and head of the London Structured Finance & Derivatives practice and is co-head of the Global Structured Finance & Derivatives practice at Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP.

Jacky has been practising in the London finance market since the mid-eighties and has represented financial institutions, hedge funds and private equity houses on a variety of finance transactions including leveraged finance, asset backed lending, real estate lending, securitisation, derivatives and restructuring. Jacky is recognised as a Market Leader for Structured Finance and Securitisation in IFLR1000 UK and a Leading Individual for Securitisation in Legal 500 UK. She is listed as a Leading Individual for Securitisation and Structured Finance & Derivatives in Chambers UK and Chambers Global with clients noting “[she is] very commercial, incredibly smart, and represents our interests with other counsel, bringing them round to our point of view in a non-confrontational way.” She is also recognised in Legal Media Group’s Expert Guides series, including “Women in Business Law”, “Best of the Best” and “Structured Finance and Securitisation”.

As someone who attended a state school in South London, Jacky is hugely passionate about Inclusion and social mobility. Jacky is Co-Chair of the Weil Inclusion Committee in London and heads up Social Mobility@Weil.

Amber Wilkinson

Strategy, Brand & Communications Director

AXA UK & Ireland

Amber was appointed as Strategy, Brand and Communications Director for AXA UK & Ireland in March 2020. Prior to this, Amber held various roles within AXA, including Chief of Staff to the AXA UK and & Ireland CEO, Finance Director at AXA PPP Healthcare and Head of M&A for AXA UK. Amber also previously spent a number of years at PwC where she started in audit and qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 2005, before working in Corporate Finance advising businesses and private equity houses on Merger and Acquisition activity.

Ira Read

Global Head of Inclusion & Diversity

Diageo plc

Ira Read is Global Head of Inclusion & Diversity at Diageo plc and is based at their headquarters in London.

Ira has twenty years of HR experience in roles varying from business partnering, talent acquisition, talent management and inclusion and diversity.

Previously, Ira worked at Visa in communications and prior to that was an HR Director at Johnson Controls, a billion dollar US company and market leader in the field of smart buildings.

She began her career as a solicitor and worked in commercial property law before deciding to branch out into human resources. Ira was born in Zambia and lived there until the age of 4 when she moved to London.

Geoffrey Williams

Diversity & Inclusion Professional

Co-Founder Rocking Ur Teens

Geoffrey has had a diverse career journey starting his working life in the entertainment industry then moving into health care, rail and media for the last 20 years. He has worked in Human Resources for the last 10 years of his career and has experience in Recruitment, Talent Management, learning and development, Orgnatsaional Design and Diversity and Inclusion.

He was the fromer Global Head of Diversity & Inclusion at Thomson Reuters , where he worked on strategy, culture and implimentation of a D&I agenda and globally launched Thomson Reuters Diversity and Inclusion index, was award EY’s National Equality Standard. As well as create programs that supported diverse communites within the Thomson Reuters business. He has been featured in the Financial Times Top 100 ethnic minority role models and DIMA 50 male advocates for equality in marketing and media for 2018

Geoffrey is also the co-founder of www.RockingUrTeens.com a social enterprise that introduces young people to the real world of work & aims to connect the teens to a positive and vibrant futures. As well as sitting on the board of film production company www.oneumbrellaproductions.com.

Geoffrey is committed to working to change the world of work so all people feel connected and business have high performing teams that trust and listen to each other.

Lyn Garner

Chief Executive

London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC)

Lyn joined LLDC, the body responsible for the development of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and its surrounding areas, as Chief Executive in February 2018. She is responsible for overseeing the delivery of 24,000 homes, 40,000 jobs, and the forthcoming East Bank project, a new cultural and education district comprising of new buildings for V&A museum, Sadler’s Wells, BBC Orchestra, and new campuses for UCL East and UAL’s London College of Fashion. Lyn is also currently serving as Chair of Future of London, an independent network for regeneration, housing and economic development.

Janet Hill CBE

Recently retired, Janet (formally a career Civil Servant) spent her first 10 years in operational delivery before moving onto a series of corporate and strategy roles. Having managed a variety of front-line teams including employment support, her last operational post was leading a Private Office Team.

Senior Civil Service strategy roles have included: Corporate Finance; leading a series of Private Pension Transformation White Papers; designing a National New Deal for Disabled People and publication of several cross-Government Command Papers to drive integration of the National Skills & Employment Systems.

Latterly her appointments have included leading a programme of pan-Whitehall Social Justice policy to help improve recovery from addiction, reduce re-offending and prevent homelessness through tailored employment pathways. In this role Janet was also a member of the London Mayor’s Delivery Board for the Prevention of Homelessness.
Janet’s last role in the Cabinet Office was overseeing the development of innovations such as a Positive Action Talent & Inclusion Pathway (‘Levelling the Playing Field’) for under-represented groups & an ambitious change programme to build & sustain a disability inclusive culture across the Civil Service.

Janet is now a:
Trustee of Business Disability Forum
Non-Executive Advisor, the Metropolitan Police Service Diversity and Inclusion Board
Non-Executive Advisor, Ambitious About Autism, Autism Exchange Delivery Board
Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts

Janet received her CBE in the June 2015 Queen’s Birthday Honours List for ‘Services to Diversity & Inclusion’

Wendy Lyons

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. With social mobility as a specialism and passion, diversity and inclusion are at the heart of all the initiatives she designs.

Wendy has worked with a wide range of organisations in private, public and not for profit sectors. She has successfully 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’, 2009 and she has featured in The Times, The Observer and on Sky News commenting on business issues.

Paul Cleal

Paul has a portfolio of non-executive board roles which includes Guy’s & St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, Kingston University and National Citizen Service. He is also an adviser to Sainsbury’s and the Premier League.

During 16 years as a partner at PwC, the global professional services firm, he held a range of leadership positions including at main board level in both the UK and Africa practices. He has led and grown successful businesses within the firm such as the Government & Public Sector practice and Africa Business Group.

Alongside his client work in corporate finance and consulting he led PwC’s Human Resources function through a period of substantial change. He has been widely recognised externally for his work promoting diversity in business and as a senior role model and been a member of the Government’s Social Mobility Commission, among other non-executive roles.

Michael Zdanowski

Head of Energy

Madano

Michael is a Public Relations and communications’ specialist with experience of working for major international agencies.

Currently, Michael leads the Energy Practice at Madano, a company which advises a range of domestic and international energy clients helping them to tell their story to a diverse range of stakeholders in government and media.

During his career, Michael has advised many of the world’s largest energy and mining companies including FTSE100 firms on their communications’ strategies.

Michael’s core professional skills include strategic messaging, project management, crisis communications, media training, content generation and media and government stakeholder relations.

Prior to joining Madano, Michael worked for Burson-Marsteller in Brussels, Edelman in London and for Hill+Knowlton Strategies in London and Moscow. He has worked on secondment in Abu Dhabi, Cairo and Riyadh. He has also spent time working at the European Commission’s Representation in Prague.

Michael has a PhD. in History and has Masters degrees from the College of Europe and the Jagellonian University in Krakow.

Simon Söder

Partner

Antin

Simon joined Antin in 2014. He is a board member of Fund II portfolio company Eurofiber and of Fund III portfolio companies FirstLight Fiber, Lyntia and Sølvtrans. He previously held a board seat at Fund II portfolio company Roadchef.

Simon previously spent eight years on the Infrastructure, Utilities and Renewables team at Macquarie, where he worked on principal investments and also advised clients, including Antin, on infrastructure transactions. He joined Macquarie after roles at Westpac and Lacima Group.

The Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEx) is the professional association for 20,000 Chartered Legal Executive lawyers, paralegals and other legal practitioners in England and Wales. For more than 50 years, we have been offering unparalleled access to a flexible career in law. CILEx believes in progress through knowledge. We work closely with Government and the Ministry of Justice and are recognised in England and Wales as one of the three core approved regulators of the legal profession alongside barristers and solicitors.