Our Judges
We have developed our judging over 18 years and our judges, all top business people within their chosen arena, have cited our awards as both the most transparent and professionally executed. Each application is scored by up to 4 different judges from a panel of up to 30 judges, all applications are seen by different members of the judging panel. The judges spend several hours and score not only their own sponsored category but several others too, this ensures fairness. The first page of questions is designed to give the judges a real feel for your business, followed by several questions that are scored from 1 to 7. It is worth noting that although all judging is computer based, please ensure you upload images or screen shots of all important pages. There are no site visits or presentations involved. The finalists are chosen by adding all the scores and up to 16 entrants can make it through to the final, however if scoring is low, less entrants make it through.
Chris Davies
Director | Snowdonia Hub
Chris and the expert team at Snowdonia Hub bring decades of senior-level experience from some of the world’s leading blue-chip IT companies, including IBM, Toshiba, Sony, and D-Link—where he consistently delivered above-target growth in competitive, high-pressure markets. During his corporate career, Chris received world-class training in leadership and team development, which he used to drive consistent high performance across his teams.
Drawing on over 40 years in results-driven environments, he now coaches business leaders and sales teams to achieve measurable improvements in both performance and self-belief. His down-to-earth methodology—rooted in honesty, accountability and a touch of fun—empowers individuals, teams and executives to uncover opportunities, break old patterns and produce lasting outcomes. In a world overloaded with rigid systems and amateur psychology, Chris’s real-world experience has transformed hundreds of careers and company results.
“Having run businesses myself, I know first-hand how tough it is—not just to survive but to excel and outperform expectations. That’s why I’m both pleased and proud to serve as a judge for these prestigious awards, recognising the grit, creativity and excellence shown by UK BIDs.
James Anderson
Founder | House of Business
James founded House of Business after recognising the need for the business support space to be disrupted and modernised, so that it works for the small businesses it claims to represent rather than for the outdated organisations many of them have become. Prior to House of Business James spent 8 years working in political campaigning and a further 10 years working with small businesses.
Joe Gilbert
Founder | GatherCRM
Joe Gilbert is the founder of GatherCRM, an all-in-one business operating system built to help small businesses run everything – clients, projects, invoicing and more – from a single, simple platform.
Before launching GatherCRM, Joe spent over a decade running (and still runs) Giraffe Digital, a certified B Corp digital agency, where he experienced first-hand the frustration of juggling countless disconnected tools to keep a growing business running. That frustration became the idea for GatherCRM: powerful enough to run a whole business, simple enough that teams actually use it every day.
With a background spanning architecture, software development, marketing, design and technology, Joe brings a practical, creative perspective to everything he does. He’s passionate about helping small businesses work smarter, and looks for that same blend of clarity, resilience and genuine problem-solving in the businesses he’s judging.
Jenine Gill
Managing Director | Little Inspirations
Jenine Gill is a business owner and entrepreneur who has successfully developed and led thriving childcare businesses, combining commercial leadership with a passion for people and quality. With expertise in strategic growth, operational excellence, team development, and customer experience, she has built a reputation for creating sustainable, high-performing organisations. Jenine is passionate about supporting innovation, recognising business achievement, and sharing her insights to help drive excellence and positive impact across the UK business community.
