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 transparency. 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 5. 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.

John Osborne

Director & Chair | AELP

Highly experienced Business Leader and Engineering Training Strategist, with expertise gained working in Engineering, Manufacturing, and Education (including apprenticeships), and a career long commitment to continuous business improvement: helping make commercial ambitions a practical reality.

Proven track record of successfully devising and delivering Lean methodologies as a foundation for sustainable growth, as well as being a trusted and reliable adviser at board level. Chair of the AELP Engineering, Manufacturing and Automotive Sector Forum from 2015 to date; Director of Business Development and Partnerships with MIT Skills since 2009.

Director and Chair of ALP Surrey since 2015 Conducted numerous national meetings and relayed to Central Government details of core issues affecting the industry.

Kazadi Mwamba

Economy Lead | Surrey County Council

Kazadi is a seasoned economic development professional with a wealth of experience supporting both SMEs and larger businesses across London, Essex, and now Surrey. In his current role, he is dedicated to advancing economic programs and priorities, encompassing business support, localities, and economic infrastructure programmes. In addition to his professional endeavours, Kazadi brings firsthand experience as a small business owner in the sports and leisure sector. He currently serves as a non-executive director at Chrysanth Dental Care.

Mike Driscoll

Chief Operations Officer | SETA

Non-Executive Director | ALPS

Mike jointed the ALPS/ALPHI as a non-executive director in 2022. Mike served as a technical engineering apprentice within the Aerospace before leaving his career and entering the world of education and training, working within FE and Independant Providers. Mike has amassed many years skills, knowledge and experience of education and engineering; he chairs various sector committees and institutions and enjoys sharing knowledge and experiences networking events. Mike is a safeguarding specialist is actively involved with safeguarding and works to promote safeguarding measures and initiatives.

Phil Golding

Managing Director | Supplytrain CIC

Coordinator | South East Apprenticeship Ambassador Network

Phil heads up Supplytrain CIC, a social enterprise that has recruited and supported over 900 young people, across 200 businesses, into apprenticeship, Kickstart and entry-level positions in the last three years.

Supplytrain even employ apprentices on behalf of businesses, allowing us to pick up all the government paperwork, apprentice support and programme management – making it as easy as possible for SMEs to test the apprenticeship route and develop aspiring talent.

Phil is also the Coordinator for the South East Apprenticeship Ambassador Network.

Sam Marshall

Economy Lead | Surrey County Council

Sam Marshall is an accomplished Economic Development specialist with over two decades of experience in local government. Leading Surrey County Council’s business engagement, inward investment, and support for priority innovation clusters, Sam is noted for his combination of strategic foresight and practical expertise in promoting innovation and collaboration among Surrey’s key employers and cutting-edge enterprises, establishing him as a pivotal figure in regional economic growth and community advancement.

Sue Taylor

Network Manager | ALPS

I have worked for ALPS for 17 years and have ran the network for the past 11 years. My role is to work with providers including the colleges and the independent sector to represent them on various groups such as the Local Enterprise Partnerships, The Surrey Skills Leadership Forum and The Apprenticeship Hub. I work closely with both the Federation of Small Business and the Chambers of Commerce. I am also responsible for the successful delivery of the Apprenticeship Skills and Knowledge Programme into our Surrey and Hampshire Schools.