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. Should you wish to read our Top Tips, please click HERE
Greg Guilford
CEO | HR Solutions
Greg Guilford has been a senior executive within local businesses for many years, and also volunteers as a governor in several local educational establishments within the county.
Greg is passionate about working within the county, and supporting small business through the services that HR Solutions provides.
Throughout his career Greg has also worked in central government, FTSE 100 companies, as well as having spent several years working in the Middle East.
Greg’s current role as CEO of HR Solutions sees him liaising with SME’s across the country, and nationally, as well as providing strategic direction for the company.
Ashley Riley
Managing Director | Ashley Riley Communications
Ashley is the Managing Director of National Award Winning Ashley Riley Communications.
He is regarded as an expert and thought leader on communications and how to use communication to be successful in business and in life.
With over two decades of global experience working in business, in the public sector, in the political world and mentoring some of the most successful organisations on how they communicate Ashley is regularly asked to share his journey, his knowledge and his passion with audiences across the UK.
His keynote speeches deliver thought disrupting, challenging and inspiring content in a captivating and highly energetic manner with a focus on how those listening can practically put what they hear into practice.
Ashley has worked in the NHS as a Children’s Nurse, was an Adviser to an Member of Parliament in the Blair Years, co-authored a book that changed the landscape for school meals, led international campaigns for a global charity in Europe, Africa, Asia and the US and Directed the Communications at London Stansted Airport which was home to over 10,000 staff and saw 23 million passengers a year pass through their gates.
June Cory
CEO | My Mustard
June Cory has a career spanning almost thirty-five years in media management, sales, and training. She fell into selling newspaper advertising space and not only did she love it, but she was also rather good at it. After thousands of deadlines, hundreds of targets, and a few awards she moved into management & training for industry names including Newsquest & Yell.com.
After managing a specialist digital project team in 2006, June understood that the ability to target an audience, measure results & truly control spend would redefine advertising for local businesses & swapped the ink in her veins for zeros and ones and launched My Mustard, an online advertising agency in 2007.
A highly enthusiastic on and offline networker June is a Google Premier Partner and talks about Google to anyone who will listen at various forums. She drinks a lot of coffee…..
Ian Cording
Entrepreneur | FM World
Ian is a seasoned veteran in Business Awards judging with more than two decades of viewing applications UK wide and credits his ‘colourful life’ and no nonsense, pragmatic approach, to business and life in general as adequate credentials to be on this panel. Despite a very busy and full life in so called ‘semi-retirement’ he remains active in business and is receptive to new opportunities.
Out of school rather earlier than some he bizarrely started his adult life as a butcher’s apprentice. Thereafter a period of ten years in the public service in various departments allowed him to catch up on his education and then make the leap into the world of business by starting a Planning & Architectural Consultancy Practice which he ran for 33 years.
Additionally, this past 12 years, Ian and his wife Birute embraced Network Marketing as a business model so much so they now [covid regulations excepted] spend much of their time travelling both in the UK and abroad training, coaching and mentoring their FM World teams.
A keen UK ‘crowd fund’ investor Ian has recently diversified and invested in a Ukraine based company which has 3 divisions including bioresonance device sales/distribution, a cutting edge
pan-European web-based app allowing seamless interaction between businesses and businesses with their client/customer base; the third division acts in the global market of cryptocurrencies .
He continues to manage a modest property portfolio ‘in trust’ for the family. Family is very big on Ian’s agenda, he loves to travel widely and seamlessly mixes business and pleasure because …
‘he can’
