Ethical, transparent and respected, the awards are judged by esteemed industry experts who follow a robust two-step judging process that includes pre-scoring to establish a shortlist and judge discussion to determine winners and, in some cases, silver awards.
None of our award judges can take part in the competition, and any conflicts of interest must be declared.
The UK Company Culture Awards have been accredited ‘Outstanding’ by the Independent Awards Standards Council – Awards Trust Mark.
To apply to become a judge, fill out the form at the bottom of this page.
Andrea is a passionate People professional and executive coach, dedicated to helping individuals and businesses grow. With extensive experience in global recruitment and expansion, Andrea specialises in scaling teams worldwide and creating high-performance cultures. She advises on all people-related matters, coaching leaders, and developing strategies to nurture talent and enhance employee engagement across international teams. A strong advocate for learning and development, Andrea has designed and delivered academies to accelerate professional growth, ensuring employees have the tools and training to succeed. Committed to building a thriving company culture, she has successfully executed global engagement strategies that drive performance and innovation.
Andy Green | Co-founder | Dublin Conversations
Andy Green FCIPR FRSA is cofounder of the Dublin Conversations, the Modern Cockney Festival, and wrote 21years ago, the very first book on ‘Creativity in Public Relations’. He is a consultant in identifying purpose, brand storytelling, creativity, and managing Fake Purpose to enable his clients to fulfil their greater potential and make the most of opportunities. He is also a part-time university lecturer. Andy has written six books, translated into eight languages and believing inspiration can come from the unlikeliest of sources, even runs creativity classes on the London Tube.
Chantel Hayward | Founder and Director | Fox & Fable
Chantel is a seasoned HR professional and executive coach, with over 17 years of expertise in supporting organisations to thrive. Her experience spans SMEs and global businesses across the private, public and not for profit sectors. As the founder and director of Fox & Fable, Chantel specialises in partnering with creative agencies across the marketing and advertising industry to craft exceptional employee experiences, foster engaged and high performing teams and prioritise wellbeing as a foundation for success. A Chartered Fellow of the CIPD, an ILM Level 7 Executive Coach and Mentor and a certified Mental Health First Aider, Chantel is dedicated to empowering leaders and organisations to unlock potential, nurture balance and build workplaces whereby people and performance flourish together.
Daniel Saunders | Director of Digital | Evergreen Finance London
I've worked in Digital for 18 years. Within Digital marketing I work closely with the directors and heads of service to identify new business opportunities and Strategies. Having an in-depth understanding of different markets and competitors in the area to maintain a competitive advantage which is used to work alongside key stakeholders in managing the translation of the business strategy into clear plans. Proactively researching markets, competitors within different regions and establishing ways to develop a competitive advantage within our strategies. Within Stanley Black and Decker, I am a catalyst for change, I plan and execute UK market E-commerce and digital marketing activities to increase sales, grow online channels, and grow new and existing online customers managing substantial 6 figures budgets over many different groups. As an international keynote speaker in the Digital sphere, I inspire and lead a large team of specialists, drive the delivery of brilliant digital products and services, mentoring at levels from executives to C suite. I utilize analytics and insight tools to evaluate end-to-end customer experience across multiple customer touch points. Working with trade marketing teams to analyse product categories and make appropriate product mix recommendations and effectively contributes to SEO, PPC, UX and CRO. I have built, nurtured and lead a diverse, multidisciplinary team to deliver digital transformation across the Stanley Black and Decker group. Defining the required digital capabilities across our people, their processes, and the technology we use. With Stanley Black and Decker being a multinational corporation, I make myself a visible leader by holding regular lectures and Q and A sessions with entry executives all the way up to C suite teams.
Davina Lines | Managing Director | Mixing Digital
Davina Lines is Managing Director of Mixing Digital and the Ecommerce Club. She brings a wealth of knowledge and a big black book of digital contacts to ensure Mixing Digital’s event management services are of the highest standard. Davina co-founded Netimperative in 1999 and became Managing Director in 2002, stewarding the brand into new product launches and creating one of the most successful events programmes in the digital marketing industry. In the mid 90s Davina cut her digital teeth on New Media Age (now Econsultancy), forming part of the founding team and was responsible for the commercial development of the magazine and its early events from launch in May 1995 to 1999. In recent years Davina launched an ecommerce peer-to-peer community, the Ecommerce Club, which runs regular events in London and Manchester on topics relevant to the retail community.
Erin Portsmouth | Associate Director of Strategy Planning and Development (Oldham) | NHS Greater Manchester
Erin is a Chartered public relations practitioner who worked for ten years in private sector marketing and communications consultancies, and for the past fifteen years has worked in the National Health Service. She is currently Associate Director of Strategy, Planning and Development for the Oldham team within NHS Greater Manchester, where she oversees a strategic portfolio that also includes communications, engagement, public affairs, equality and diversity, organisational development and governance. She has a Masters degree in public relations, is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations and served on the CIPR North West Group Committee as a volunteer for ten years, also holding a three year term as Chair. She was appointed to the Board of Trustees of homelessness charity Emmaus Salford in 2017 undertaking their Company Secretary role, and is a volunteer Board Director and Trustee of Oldham Community Leisure.
Gareth Jones | VP of People | IMMO Capital
Gareth is a seasoned HR leader with a wealth of experience in scaling people and talent strategies in fast-paced, dynamic environments. As the VP of People at IMMO Capital, he has consistently delivered organisational growth through strategic planning, effective talent acquisition strategies, and forward-thinking HR initiatives. Renowned for fostering high-performing teams, Gareth combines a pragmatic approach to problem-solving with a commitment to empowering individuals and cultivating a strong, values-driven company culture. In addition to his corporate role, he serves as the Chief People and Culture Officer for the voluntary organisation Collaborative Health Community (CHC), where he helps drive impactful initiatives. A commercially focused and results-oriented professional, Gareth is dedicated to delivering people strategies that support both immediate objectives and long-term business success.
Gary is a father of four and a husband of one, and runs a successful business in his spare time. He’s an expert in workplace performance, with extensive experience leading and directing HR, OD and L&D functions across all sectors. His clients like working with him as he is authentic, honest, knowledgeable, communicative and people focused, with a broad and deep range of skills and experience – and a glance at his prolific social media output will verify this. Gary is a leading expert in the design and delivery of online / virtual training programmes, as well as an inspiring and entertaining keynote speaker and trainer on a range of leadership and HR issues. He was been recognised in many industry lists and been the recipient of numerous industry awards. His book, HR for Hybrid Working, was published in June 2022 by Kogan Page. He’s sure to mention this more than once.
Isobel Wilson-Cleary | Communications and engagement strategist | University of Birmingham
Isobel is a communications strategist, specialising in research and policy communications, stakeholder engagement and partnerships. Isobel has spent the past 15 years leading, advising and mentoring teams to create impactful communications campaigns and interventions to change behaviours and inform policy decision-making on issues such as early childhood education, inequalities and global health. Isobel is a Board Member for We Don't Settle, a youth-focused arts and heritage organisation, and sits on the University of Leeds' Horizons Institute Advisory Board.
Janet Houlis | Change, EDI & HR Management Consultant | VALO Consultancy
Janet Houlis is an accomplished business leader who combines commercial aptitude with a people-centric approach to deliver change, improve services, and achieve unparalleled customer excellence within organisations. A Board member, Advisor and HR Professional with a breath of experience working Nationally & Internationally within Operations, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging (EDI&B), Change & Transformation. Janet has a proven track record in directing change interventions, steering strategic planning and execution across multi-disciplined international communities, supporting both large corporates and SMEs within highly regulated environments. She has championed diversity and inclusion throughout her career, supporting clients in taking meaningful steps on their EDI, Belonging and anti-racism journeys, ensuring employees remain at the heart of their business. Janet is a trained People Professional, Coach and Mentor. A member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development (MCIPD), and a Women on Boards Member.
Jason Yip | Head of Marketing Web, CRM and Analytics | Newcastle University
Jason has over 20 years of Digital marketing experience, working in both the public and private sector for organisations such as One NorthEast, NewcatleGatehead Initiative, both universities in Newcastle upon Tyne; Northumbria University and now Newcastle University as the Head of Marketing Web, CRM and Analytics. He has led on and been nationally recognised for delivering diverse and creative Digital marketing projects, including the World’s ‘Coolest’ Tourism website as voted by the Sunday Times, Geordieland, an innovative use of a real-time social media map of Newcastle, NU World a virtual experience platform for Northumbria University and was recognised by The Economist as a ‘Change Ambassador’ for driving innovation in Marketing Technology.
Jen Vineer | People & Culture Manager | 3sidedcube
For the past seven years, Jen has been the force behind everything that makes 3 Sided Cube an incredible place to work. As our People & Culture Manager, she’s not just about policies and processes. She’s the one who ensures our team thrives, whether that’s through championing wellbeing, leading personal development initiatives, or making sure every Cube feels heard, supported and included. With a knack for balancing strategy with genuine care, she’s been instrumental in shaping a workplace where talent isn’t just hired but nurtured. From onboarding the brightest minds to ensuring they grow, excel, and stay engaged, Jen’s influence can be felt across every corner of the agency.
John Jones | Corporate Partner | Beever And Struthers | Linked In |
John leads Beever and Struthers' Corporate Team, having been made a Partner in 1999. Beever and Struthers is an award-winning firm of Chartered Accountants and Business Advisors in Manchester, Blackburn and London, and currently rank in the Top 50 firms nationally and Top 10 firms in the North West. John is Vice President of the Manchester Business Group of the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce. He was Chairman of Pro-Manchester from 2014 - 2015.
I’m a former journalist, sub-editor, and production editor who transitioned into public sector marketing and communications. My roles have included internal communications manager, creative manager and publications, communications and brand manager. I’ve also designed and delivered training packages, run campaigns, and worked with charities on widening participation. I’m passionate about equality, diversity and inclusion – I have ADHD and a physical disability and my lived experience in workplaces hasn’t always been the best but I’ve had great support from colleagues in our staff networks, and I hope I can support others. I’m really looking forward to hearing some real success stories of workplaces who have got their culture spot on.
Kerstin Andlaw | Founder & Consultant Coach | Thrive as One Consulting
Kerstin Andlaw is a seasoned expert in company culture and employee engagement, with a distinguished career dedicated to fostering human-centred, high value-creating and dynamic workplaces. With extensive experience across various industries and organisations, Kerstin has successfully implemented strategies that enhance employee satisfaction and organisational performance. As a judge for the UK Company Culture Awards, Kerstin brings invaluable insights and a passion for recognising organisations that excel in cultivating exceptional work environments.
Laura Hothersall | Director | Truth
Laura Hothersall has extensive experience in fostering outstanding workplace cultures. As MD at Clicky Media, Laura was instrumental in shaping employee engagement and driving organisational change from the early days of agency growth to the established agency that Clicky is today. Laura now runs her business wearetruth.org - helping businesses achieve Bcorp certification, Laura has worked with multiple sectors to help them with their DEI, recruitment, employee engagement strategies to get them 'Bcorp ready'. With a career spanning 27 years, Laura has worked with leading organisations to implement innovative people strategies, enhance employee experience, and embed company values into everyday business operations. Their passion for workplace culture, leadership development, and employee wellbeing makes them a valuable judge for the UK Company Culture Awards. Laura believes that a strong company culture is the foundation of sustainable business success and is excited to celebrate organisations that are making a real impact.
Liz Corless | Women in Games Ambassador |
Liz Corless is the Global Head of Marketing at Keywords Studios, a leading provider of technical and creative services to the video games industry. With over two decades of experience in video games and entertainment, Liz founded and led the award-winning creative agency ICHI Worldwide, which was acquired by Keywords Studios in 2019. As a Women in Games Ambassador, Liz actively promotes gender diversity and inclusion within the video games sector. She is committed to mentoring emerging talent, providing guidance and support to individuals pursuing careers in video games. Liz believes in the value of building and sustaining a collaborative, inclusive, and psychologically safe environment that encourages innovation and personal growth. Her passion for cultivating positive company cultures aligns seamlessly with the mission of the UK Company Culture Awards. Liz is honoured to serve as a judge, bringing her experience and dedication to recognising organisations that prioritise exceptional workplace environments.
Louise Terzza | CEO | Time Together
An experienced leader in the VCSE sector Louise is dedicated to championing inclusion and enabling others to realise their inner potential; she is currently CEO of charity Time Together leading a creative and caring team supporting disabled and autistic people to live life well. Passionate about the importance of giving back to your community, Louise volunteers her time as Chair of Governors for a local primary school, Trustee and Treasurer of youth charity Inspire Youth Yorkshire, and as a mentor to emerging leaders through Community First Yorkshire. Louise’s enthusiasm for giving back underpins her belief in the transformative power of inclusive community involvement as a catalyst for positive change.
Mahmood Ghaznavi | Experienced senior HR professional |
Mahmood is a senior HR generalist whose roles have spanned all elements of HR. At their core has been leading people transformation. Mahmood is passionate about building environments where people are trusted, can act as the adults they are, and thrive to contribute in the right way to their organisation. His multi-sector background has been built around delivering complex organisational change, building and strengthening people engagement and working with and advising senior leadership teams on the full spectrum of people matters
Dr Michelle Gledhill | MRT Employability Lead/Senior Lecturer | MMU
Dr Michelle Gledhill is a marketing communications expert, specialising in advertising and branding. Her PhD explored how gamers process brands in a videogaming context and this was included in the European Marketing Academy 2020 and Academy of Marketing 2022. She led the MSc Creative Advertising Strategy for 13 years and is currently engaged in developing relationships with industry to create opportunities and jobs for students. She applies her expertise in strategic thinking when working in consultation on live briefs with brands such as Manchester City, the Happy Linen Company, Manchester Gin and Castore. She has taught on corporate programmes for Tesco, Booths and Digital Marketer Degree Apprenticeships. She is a highly experienced marketer, Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM), CIM Senior Examiner and HE Examiner.
Nic Chambers-Parkes | Director of Group Marketing | HCRG
Director of Group Marketing for HCRG, one of the UK's largest independent health groups. I'm a leader, problem solver and expert communicator with two decades' experience working across highly regulated industries, and working with business owners and executives to help them use communications to achieve their objectives and build great cultures.
Olivia Brook | Chief Operating Officer | University of Warwick
Olivia Brook is experienced in finding the sweet spot between global brand and local resonance and relevance. With years of experience in the corporate, academic and start-up universes, Olivia has a passion for getting projects over the line, helping individuals to shine and teams to succeed. She strives for the ‘knocking it out the park’ feeling and is energised by the challenge and reward of marketing across borders, cultures and different audiences.
Paddy Moogan | Founder | The New Leader
Paddy is Founder of The New Leader and works with agency teams to help them become more effective managers and leaders. He also works with agency founders to share his experience and help them navigate the world of agency life. He was previously co-founder of Aira, a digital marketing agency based in Milton Keynes for ten years.
Rejoice Ojiaku | Award Winning Diversity & Inclusion Advocate |
Rejoice has worked within digital marketing (SEO) for 4+ years. After finishing her master’s degree in marketing at The University of Manchester, she started her journey as a Junior SEO Executive and is now an SEO Manager as well as the Co-Founder & Content Lead for B-DigitalUK. She specialises in Content SEO and she has spoken at BrightonSEO, Whitespark Local Search Summit as well as participated in webinars for FounderVine, Majestic, Noisy Little Monkey etc. Additionally, she is also an Award-Winning Diversity & Inclusion Advocate as she is passionate about Diversity & Inclusion within the workplace to ensure the perspective and struggles of Black people are heard.
Rumyana Miteva | Performance Marketing Director | Deliveroo
Rumyana is currently a Performance Marketing Director at Deliveroo. She is leading a global team of Paid Search, Display & Video, Paid Social and Affiliate specialists, who are delivering growth for the company through a rigorous test & learn agenda. With more than 14+ years in Digital Marketing Rumyana has expert knowledge and valuable experience helping brands acquire & retain customers through Paid Media channels. Outside of work Rumyana enjoys being a Digital Consultant for small businesses, mentoring young professionals and sharing her knowledge by speaking at events.
Sarah Dean | Head of People and Co-Founder | Loopi |
Sarah Dean is an accomplished business leader with over 10 years of experience in the customer facing retail sector. She specialises in growing large successful teams to provide maximum efficiency for the business and has mentored hundreds of individuals to achieve their highest potential. As the Head of People and co-founder of Loopi, she has played a pivotal role in shaping the current team structure, creating and executing training plans for the business and ensuring the culture within the Loopi team is inclusive, collaborative and empowering for all.
Stephen Waddington | Director | Wadds Inc
Stephen Waddington is the founder and managing partner of Wadds Inc, a professional advisory firm for agencies and communications teams, and a co-founder of Socially Mobile Community Interest Company. He is pursuing a PhD at Leeds Business School, underscoring his commitment to advancing the industry's understanding of public relations through academic research. Waddington originally trained as an engineer. His interest in technology and its communicative aspects led him to a career in public relations. He has worked for The Economist, HM Government, Intel, Microsoft, The Press Association, NHS, Tesco and Virgin Media Business clients. He has written and edited ten books, including Brand Anarchy, Exploring Public Relations and Management Communication and Share This, and served as President of the CIPR.
Steve Kuncewicz | Head Of Creative, Digital & Marketing | Glaisyers ETL | X Profile
Steve is a Partner and Head of Creative, Digital and Marketing at Glaisyers ETL in Manchester. He specialises in intellectual property, media social media and privacy law and is listed as a "recommended lawyer" in the Legal 500, and was a oo-founder pf the Bulletproof Agency Network. He is a regular media spokesperson, and has given interviews to the local and national press through BBC Breakfast, Sky News, ITV, BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, BBC Radio 5 Live and LBC London. Steve is also the Manchester Publicity Association’s Honorary Solicitor.
Tiago is an experienced Manager with +25 years of experience in the areas of marketing, sales and retail, having worked in companies such as adidas, Jeronimo Martins, Sonae and FNAC. He has worked for adidas as Portugal Marketing Director and as Director of Brand Activation for the regions of Africa and the Middle East (MENA) where he received many media, activation and retail awards. He also as been part of several jury panels in marketing awards events on the region. A true team player, he has extensive national and international experience in various business areas so he feels at home anywhere on the globe, and in any kind of project. Always pioneering in the use of new technologies to the business world, he took on gamification as his latest challenge in 2017, currently leading Gamification startups in both Portugal and the UK. He achieved is Bachelors in Management in Portugal, followed by an MBA with Marketing focus in the UK. More recently he concluded a Post-Graduation Diploma in Retail Management and another in Arts Markets and Collections. He is also a long time Member of the CIM (MCIM) and (believe it or not!) a Chartered Accountant.
Tom Kegode | Future of Work & Culture Strategist | Spark Shift | Linked In | SparkShift
Tom Kegode is obsessed with helping leaders and teams spark shifts that create future-ready cultures. With 15+ years of experience in People Innovation, he’s passionate about removing barriers and building workplaces that inspire peak performance.
Tom Salmon | Management Consultant |
Tom Salmon is a management consultant specialising in agency innovation, strategy, positioning and growth. Prior to running his own consultancy, Tom was managing director of the award-winning digital agency Epiphany, a £12m turnover business employing 190 people in London, Leeds and Sydney. He now also works with voluntary and community organisations to develop strategy, communications and impact.
Valentina Hynes | Founder and CEO | SVH Inc. CIC | Linked In | X Profile |
Valentina Hynes, Founder and Director of SVH Inc. CIC, stands at the forefront of workplace wellbeing innovation in the UK. Her company, celebrated for its comprehensive wellbeing services, reflects her deep-seated commitment to employee welfare and mental health. Valentina’s leadership has earned her notable recognitions, including Business Woman of The Year at the Yorkshire Choice Awards and an Associate Fellowship from The Royal Commonwealth Society. A frequent speaker on topics such as happiness, diversity and inclusion in the workplace, she brings a wealth of experience and insight. Under her guidance, SVH Inc. CIC champions progressive practices like Mental Health First Aid training and unique Away Day experiences. A resilient entrepreneur who has overcome personal challenges, Valentina is passionate about creating Strong Vibrant Happy communities.
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I’m so chuffed Sam won Culture Ambassador of the Year at the Culture Awards, it’s such wonderful recognition for all her hard work. She’s been ahead of the game in terms of rolling out an informative, inclusive and innovative program in our business that’s highly regarded by our peers in the sector. The feedback she gets both externally and internally is always excellent and she works hard to help drive DEI initiatives forward in work and in personal time. We’re lucky to have her and will enjoy seeing her fly the Culture Ambassador flag for the next year and beyond.Michelle Vint Skyrise
We’re incredibly honoured to have been awarded the Best Workplace Health & Wellbeing Awareness Initiative for the second consecutive year. This recognition underscores our unwavering dedication to creating a workplace environment where each team member can thrive both personally and professionally.Jen Wlodyka Distinctly
Being recognised for our commitment to nurturing an authentically supportive remote company culture has been a wonderful moment of reflection for us as a team, and for us as founders. Applying for the Company Culture Awards provided a unique opportunity to reflect on our practice as a small business, and be recognised for our commitment to growing a happy, healthy, and fulfilled international team.Abb-d Taiyo Driftime®
We recognize the importance of building a workplace that puts its employees first, positively impacts the communities it works with and advocates for meaningful change. That’s why we couldn’t be more proud to have been shortlisted for ESG Program of the Year at the UK Company Culture Awards. Ogury
It’s amazing to think we’re back at the culture awards and we are so excited to be shortlisted in new categories. The culture awards are so important to our team at Skyrise as we really love and believe in the culture we’ve created. It’s what makes us different to other companies so to be shortlisted is a huge team achievement.Sam Sharwin Skyrise
It is an absolute honour to be shortlisted for the ‘Best Cultural Transformation Initiative’ Award at the 2024 UK Company Culture Awards. This recognition reflects our team’s commitment to cultivating a best-in-class workplace.Mark Brown WRS
