Judges

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  Andrew Harvey

  FCIM Chartered Marketer

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  Andrew’s professional experience is in marketing, communications, leadership and change management. He has worked across a range of sectors including passenger transport, professional services, membership bodies and not-for-profit. He is a Chartered Marketer and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing.
  
  He specialises in working with other professionals to grow their marketing, communications and client management skills.
  
  Until 2014 Andrew was Chair of the Chartered Institute of Marketing; he is currently Chair of the European Marketing Confederation, an association of marketing professional bodies from across Europe. He is a member of the advisory board of the World Marketing Summit and holds a Scottish Government non-executive role at Registers of Scotland. Closer to home, he is Chair of the Board at Queen’s Hall Arts in Hexham and a member of the advisory panel of the North East Fund for the Arts.
  Earlier he worked in the transport sector, including at Virgin Group as the first Commercial Director of its rail business. He led three teams through the transition from state to private ownership, in the privatisation of Britain’s rail network.
  
  As an adviser to a range of organisations, Andrew brings his wide-ranging marketing and communications experience to bear. He has recently completed a long term assignment with a leading property consultancy to develop its business and marketing strategies. He has worked with professional membership bodies to review their business structures and is currently working with another to develop a strategic communications plan. In addition, he has advised the Taiwanese Ministry of Economic Affairs on marketing and its export programme.
  
  Andrew lives in rural Northumberland, but can usually be found on a train or a plane somewhere in Europe or beyond.

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  Heike O’Leary

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  A highly experienced international marketing and branding professional with a proven track record of achieving real results, locally and internationally. Heike is Group Marketing Director at Lookers plc, one of the largest motor retail groups in the UK. Previously she worked with brands such as adidas, Callaway Golf and the London based brand agency 20.20 to turn business growth ideas and marketing strategies into market reality and delivering profitable results to the bottom line, on time, on budget and on brand.

  Heike holds an MA in International Marketing (Distinction) from the School of Business, Heriot Watt University, Edinburgh, a Postgraduate Degree in European Business and Marketing from the University of Greenwich, London and graduated with a BA in Economics. She is a German national and has worked in the UK, Europe, the US and Japan.

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  Charlie Nettle

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  Charlie has worked in senior marketing roles since 2000 and is Chair of CIM North East. After completing his Masters in Marketing Communications, Charlie began his career in the IT and education sector. He then moved to various B2B roles spending six years as head of marketing for one of the UK’s largest Chambers of Commerce. In this role, he led major strategic projects including a rebrand, CRM implementation and a bicentenary campaign which included a successful Guinness World Record. He also introduced a customer segmentation model that secured the Chamber two national awards and is now being replicated by other Chambers across the UK.

  In 2016, Charlie moved to the freight logistics sector, as head of marketing for AV Dawson, which own and operate a 100 acre freight terminal on Teesport, with four shipping berths and one of the largest independent rail terminals in the North of England. In his spare time, Charlie plays guitar and drums and enjoys walks on the beach with his wife, two young daughters, Beth & Mae and dog, Joey.

  He is also a trustee for the mental health charity, Middlesbrough & Stockton MIND.

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  Sam Gregory

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  For nearly 20 years Sam has worked as a communications consultant to national and international businesses, helping them to develop creative strategies that transform brands and shape perceptions, thinking and behaviour. In 2011, she joined Tangerine to launch its B2B division, which has become one of the UK’s top B2B communications consultancies.
  
  Sam has worked with huge multi-national organisations, challenger brands and start-ups across multiple sectors, from the built environment to professional services, to re-position brands, devise global award-winning campaigns, embed internal cultures, tackle deep-rooted perception problems and run teams across the globe. As well as playing a pivotal role in driving digital change in B2B communications, she has pioneered new ways for B2B brands to engage millennials and specialises in using audience and market insight to show the real business benefit of brand and communication strategies.
  
  Alongside her role as B2B MD and board director at Tangerine, Sam is also a director of The Juice Academy, the UK’s first industry-led social media apprenticeship programme, which has trained over 150 young people since 2013.

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  Sarah Penney

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  Sarah is a Lecturer in Marketing at Manchester Metropolitan University. She has successfully managed MMU’s Agency Life programme for 3 years, allowing students to develop employability skills in real work settings early in their courses.  She teaches on a number of marketing courses and is currently reading for a PhD on the use of nostalgia as a communications tool in contemporary marketing.

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  Dawn Holmes

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  Dawn is a Chartered Marketer, Fellow of CIM and past Chair of CIM North West. She is a Director at The Insight Magicians working with clients to maximise the use of data and research to deliver true business benefit. Drawing on broad experience in marketing, IT and commerce, she is well placed to provide value to a wide range of projects.

  Clients include B2B, B2C and academia, and range in size from start-ups and micro businesses to multinationals. Projects include strategic planning, marketing consultancy, insight development, research (primary and secondary), data mining and bespoke management training for productivity.

  Dawn is currently doing research into Big Data at Alliance Manchester Business School as a DBA Researcher.

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  Steve Antoniewicz

  Founder and Managing Director, RAR

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  Steve is the Founder and Managing Director of RAR, a global platform for the sourcing and selection of marketing services.

  In 2007 Steve launched the new company to transform the way that the world’s brands source and select agencies. Enabling confident choices and creating transparency, fairness and good practice. Today over 43,000 ratings and reviews have been completed on recommendedagencies.com and over 15,000 brands have used the online platform to find their new agency partners.

  Before starting the new venture Steve’s career led him through just about every role within agencies, from reception, production, client service and new business right through to agency management and latterly serving as a board member of national and international agency groups.

  Steve is a regular commentator on agency performance and effectiveness as well a judge of marketing industry awards. He has co-authored books on successful business relationships and is a frequent speaker at industry events. Steve lives in Scotland with his family is also coach of Jeanfield Swifts U-13s football team.

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  Claire Gavin

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  Claire is Director of Private Brands and Innovation at Pets at Home, the UK's largest specialist pet retailer and Barkers, the UK's leading specialty store for dogs. She is responsible for all the company’s product design, private label and their private brands – including Wainwright’s, one of the UK’s leading natural Cat & Dog food brands. Claire has a proven track record of category creation and reinvention from 20 years in retail spanning her work in Pets at Home and previously in the grocery multiple Safeway, the High Street Retailer BHS and the clothing and home retailer Matalan. Claire is the external face of innovation for Pets at Home, speaking regularly on brand creation at external events, appearing both in National Titles and additionally in the UK’s highest readership and multi-award winning Pet Magazine – My VIP.

  Claire has an innate tenacity for delivering the art of the possible and pushing new boundaries. She regularly searches the world for inspiration and to find the newest and most innovative ideas to bring to the pet owners of the UK. Claire also regularly holds Dragon’s Den style events to help budding entrepreneurs and innovators present their product to Pets at Home and gives guidance, counsel and advice in how to bring them to market. 

  Pets at Home is the UK’s leading specialist retailer of pet food, accessories and services with 438 retail stores, 438 veterinary practices and 287 grooming salons around the country. We also have seven speciality dog stores, called Barkers, as well as four specialist referral hospitals. Pets are our business and our passion and our mission is to be the best pet shop in the world.

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  Marcus Thrall FCIM

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  Marcus’s professional and personal experiences centres around creativity in communications, digital and leadership. Marcus has worked for international agencies been a Director of four businesses and recently spent ten years in digital and CRM consultancy. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, the Creative Ambassador for Yorkshire and is a DMA North Council member.

  He specialises in working with SME to grow their digital marketing, communications and implement CRM & Lead generation programme.

  Recently, Marcus became the Chief Marketing Officer at Authenticate IS, the leading foodtech business based in Harrogate. Earlier he worked in high-profile consultancy roles for international organisations such as Carrefour and Gala Coral, leading the customer journey strategies.  As an adviser and consultant to a range of organisations, Marcus brings his wide-ranging marketing and creative experience to bear. Marcus is renowned for his passion and ideas and often speaks at industry events on the future of marketing and how creative of thought and deed has to be an epicentre of all marketing activity. Marcus lives on the East Coast, and his passions include photography, the Arts, Sheffield United, and above all rugby union having on played for Saracens.

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  Emma Hunt

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  Emma is Head of Marketing for Nichols plc, the home of Vimto & Feelgood drinks and is responsible for leading the marketing strategy across their UK, Out of Home and International divisions.

  She has been with the business since 2009 and heads up a team that have doubled the size of their lead brand in the last 10 years. An experienced practitioner, Emma has worked in fmcg brand marketing for the last 20 years, holding a number of positions client and agency side across a range of sectors including Education, Consumer Durables and Market Research.

  Emma is the current CIM Northern Marketer of the Year.

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  Sally Steadman

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  Sally is a marketing and student recruitment specialist providing innovative and creative solutions to providers of further and higher education. Currently working for an Outstanding college, Sally leads on marketing, communications and student recruitment across a range of brands, to support the colleges ambitious development and growth plans.

  Sally has a strong background in marketing, skills and business development. She spent several years working in the area of business advice and support for small and medium sized businesses before moving into the education sector. Additionally, she represents the CIM at regional level as Chair of the Yorkshire & Humber Board, is Chair of the Association of College Press and Marketing Officers Network in Yorkshire, and is a Trustee and fundraiser for the Farming Community Network, a charity that supports farming families, a subject that is close to her heart.

   

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  Paul Skinner MCIM

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  Paul’s work is dedicated to transforming businesses and changing the world. 

  He runs the Agency of the Future, a collaborative consultancy, think-tank and spin-off generator that helps clients and partners create Collaborative Advantage to drive organisational success, create economic value and improve peoples’ lives.

  He also founded Pimp My Cause, which uses cause related marketing challenges to enhance the marketing capabilities of individual marketers and marketing teams and supports over 2,000 charities and social enterprises with access to pro bono marketing support in the process.

  In 2014 he was awarded an honorary visiting fellowship at Edge Hill University Business School.

  His book, Collaborative Advantage: How collaboration beats competition as a strategy for success, will be published by Little, Brown Book Group, Hachette, in 2018.

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  Richard Kenyon FCIM

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  Richard Kenyon was appointed Director of Marketing and Communications at Everton Football Club in 2014.

  He arrived from Kenyon Fraser which, initially as Managing Director, and then as Chief Executive, he built into a leading marketing and communications agency in the North West region and one of the fastest-growing in the UK.

  A lifelong Evertonian, his current role at the Club involves him overseeing marketing, insight, corporate communications, events, fan engagement and fan services and PR and media functions to ensure continued positive development of the Club’s reputation.

  Richard’s passion for sports has shaped his career, with previous roles including Director of Development (UK and Europe) for Major League Soccer (Camps and Training) as well as providing consultancy services for Aintree Racecourse and the Jockey Club (Grand National) and three years working with the R&A on golf’s Open Championship, the oldest of golf’s four major championships.

  In 2012, Richard was elected as a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing and has since achieved Chartered Fellow status. Earlier this year he was appointed Chair of the North West Regional Board.

  He is a regular speaker at marketing and sports seminars across the UK and internationally.

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  Garry Maclaren

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  Garry was the first Regional Chairman of CIM North West board and served for 6 years. After stepping down he was made Honorary President.

  His ‘day job’ for the last 19 years is a Marketing Consultant working on projects covering digital, social media, email, search and Spotify advertising.

  Current clients include: JVC Headphones, Kenwood Automotive, Kenwood Communications, ELE Advanced Technologies, Sagegreen HR & KPH Horseboxes.

  Garry is also a Director of Kreative Apps Ltd – who are involved with Digital Transformation of company operating systems.

  His two volunteer roles are :- Chairman of the Trustees for You Can Community Club (You Can) and Chairman of City of Salford Swimming Club (COSSC).

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  Peter Andrews

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  Peter Andrews is an award winning Marketing Lecturer at Hull University Business School with a background in industry as a Director of an international Consumer Healthcare business and a director of a Marketing Consultancy & Innovation organisation.

  Peter is one of the Business School’s lead academics in Digital Marketing and Social Media working with leading organisations and research projects. He has been directly responsible for adding over £350m of sales growth from innovation, brand growth and shaping strategy.

  Peter's research and business expertise: Digital Marketing and Social Media, branding and brand development, marketing strategy, big data application, market research and innovation.