Tim has been on the judging panel for 8 years and has been helping clients with their accounts, tax and business advice for over 40 years. He is well placed to appreciate the issues facing many different sized businesses across numerous sectors and understands what success looks like. He’s experienced the ever-changing business landscape in this time and the need for businesses to be both agile and resilient. In Tim’s spare time, he’s the treasurer of the Friends of Gloucester Cathedral, enjoys travel and running and is a lifelong (forever suffering) Leeds United fan!

Lizzie is returning for the second year as one of the judges for Glos Live Business Awards. She has been in the Information Technology industry for over 6 years’, working within the Channel across Success Management and Sales, specifically focusing on the evolving world that is Cyber Security. In Lizzie’s spare time, she’s a dog mum to her 13 year old rescue which as you can imagine means she spends the majority of her weekends on long dog walks around the Gloucestershire countryside.

Dawn Burke joined Newent Community School and Sixth Form Centre as Principal, last year. At heart she is a scientist who moved from research to teaching in 2000, but using ‘evidence-informed practice’ and educational research, is now how this has mainly applied, in recent years. Mrs Burke has leadership experience from a wide range of secondary, independent, state and single-sex schools, and has worked with some amazing senior leaders. She was part of the judging panel last year and enjoyed this chance to get to know local people and business’s as well as the discussions about who should win.

Abi is the South West editor at BusinessLive, Reach Plc's national business website and GloucestershireLive. She has expert understanding of business challenges and successes in the South West region, reporting on them on a daily basis, from all sizes across numerous industries. She has experience on national and regional titles, having spent several years working in London. She also has specialist knowledge on the UK fashion and beauty industries after working for three years on a leading fashion B2B. Abi enjoys surfing and camping, she will often be found on the Cornish coast, or heading into London or Bristol for festivals and gigs.

Sam Holliday FSB Development Manager, Gloucestershire and the West of England Sam has been the Development Manager for the Federation of Small Businesses in Gloucestershire, Bristol and Bath for more than 10 years. He supports and advises FSB members with a variety of issues, arranges events and represents FSB with stakeholders and the media. Prior to joining FSB Sam was a newspaper editor originally in his hometown Tamworth before moving to the South West when he headed up the Bath Chronicle for seven years. Sam is an avid football fan (he follows Nottingham Forest) and feels he has been trapped in sporting exile for the last 18 years having lived only in the oval-ball dominated Bath and Gloucester areas!

Sarah and her dedicated team of CIPD qualified HR consultants provide recruitment, HR compliance and training support to small and medium sized businesses in Gloucestershire and remotely across the UK. Supporting SMEs to galvanise their employees, build their business and effectively manage and motivate their key resource: Their employees. Currently, staff retention and recruitment are the two main key issues for most businesses. In Sarah’s spare time, she’s the President of the Cheltenham Chamber of Commerce, Patron of the Cheltenham Festivals; she likes gardening, making exotic flavoured ice-creams and also has a deep affection for music gigs, (especially Paul Weller).

Joe works alongside his wife running X-Press Legal Services, providing property professionals with a comprehensive range of regulated property searches and reports. Prior to this he worked as an experienced Project Manager in both the engineering and defence industries. This is Joe’s first year on the judging panel. Outside of work, Joe volunteers at Severn Area Rescue Association as Lifeboat Crew and acts as Station Manager at the Sharpness station. He also enjoys spending time with his family and watching motorsport.

In over 30 years with global engineering business, Renishaw, Chris has held a variety of commercial roles, gaining experience in areas including global branding, international exhibitions, international marketing communications, sales administration and distribution logistics. He is also a Six Sigma Green Belt. His current responsibilities include corporate communications and investor relations. Chris is also a company spokesperson and Vice-Chair of the company’s Charities Committee. He is a Board member of the Manufacturing Technologies Association and Chair of the association’s Exhibition Committee, which is responsible for overseeing the organisation of MACH, the UK’s national show for the manufacturing technologies sector.

Business West - Gloucestershire director

Vice chair - GFirstLEP

Chair, Gloucestershire Hospitals Organ Donation Committee. South Central Regional chair for Organ and Tissue Donation Committees 10 hospital Trusts

Director, Forest Economic Partnership

Awarded MBE for Services to Gloucestershire in the final Queen’s Birthday Honours List

Former editor of the Western Daily Press; Editor in chief Gloucester Citizen