Our Judges

Ben Agnew

CEO, The Payments Association

Ben Agnew
CEO, The Payments Association

An experienced leader and business transformation specialist, Ben has held senior positions at Clarion Events, Informa, Datacenter Dynamics and was recently appointed the CEO of the Emerging Payments Association. With 15 years experience in B2B events, communities, digital media and marketing services, he has a strong record in delivering revenue growth, product development and digital transformation.

The Emerging Payments Association (EPA) is a commercial membership association, exclusively serving the payments industry. It helps to connect the ecosystem, encourages innovation & collaboration and runs 45 events each year. Through insights, connections and powerful outcomes, the EPA is at the heart of the Payments sector and supports the interest of its members; developing their profile/reputation, enhancing their network and providing new opportunities to partner and do business.
Frances Baskerville

Senior Vice-President, CIRM (Comité International Radio-Maritime)

Frances Baskerville
Senior Vice-President, CIRM (Comité International Radio-Maritime)

Frances Baskerville is Secretary-General of CIRM (Comité International Radio-Maritime).
CIRM, established in 1928 is the principal international association for marine electronics companies with a truly global membership. Working in ‘Consultative Status to the International Maritime Organisation (the IMO) CIRM is regarded as the ‘go to’ organisation for information on maritime regulatory and technical issues affecting the electronics sector today.

Frances brings a uniquely diverse background to CIRM. She has worked in many different business sectors and, after joining the organisation in 2004, she was appointed Secretary General in 2013. Focusing on delivering value to the membership, the organisation has doubled in size over the last five years and under her guidance the Secretariat provides its members comprehensive technical and regulatory support.
Sarah Beacock

CEO, Nuclear Institute

Sarah Beacock
CEO, Nuclear Institute

Sarah has worked in membership associations for over 30 years and most recently has been CEO of the Nuclear Institute for just over five years. She has a degree in Environmental Science, two grown-up children and a chihuahua called Rosie.
Ben Beadle

Chief Executive, National Residential Landlords Association

Ben Beadle
Chief Executive, National Residential Landlords Association

Ben is the Chief Executive of the NRLA, the trade association which represents almost 90,000 landlords across England and Wales.
A landlord for 15 years, Ben has had a lengthy career in housing. He has held senior roles at Touchstone, part of the Places for People Housing group managing over 20,000 PRS homes and also at the Tenancy Deposit Scheme, working on housing disputes, adjudication, membership as well as establishing new schemes in Northern Ireland & Scotland.
Prof Adam Boddison

CEO, Association for Project Management

Prof Adam Boddison
CEO, Association for Project Management

Adam joined APM as chief executive officer (CEO) in September 2021. He has a non-executive director
portfolio that includes being Chair of the Corporation at Coventry College and Trustee at two multiacademy trusts spanning 80 primary, secondary and specialist settings. These schools and colleges
provide education for more than 45,000 children and young people. Adam is also a visiting professor at
the University of Wolverhampton.
Prior to joining APM, Adam held leadership roles in several membership organisations including as chief
executive for nasen (National Association for Special Educational Needs), director for the LLSENDCiC (a
higher education membership group), and as academic principal for IGGY (a global educational social
network for gifted teenagers). Adam was also director of the Centre for Professional Education at the
University of Warwick. He has published a range of books and articles and is a qualified clinical
hypnotherapist.
Dr Ian Bullock

Chief Executive Officer, Royal College of Physicians

Dr Ian Bullock
Chief Executive Officer, Royal College of Physicians

Ian has expertise in evidence-based healthcare, research and development (including quality
improvement), critical care clinical practice, and clinical and higher education. Ian’s career focus is on
‘making a difference’, using education and research to improve the quality of patient care and
experience.

Ian is executive lead for education at the Resuscitation Council (UK), a fellow of the Health
Foundation (Quality Improvement and Leadership), an associate fellow of the NHS Institute for
Innovation and Improvement and the School of Health and Social Studies at the University of Warwick
and has also fulfilled advisory roles at the Department of Health.
Helen Clark

Chief Executive, Association for Nutrition

Helen Clark
Chief Executive, Association for Nutrition

With almost 30 years’ experience in the membership and professional body sector, Helen is passionate about the role of associations in supporting and developing professionals.

Currently CEO at the Association for Nutrition, her previous roles include Director of Membership at the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts and Director of Membership Services at The British Psychological Society.
Dr Maren Deepwell

Chief Executive, Association for Learning Technology

Dr Maren Deepwell
Chief Executive, Association for Learning Technology

Dr Maren Deepwell is the Chief Executive of ALT, the Association for Learning Technology, the leading professional body for Learning Technology in the UK, representing ~3,500 Members. We support a collaborative community for individuals and organisations from all sectors including Further and Higher Education and industry and provide professional recognition and development. Membership is open to all with a professional interest in using digital technologies for learning, teaching and assessment.
Claire Fennelow

Executive Director, EVCOM

Claire Fennelow
Executive Director, EVCOM
David Hare

Chief Executive, Independent Healthcare Providers Network

David Hare
Chief Executive, Independent Healthcare Providers Network

David Hare is the Chief Executive of IHPN, which represents over 100 independent healthcare providers across the United Kingdom – bringing them together, supporting them to deliver great care to both NHS and private patients, and enabling them to make a positive contribution to UK healthcare. In his role as CEO, David leads the team and helps to steer the network’s work programme on behalf of our members, and well as acting as the principal public voice of the organisation.

Previously, David was a Director at The Whitehouse Consultancy, a political communications firm based in London. At Whitehouse David built and led the company’s public services team, providing advice and support to a wide range of organisations involved in delivering health, education, children’s services, social care and welfare-to-work programmes.

David has also acted as the Director of Strategy for the LIFT Council, the trade body that represents the private sector equity investors in the Local Improvement Finance Trust programme, overseeing all of their engagement with Government bodies.
Vanessa Harwood-Whitcher

Chief Executive, IOSH

Vanessa Harwood-Whitcher
Chief Executive, IOSH

Vanessa has worked as part of IOSH’s Senior Leadership team since 2017, leading the Professional Services Directorate. In August 2021, she became IOSH’s Chief Executive and is responsible for the implementation of IOSH’s WORK 2022 strategy as well as supporting the development and of its successor with IOSH’s Board of Trustees. Vanessa joined IOSH following senior roles in education and chartered professional bodies. She holds an MBA from Loughborough University.
Nirmal Kumar

Past President, ENT UK

Nirmal Kumar
Past President, ENT UK

Professor Nirmal Kumar is Past President for ENT UK and Consultant ENT surgeon at WWL Teaching NHS Foundation Trust, UK where he is also Associate Medical Director. Regionally, he leads the ENT Northwest research network for the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) in addition to being Honorary Professor at Edge Hill University Medical School where he has led MCh academic program and is also undergraduate clinical lead. He is a FRCS (ORL) examiner and council member of the Royal College of Surgeons, Edinburgh. He is MD, PhD examiner for several Universities in the UK and abroad, delivered invited lectures and has published extensively in the medical literature.
Richard Lambert

Chief Executive, National Hair and Beauty Federation

Richard Lambert
Chief Executive, National Hair and Beauty Federation

Richard Lambert is Chief Executive of the National Hair and Beauty Federation. He was previously Chief Executive of the British Woodworking Federation and the National Landlords Association.

He began his career as a parliamentary civil servant in the House of Commons, where over 10 years he worked on Select Committees, various aspects of the legislative process and interparliamentary affairs. Following a brief spell in commercial lobbying, he moved into trade associations, spending five years as the Policy Director covering residential issues at the British Property Federation.

In 2019, Richard received the Trade Association Forum’s Best Practice Award for Outstanding Contribution and the Association Excellence Silver Award for Best Leadership.

He is a Fellow of the Institute of Association Leadership and the Royal Society of Arts and a former Chairman of the National Training Organisation, Housing Potential.
Jon Levett

Chief Executive, National Association of Funeral Directors

Jon Levett
Chief Executive, National Association of Funeral Directors
Lizzie Lockett

CEO, The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons

Lizzie Lockett
CEO, The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons

Lizzie is the CEO of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, the regulatory body for veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses in the UK. With over 50,000 members, the RCVS sets, upholds, and advances veterinary standards.

Lizzie joined the RCVS in 2005 as Head of Communications, bringing with her 13 years’ experience working in marketing communications both in the UK and across Europe. She later became RCVS Director of Strategic Communications. In 2014, Lizzie set up the Mind Matters Initiative (MMI), to make a difference to the mental health and wellbeing of members of the veterinary team. Lizzie was appointed CEO in 2017.

Lizzie is a member of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations and holds a degree in English from St John’s College, Oxford. She sits on the Communications and Fundraising Committee of the Mental Health Foundation, is a Director of the Veterinary Policy Research Foundation and a Trustee of RCVS Knowledge.
Alastair McCapra

CEO, The Chartered Institute of Public Relations

Alastair McCapra
CEO, The Chartered Institute of Public Relations
Christiana Melam

Chief Executive, National Association of Link Workers

Christiana Melam
Chief Executive, National Association of Link Workers

Christiana is the founder and Chief Executive of the National Association of Link Workers, the UK’s professional membership body for Social Prescribing Link Workers. She is the architect of the Annual Social Prescribing Link Worker Day/Awards/Conference and an international Social Prescribing Link Worker champion. She is an influential award-winning CEO and listed in Health Service Journal’s 50 Black, Asian, and minority ethnic influential Health leaders power list. She is a doctorate researcher interested in Social Prescribing and Health Inequalities.
Alexander Mohr

Executive Director, European Flavour Association (EFFA)

Alexander Mohr
Executive Director, European Flavour Association (EFFA)

Alexander Mohr, PhD, is the Executive Director of the European Flavour Association (EFFA), based in Brussels. Before joining the EFFA Secretariat in 2016, he was the Secretary General of APEAL, the Association of European Producers of Steel Packaging, and headed the public affairs practice for the European container glass industry (FEVE).

Mr Mohr has previously worked for a political think tank on global political party consulting issues in Southeast Asia and Africa. He has been a lecturer on international relations at the ‘Institut d’études Politiques de Paris’ (SciencePo) and Senior Advisor to the Permanent Thai Delegation to UNESCO in Paris. He has published several articles and interviews in the context of EU regulatory and policy developments and, more recently, on the EU Flavour Regulation progression.
John Newcomb

Chief Executive Officer, Builders Merchants Federation

John Newcomb
Chief Executive Officer, Builders Merchants Federation

John Newcomb has led the executive team at the Builders Merchants Federation since 2012. The BMF represents and protects the interests of builders’ merchants and their suppliers in the UK and Ireland. Under John’s leadership membership has grown by over 100%, with member companies employing over 115,000 people within thebuilding materials industry.

During his tenure John has overseen the introduction of a raft of business support initiatives, sector-specific discussion and networking forums, and education, training and career development opportunities, each designed to broaden the BMF’s relevanceand appeal. He has taken an energetic and proactive stance to ensure the voice of merchants and their suppliers is heard by policy makers both at national and local level.John holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Bradford Management Centre.

Prior to joining the BMF, he held senior Marketing, Commercial and Managing Director roles within the DIY and housewares industry,notably with H&R Johnson, Sandvik Saws & Tools UK, Addis Group Ltd and Imperial International Limited. John also maintained a 15-year involvement with BHETA, the British Home Enhancement Trade Association, the last two years as President.John is a former vice-chair and current member of the Construction Product Association’s executive committee and sits on the board of the Trade Association Forum.John was also nominated for Chief Executive of the Year at the Association Awards UK in 2015 and 2016 and the IoD Director of the Year Awards 2017. Having been elected as President of UFEMAT (the European Trade Association), John took upoffice in mid October 2018. John was granted the Freedom of the City of London in June 2016 and was admittedto the Livery of the Worshipful Company of Builders Merchants in October of the same year.
Sarah Poulter

Chief Executive, Chartered Institution of Wastes Management

Sarah Poulter
Chief Executive, Chartered Institution of Wastes Management

Sarah Poulter is Group CEO of The Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM), the leading professional membership organisation for professionals in the resources and waste management sector, where she is primarily focused on delivering the organisation’s purpose, to move the world beyond waste. Prior to becoming Group CEO, Sarah held the position of Managing Director at CIWM for 16 years.

Sarah is also President of the Institute for Association Leaders (IAL), a professional community for current and future chief executives and c-suite professionals who lead within the unique environment of the membership sector. In this voluntary role, she is dedicated to raising the profile of the profession of association leadership.

Sarah has over 20 years of experience in the membership and charity sector, with a particular focus on leading strategy development, organisational change, charity governance and commercial revenue growth by putting planet and people before profit. She was recently recognised in the prestigious MemCom Membership Excellence Awards 2021, being named ‘Highly Commended’ in the CEO Leadership Award category.
Dr Fraser Quin

Executive Director, British Society of Lifestyle Medicine

Dr Fraser Quin
Executive Director, British Society of Lifestyle Medicine

Dr Fraser Quin has 30 years senior executive experience in both the private and Third sectors, having been CEO for four charitable organisations.

He is currently the Executive Director of the British Society of Lifestyle Medicine, a membership based organisation providing education, policy advice and advocacy for healthy lifestyle choices.
Dr Noorzaman Rashid

Chief Executive, CEME

Dr Noorzaman Rashid
Chief Executive, CEME

Noorzaman is Chief Executive of CEME and past CE of The Chartered Institute of Ergonomic and Human Factors.

He has a successful track record of leading professional services firms, public sector agencies and working with membership bodies at board level. He is a former Master of the Livery Company for Management Consultants and Non Executive Director of the Foundation for Social Improvement, which has 8,000 organisational members
Fiona Rayner

Chief Executive, British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology

Fiona Rayner
Chief Executive, British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology

Fiona Rayner is Chief Executive of the British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology (BSACI) the UK’s leading organisation for healthcare professionals caring for patients with allergy. Fiona is responsible for the implementation of BSACI three years strategy, and developing long term sustainable growth to support the expansion of the society’s work.
Eddie Rich

CEO, International Hydropower Association

Eddie Rich
CEO, International Hydropower Association

Eddie Rich became Chief Executive Officer of the International Hydropower Association in September 2019. Eddie has worked on the role of corporates in international development for over 20 years.
He was deputy head of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) since the international secretariat was established in 2007, including a period as its executive director. His responsibilities included leading on EITI implementation globally and overseeing the organisation’s finance, human resources and communications functions, as well as the organisation of its triennial global conference.
His prior experience included working as the UK Government Department for International Development (DFID)’s representative to Angola and deputy head in Kenya, and as head of DFID’s corporate social responsibility team.
Together with the EITI’s former executive director Jonas Moberg, Eddie developed an approach to multi-stakeholder governance that challenges conventional developmental wisdom. It is summarised in their book, ‘Beyond Governments: Making Collective Governance Work – Lessons from the EITI’.
He has degrees from the University of Oxford and the University of Westminster.
Alyson Scurfield

Chief Executive, TSA

Alyson Scurfield
Chief Executive, TSA

Alyson Scurfield is a well-known visionary leader of service transformation, delivery and business development in the digital health and care sectors. She is currently Chief Executive of the TEC Services Association (TSA) and its subsidiary TEC Quality.

As a key thought leader, Alyson has held a number of leadership positions, focusing on driving standards, quality improvement and workforce development both via TSA involvement in policy development and in setting sector service quality benchmarks in the UK and Europe with TEC Quality and UKAS. Passionate about how technology can transform care, she has led TSA’s partnership work with Department of Health and Social Care and NHSx during the challenges of Covid-19.

She is also driving the industry agenda for quality and continuous improvement with the TEC Quality standards framework to support population health. Her vision is for TSA to drive innovation to achieve integration of health, housing and social care.
Caroline Stockmann

Chief Executive, Association of Corporate Treasurers

Caroline Stockmann
Chief Executive, Association of Corporate Treasurers

Caroline Stockmann has been Chief Executive of the Association of Corporate Treasurers since February 2017.
Prior to that Caroline held the position of Chief Financial Officer at The British Council, the UK’s largest charity, and before that at Save the Children International. She has 25 years’ experience in senior finance, commercial and strategic posts at a number of commercial organisations including Novartis Pharmaceuticals (Switzerland), Cadbury Schweppes, Granada plc and Unilever/ Bestfoods (Thailand, Netherlands and UK). Much of her working life has been spent overseas.

Caroline trained with KPMG and is a Fellow (FCA) of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales (ICAEW). She has an ICAEW Diploma in Charity Accounting and has filled numerous roles as trustee over the years, including currently being a member of the Finance and Investment Committee of the Elton John AIDS Foundation, amongst other roles. Caroline is a linguist, musician, trained coach and passionate bell ringer, and is married with two children.
Kcarrie Valentine

Director, ASCL Professional Development Services

Kcarrie Valentine
Director, ASCL Professional Development Services

Kcarrie joined ASCL Professional Development at the start of 2015 and has been Director since 2016. ASCL is the trade union and professional association for over 22000 school and college leaders. Kcarrie is responsible for all of ASCL’s outward facing events, conferences, courses, online content as well as bespoke training and programmes.

A former school leader, Kcarrie is currently a school governor at a maintained school in Nottinghamshire and a Trustee of a Leicestershire MAT.
Dr Valerie Vaughan-Dick

Chief Operating Officer, Royal College of General Practitioners

Dr Valerie Vaughan-Dick
Chief Operating Officer, Royal College of General Practitioners

Dr. Vaughan-Dick (PhD) has worked at a senior level in the public, private and voluntary sectors. Valerie is presently the Chief Operating Officer of the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP). The RCGP is the membership organisation for 53,000 GPs and works extensively to be the voice of General Practice and improve patient care in the UK and internationally. She leads the staff across the organisation in the UK and internationally and joined the RCGP in 2014 initially as Executive Director of Planning and Resources.
Valerie started her career with the National Audit Office where she qualified as an accountant. She worked on value for money and financial audits of the Departments of Health & Social Security, Overseas Services, Local Government and Housing. Valerie has been an Executive Finance and Resources Director in central and local government, working on financial and strategic management issues. She has been a Chair of a NHS Trust and is presently the Chair of the Woolwich Creative District Trust, a major regeneration project covering the Royal Arsenal area in London and Chair of Audit and Board Member of a Housing Association.

In 2008, she was awarded the HM Treasury Government and CPFA Finance Profession ‘Personality of the Year’ award for excellence in financial management.
Helen Whiteman

Chief Executive, Chartered Institute of Taxation

Helen Whiteman
Chief Executive, Chartered Institute of Taxation

Helen Whiteman joined the CIOT in September 2019 from legal regulator, CILEx Regulation role where she was CEO since 2015.

She studied Law at De Montfort University, before undertaking a Masters in IT at the University of Warwick.

After initially working in investment marketing and PR, then lecturing in law and e-business, she joined the legal field managing practice development and marketing for a law firm in Leicester.

She joined the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives in 2008 as Head of Corporate Affairs having served as Director of Member Services at a law firm membership body called LawNet.

She became Chief Operating Officer at CILEx in 2012, and was responsible for overseeing CILEx’s membership, qualifications, journal, international and regulatory affairs functions.

Helen led the Group’s Single Diversity and Accessibility Action Plan and became a volunteer trustee for the legal mental health and wellbeing charity, LawCare, in January 2019. Helen is a Mental Health First Aider.
Dan Worsley

Chief Operating Officer, CIPFA

Dan Worsley
Chief Operating Officer, CIPFA

Dan Worsley was appointed as CIPFA’s Chief Operating Officer in July 2018. He is responsible for leading CIPFA’s advisory and consultancy services, as well as providing our internal business support services. Dan works as part of the CIPFA Management Board, to ensure CIPFA’s members, students and customers receive a first-class service across our range of education, learning, training and advisory services.

Dan is a CIPFA-qualified accountant and has over 15 years’ experience providing assurance and financial management services to the public sector, particularly central government. Dan trained at PwC, and after eight years with the firm, left to join the Civil Service where he worked as a senior civil servant as a deputy finance director and a deputy change director. Prior to joining CIPFA, Dan returned to professional services with a continued focus on central government and international development. He graduated with a BA (Hons) in French and History from the University of Nottingham, and is a strong advocate for public services, sound public financial management and value for money.

Dan is also an independent member of two Audit Committees in the police and local government sectors: The Joint Committee for the Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) and the Sussex Police Force, and the City of London

AEA 2022

Judging Information

The Association Excellence Awards will be judged independently by an esteemed panel panel of CEO’s from a range of trade and professional associations.
The scoring will all be conducted online, without any reference to other scorers and based solely on the submission of the entrant. This will ensure the scores are unbiased and judges are not swayed by the opinions of other panel members.
Each entry will be scored by at least 4 judges in total. The organisers will collate the individual scores and use the average marks given to initially decide the finalists and ultimately to determine the award winners.Where the average scores are so close that it is too difficult to determine a winner, then other judges will be asked to evaluate these entries as well in order to make a final decision
The information provided to judges will be used solely for the purposes of assessing the entries. Potentially sensitive information will not be made public.
Judges will absent themselves from any discussions where they have a vested interest
The judges’ decision is final, no correspondence will be entered into and no reasons given for decisions.
The shortlisted entrants will be announced in July 2022.
If you need help with your entry or require any clarification, please contact Sian Jones on 020 8788 3710 or via email caroline.capon@globalconferencenetwork.co.uk

Our Judges

Ben Agnew

Frances Baskerville

Sarah Beacock

Ben Beadle

Prof Adam Boddison

Dr Ian Bullock

Helen Clark

Dr Maren Deepwell

Claire Fennelow

David Hare

Vanessa Harwood-Whitcher

Nirmal Kumar

Richard Lambert

Jon Levett

Lizzie Lockett

Alastair McCapra

Christiana Melam

Alexander Mohr

John Newcomb

Sarah Poulter

Dr Fraser Quin

Dr Noorzaman Rashid

Fiona Rayner

Eddie Rich

Alyson Scurfield

Caroline Stockmann

Kcarrie Valentine

Dr Valerie Vaughan-Dick

Helen Whiteman

Dan Worsley

Judging Information

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