Judges

Charles Aylwin is a leader with 30+ years’ service in the IT, Communications and Technology sectors. He has held a variety of operational and commercial leadership roles across different sectors. Way back when, he built critical network infrastructure for the UK Public Sector and the Mobile Operators, before becoming the Commercial Director at the UK Hosted Voice pioneer, Voicenet Solutions. After their acquisition by 8x8, he was Head of Channel for 8x8 in Europe. Most recently, Charles was Managing Director for the IT & Cyber portfolio for the Cloud Service Provider, Babble Cloud, having previously served as Sales Director, and MD of the Comms business.

Dom has worked in the technology and telecoms sectors for the last decade, producing leading research into UCaaS, mobility, CCaaS, and Microsoft Teams markets to support vendors, service providers and MSPs. Cavell’s work combines extensive industry interviews with enterprise studies and their Channel Insight service to help their clients understand how the market is evolving and adapting and the best strategies for success

Kate Brunning, Founder and CEO of People Station, provides on-demand People Director expertise, working with some of the fastest-growing companies to address complex people challenges. With over 10 years of experience in the tech sector, including her role as People Director at Virtual1, Kate and her team of experts specialise in supporting businesses through pivotal stages such as scaling, acquisition, exit, and periods of rapid growth. They help organisations create high-performance cultures, attract top talent, and increase performance and productivity. For companies aiming to scale and thrive, People Station offers a unique, proven HR model that delivers strategic, measurable impact.

Though officially retired now after 46 years in the IT and Communications industry, John still moderates panels and leads discussions at major events including the prestigious Comms Vision Convention at Gleneagles and IT Europa's Managed Services and Hosting Summit.

Greg Is an experienced editor in the IT and telecoms channels managing and publishing executive news interviews, features and market reports across platforms including IT Europa, Comms Dealer, and Fibre Provider. He has moderated and managed content at panels for major industry events both online and in person.

Former long-term Westcon Director of Technology Dawn Fenton has nearly 30 years experience working in the IT distribution space, including a Sales & Commercial Director position, EMEA Director for E-commerce & CRM role, Voice Solutions Manager and Vendor Manager (among other positions). Her expertise also includes driving technology adoption globally, delivering vendor and partner programmes to support new business growth. In her spare time Dawn enjoys riding her horses, walking her four dogs, and is a voluntary 'mounted' (horse) rural patrol officer for Hampshire Constabulary, and Chairperson for the local Drag Hunt.

Louise is a Channel GTM specialist with over 20 years of experience in designing, building, and improving global Channel Programs at leading companies in the Telecoms, IT and Cybersecurity industries. From launching new Programs to redesigning and evolving existing Programs, Louise excels in streamlining processes, enhancing partner enablement, and driving revenue growth. Currently running her own consultancy, Loucerna, Louise provides expert guidance to organisations seeking to build or refine their Channel Programs for sustained success.

A driving force in the channel for over two decades, Gary May has built and trained some of the industry's top-performing sales and management teams. An award-winning industry-specific recruiter, sales trainer, and author of three influential books on sales psychology, influence, and persuasion, he has coached high-performing teams across 28 countries. Gary’s passion for the industry is evident and fuels his mission to develop and retain elite sales talent. Through the Channel Sales Academy, he continues to shape the future of the channel, helping businesses secure and nurture the best sales talent in the game.

Lauren McManus, Managing Director of Electric Bloom Marketing, is a specialist telecoms and IT marketer with over fourteen years of experience working within the channel. She has advised a number of organisations on marketing strategy, including channel wholesalers, cyber security and mobile distribution firms. Lauren has led marketing teams to awards success, winning over 20 awards for companies throughout her career, and has been featured on the CRN Women in Channel A-list as a prominent female leader within the industry.

Julie's 25 years of industry experience give her a comprehensive understanding of the needs of the UK comms channel. She is currently CEO of Support to Win & Train to Win and has held senior sales and service management roles at large carrier and reseller companies. A go-to expert on comms industry skills and operational excellence, Julie remains passionate about responding to the rapidly evolving needs of channel players through innovative managed services and strategic personal development. She regularly consults with UK channel leaders to strengthening culture and skills, and foster sustainable, profitable technical operations.

Nigel Sergent is Editorial Director at Comms Dealer magazine, the UK's leading industry publication addressing the voice & data industry. Nigel's career started at 17 in local and sports journalism. He worked on local and national titles before leaving the newspaper business to establish his own PR and marketing company operating in the technology sector. He then co-founded Comms Dealer in 1996 with a goal to inform, motivate and educate resellers operating in the rapidly developing independent telecoms sector. Since then, Comms Dealer has established itself as the ‘de facto’ thought leadership magazine for the ‘channel’ and as part of the BPL Business Media group has been instrumental in the launch of a series of educational networking events and the highly popular 'Comms Vision' industry summit.