Andrew Marr
Political Editor, New Statesman
Andrew Marr is the New Statesman’s Political Editor and the UK’s pre-eminent political journalist.
JUDGES
JUDGES
Caroline Paige
Joint CEO of Fighting With Pride: the LGBT+ Military Charity
Caroline Paige is a retired Royal Air Force navigator with a thirty-five-year flying career that includes air defence fighter aircraft during the Cold War and in the Falkland Islands, and then battlefield helicopters in Northern Ireland, Bosnia, Iraq, and Afghanistan. In 1999, she became the first openly serving transgender officer in the British Armed Forces. Overcoming early opposition, she served a further sixteen years, earning four commendations for ‘exceptional service’ in Iraq and Afghanistan, and as a trailblazer helping shape diversity and inclusion in the military. Retiring from the RAF in November 2014, Caroline set up her own company, teaching tactical flying skills to European military helicopter aircrew and championing diversity and inclusion through public speaking in schools, universities, businesses, organisations, and the media. Caroline is listed as an inspirational speaker with Chartwell International Bureau, is a Patron of Liverpool City Region Pride Foundation, a member of Liverpool Football Club’s LGBT+ Advisory Group, a Stonewall School Role Model, and Honorary President of No 472 (Hoylake and West Kirby) Squadron, RAF Air Cadets. Her autobiography True Colours was published in 2017 and she is a co-author of the 2019 military LGBT+ anthology Fighting With Pride. In January 2020, Caroline helped set up Fighting With Pride, the UKs only lived-experience military LGBT+ charity, becoming Joint CEO with Craig Jones RN MBE. The charity is leading the health and wellbeing support of LGBT+ veterans, serving personnel and families and led a successful campaign for the UK Government to understand, acknowledge, and address the enduring impacts of the pre-2000 ‘gay ban’ on LGBT veterans, with an LGBT Veterans’ Independent Review being announced in January 2022. In June 2021, Caroline won the postponed-2020 British Ex-Forces in Business Awards’ Champion of Women Award, and in July 2022, she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Middlesex University, in recognition of her continued work in LGBT+ Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.
Dr Jan Rosenow
Principal and Director of European Programmes at the Regulatory Assistance Project
Dr Jan Rosenow is a Principal and Director of European Programmes at the Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP), a global team of highly-skilled energy experts. Jan has several board appointments including the European Council for an Energy Efficient Economy and the Coalition for Energy Savings. Jan also has a passion for energy research. He is an Honorary Research Associate at Oxford University’s Environmental Change Institute. In recognition of his work within the field, Jan was named one of the world’s Top 25 energy influencers, has been elected as a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and has been appointed Special Advisor to the BEIS Select Committee’s inquiry into decarbonising heating.
Joanna Bonnett
Global Head of Sustainability, PageGroup
Joanna is PageGroup’s Global Head of Sustainability. In 2020, she established PageGroup’s ambitious sustainability vision, including to change 1 million lives by 2030 and to become operationally carbon net-zero within five years. She is responsible for PageGroup’s sustainability activity and is the driving force behind the Sustainability@Page initiative. Joanna leverages her financial expertise, to articulate the commercial, as well as social and environmental imperative for corporate sustainability. This has included linking PageGroup’s commercial strategy to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the UN Global Compact. . Joanna is passionate about reducing the impact and disruption climate change will cause on employment and within local communities. She is on a mission - to ensure - through the just transition no one is left behind. More broadly, she is responsible for reducing social inequalities and barriers to employment through positive social impact. And to this end, she set the Group a target to change over one million people’s lives within ten years. So far, she has inspired 8,000 employees to action – last year they changed a staggering 114,000 lives globally. Joanna has held senior leadership roles in finance specialising in treasury, risk management, insurance, and investor relations. Her diverse knowledge is drawn from experiences gained working across industries such as utilities, defence, industrials, government, and professional services. Outside of PageGroup, Joanna sits on the board of professional qualification body, the Association of Corporate Treasurers, and holds the role of Deputy Chair.
Kajal Odedra
Author, Activist and Global Communications Director at Change.org
Kajal Odedra is an author and activist, with a passion for people power and currently the Global Communications Director at Change.org. She has supported some of the biggest people-powered campaigns in the UK - from Laura Coryton’s campaign to end the tampon tax to Richard Ratcliffe’s fight to free his wife Nazanin from prison in Iran. Previous to Change.org she campaigned for some of the UK’s most prominent NGOs on issues from homlessness to young people's rights. She is a Visiting Fellow for the University of Oxford, a CAPE Policy Fellow, Marshall Memorial Fellow and Non Executive Board Member for Save The Children UK. Her first book, Do Something; Activism for Everyone, is out now with Hodder and Stoughton. Her second book, Hair/ Power: Essays on Control and Freedom, is out January 2023.
Lynne Cadenhead
Chair at Women’s Enterprise, Women’s Enterprise Scotland
With a background in life sciences, entrepreneur Lynne Cadenhead has over 25 years’ management and early-stage equity investment experience in the technology and retail sectors in UK. Lynne has served on over 30 Boards, is past Chair of UNICEF in Scotland, is an Ambassador for Women on Boards and a Visiting Professor in Governance and Enterprise at Edinburgh Napier University. In 2020 Lynne was awarded the Institute of Directors Scotland Director of the Year award for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. She is a founding director and Chair of Mint Ventures, a women-led business angel group and a member of the UKBAA Women Angel Task Force. Lynne is also Chair of Women’s Enterprise Scotland, an expert assessor for Horizon Europe EIC and REA grants, a member of the T-20 think-tank aligned to the G20 governments and banks and serves on the Scottish Government’s National Council for Economic Transformation.
Richard Black
Senior Associate, Energy & Climate Intelligence Unit
Richard Black is a former BBC News Environment Correspondent. He joined the BBC in 1985 as a radio sound engineer, subsequently producing and presenting programmes in science and other subject areas before becoming a correspondent. As BBC News Environment Correspondent 2002-2012 he reported on many UN summits including five UNFCCC meetings and Rio+20, while field assignments included carbon capture and storage, nuclear power, amphibian conservation, whaling, forestry, aquaculture and earthquake prediction. After leaving the BBC Richard was Director of Communications for the Global Ocean Commission prior to setting up the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU), a think-tank focussing on communicating climate change and the zero-carbon energy transition in the UK. In 2018 he wrote 'Denied: The Rise and Fall of Climate Contrarianism', the only book about the UK's climate contrarian elite, its influence and its retreat. Richard is now a Senior Associate at ECIU and an Honorary Research Fellow at the Grantham Institute at Imperial College London, and frequently contributes to UK broadcast programmes and news media, including taking part in the BBC's 'Climate Change: The Facts' presented by Sir David Attenborough.
Shaun Speirs
Executive Director, Green Alliance
Shaun became executive director of Green Alliance in June 2017. He was chief executive of CPRE, the countryside charity, for 13 years. Previously he led ABCUL, the credit union trade association. From 1994 to 1999, he was MEP for London South East. Shaun chairs the board of Greener UK, a coalition of 12 environmental groups set up in the immediate aftermath of the Brexit referendum. As chair of Greener UK, he sits on the government’s Strategic Trade Advisory Group. His book, How to build houses and save the countryside, was published by Policy Press in March 2018.
Simon Hepburn
Chief Executive Officer, UK Cyber Security Council (UKCSC)
Simon Hepburn is the first Chief Executive Officer of the UK Cyber Security Council (UKCSC), the self-regulatory body for the UK's cyber security profession who develops, promotes and stewards nationally recognised standards for cyber security profession. Simon has more than twenty years’ experience working within the charity, education, careers and quality management sectors. Prior to joining UKCSC, Simon was the former UK Director at an international social action charity with programmes in 21 states in America, South Africa and UK and where he led on programme design, development, delivery and impact, leadership development and school partnerships. Simon was the Director of Education and Policy at a EdTech Company, providing consultancy and support to schools, colleges, local authorities and businesses on their careers and employability programme development and partnership. Up until recently Simon was an Enterprise Advisor as part of the London Enterprise Advisor Network and has worked in colleagues from with the Careers & Enterprise Company and Careers Professionals from throughout the UK. He was also the Director of Pathways and Partnerships for the largest Multi Academy Trust leading on the development of the Championing Careers Guidance Programme working in partnership with the Greater London Authority (GLA). In addition to this Simon is a former CEO of a national education charity, where he developed an award winning service and is an experienced Trustee and Advisory Board member. He has worked for national charities including The Children’s Society, where he led on the development of the quality assurance division and the Charity Sector Quality Assurance Group. Simon has significant experience of programme and organisation review and was a Research Associate with Canterbury Christchurch University. Simon is passionate about supporting people and organisations to reach their full potential and to make a positive contribution to society.
Andrew Marr
Political Editor, New Statesman
Andrew Marr is the New Statesman’s Political Editor and the UK’s pre-eminent political journalist.
Caroline Paige
Joint CEO of Fighting With Pride: the LGBT+ Military Charity
Caroline Paige is a retired Royal Air Force navigator with a thirty-five-year flying career that includes air defence fighter aircraft during the Cold War and in the Falkland Islands, and then battlefield helicopters in Northern Ireland, Bosnia, Iraq, and Afghanistan. In 1999, she became the first openly serving transgender officer in the British Armed Forces. Overcoming early opposition, she served a further sixteen years, earning four commendations for ‘exceptional service’ in Iraq and Afghanistan, and as a trailblazer helping shape diversity and inclusion in the military. Retiring from the RAF in November 2014, Caroline set up her own company, teaching tactical flying skills to European military helicopter aircrew and championing diversity and inclusion through public speaking in schools, universities, businesses, organisations, and the media. Caroline is listed as an inspirational speaker with Chartwell International Bureau, is a Patron of Liverpool City Region Pride Foundation, a member of Liverpool Football Club’s LGBT+ Advisory Group, a Stonewall School Role Model, and Honorary President of No 472 (Hoylake and West Kirby) Squadron, RAF Air Cadets. Her autobiography True Colours was published in 2017 and she is a co-author of the 2019 military LGBT+ anthology Fighting With Pride. In January 2020, Caroline helped set up Fighting With Pride, the UKs only lived-experience military LGBT+ charity, becoming Joint CEO with Craig Jones RN MBE. The charity is leading the health and wellbeing support of LGBT+ veterans, serving personnel and families and led a successful campaign for the UK Government to understand, acknowledge, and address the enduring impacts of the pre-2000 ‘gay ban’ on LGBT veterans, with an LGBT Veterans’ Independent Review being announced in January 2022. In June 2021, Caroline won the postponed-2020 British Ex-Forces in Business Awards’ Champion of Women Award, and in July 2022, she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Middlesex University, in recognition of her continued work in LGBT+ Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.
Dr Jan Rosenow
Principal and Director of European Programmes at the Regulatory Assistance Project
Dr Jan Rosenow is a Principal and Director of European Programmes at the Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP), a global team of highly-skilled energy experts. Jan has several board appointments including the European Council for an Energy Efficient Economy and the Coalition for Energy Savings. Jan also has a passion for energy research. He is an Honorary Research Associate at Oxford University’s Environmental Change Institute. In recognition of his work within the field, Jan was named one of the world’s Top 25 energy influencers, has been elected as a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and has been appointed Special Advisor to the BEIS Select Committee’s inquiry into decarbonising heating.
Joanna Bonnett
Global Head of Sustainability, PageGroup
Joanna is PageGroup’s Global Head of Sustainability. In 2020, she established PageGroup’s ambitious sustainability vision, including to change 1 million lives by 2030 and to become operationally carbon net-zero within five years. She is responsible for PageGroup’s sustainability activity and is the driving force behind the Sustainability@Page initiative. Joanna leverages her financial expertise, to articulate the commercial, as well as social and environmental imperative for corporate sustainability. This has included linking PageGroup’s commercial strategy to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the UN Global Compact. . Joanna is passionate about reducing the impact and disruption climate change will cause on employment and within local communities. She is on a mission - to ensure - through the just transition no one is left behind. More broadly, she is responsible for reducing social inequalities and barriers to employment through positive social impact. And to this end, she set the Group a target to change over one million people’s lives within ten years. So far, she has inspired 8,000 employees to action – last year they changed a staggering 114,000 lives globally. Joanna has held senior leadership roles in finance specialising in treasury, risk management, insurance, and investor relations. Her diverse knowledge is drawn from experiences gained working across industries such as utilities, defence, industrials, government, and professional services. Outside of PageGroup, Joanna sits on the board of professional qualification body, the Association of Corporate Treasurers, and holds the role of Deputy Chair.
Kajal Odedra
Author, Activist and Global Communications Director at Change.org
Kajal Odedra is an author and activist, with a passion for people power and currently the Global Communications Director at Change.org. She has supported some of the biggest people-powered campaigns in the UK - from Laura Coryton’s campaign to end the tampon tax to Richard Ratcliffe’s fight to free his wife Nazanin from prison in Iran. Previous to Change.org she campaigned for some of the UK’s most prominent NGOs on issues from homlessness to young people's rights. She is a Visiting Fellow for the University of Oxford, a CAPE Policy Fellow, Marshall Memorial Fellow and Non Executive Board Member for Save The Children UK. Her first book, Do Something; Activism for Everyone, is out now with Hodder and Stoughton. Her second book, Hair/ Power: Essays on Control and Freedom, is out January 2023.
Lynne Cadenhead
Chair at Women’s Enterprise, Women’s Enterprise Scotland
With a background in life sciences, entrepreneur Lynne Cadenhead has over 25 years’ management and early-stage equity investment experience in the technology and retail sectors in UK. Lynne has served on over 30 Boards, is past Chair of UNICEF in Scotland, is an Ambassador for Women on Boards and a Visiting Professor in Governance and Enterprise at Edinburgh Napier University. In 2020 Lynne was awarded the Institute of Directors Scotland Director of the Year award for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. She is a founding director and Chair of Mint Ventures, a women-led business angel group and a member of the UKBAA Women Angel Task Force. Lynne is also Chair of Women’s Enterprise Scotland, an expert assessor for Horizon Europe EIC and REA grants, a member of the T-20 think-tank aligned to the G20 governments and banks and serves on the Scottish Government’s National Council for Economic Transformation.
Richard Black
Senior Associate, Energy & Climate Intelligence Unit
Richard Black is a former BBC News Environment Correspondent. He joined the BBC in 1985 as a radio sound engineer, subsequently producing and presenting programmes in science and other subject areas before becoming a correspondent. As BBC News Environment Correspondent 2002-2012 he reported on many UN summits including five UNFCCC meetings and Rio+20, while field assignments included carbon capture and storage, nuclear power, amphibian conservation, whaling, forestry, aquaculture and earthquake prediction. After leaving the BBC Richard was Director of Communications for the Global Ocean Commission prior to setting up the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU), a think-tank focussing on communicating climate change and the zero-carbon energy transition in the UK. In 2018 he wrote 'Denied: The Rise and Fall of Climate Contrarianism', the only book about the UK's climate contrarian elite, its influence and its retreat. Richard is now a Senior Associate at ECIU and an Honorary Research Fellow at the Grantham Institute at Imperial College London, and frequently contributes to UK broadcast programmes and news media, including taking part in the BBC's 'Climate Change: The Facts' presented by Sir David Attenborough.
Shaun Speirs
Executive Director, Green Alliance
Shaun became executive director of Green Alliance in June 2017. He was chief executive of CPRE, the countryside charity, for 13 years. Previously he led ABCUL, the credit union trade association. From 1994 to 1999, he was MEP for London South East. Shaun chairs the board of Greener UK, a coalition of 12 environmental groups set up in the immediate aftermath of the Brexit referendum. As chair of Greener UK, he sits on the government’s Strategic Trade Advisory Group. His book, How to build houses and save the countryside, was published by Policy Press in March 2018.
Simon Hepburn
Chief Executive Officer, UK Cyber Security Council (UKCSC)
Simon Hepburn is the first Chief Executive Officer of the UK Cyber Security Council (UKCSC), the self-regulatory body for the UK's cyber security profession who develops, promotes and stewards nationally recognised standards for cyber security profession. Simon has more than twenty years’ experience working within the charity, education, careers and quality management sectors. Prior to joining UKCSC, Simon was the former UK Director at an international social action charity with programmes in 21 states in America, South Africa and UK and where he led on programme design, development, delivery and impact, leadership development and school partnerships. Simon was the Director of Education and Policy at a EdTech Company, providing consultancy and support to schools, colleges, local authorities and businesses on their careers and employability programme development and partnership. Up until recently Simon was an Enterprise Advisor as part of the London Enterprise Advisor Network and has worked in colleagues from with the Careers & Enterprise Company and Careers Professionals from throughout the UK. He was also the Director of Pathways and Partnerships for the largest Multi Academy Trust leading on the development of the Championing Careers Guidance Programme working in partnership with the Greater London Authority (GLA). In addition to this Simon is a former CEO of a national education charity, where he developed an award winning service and is an experienced Trustee and Advisory Board member. He has worked for national charities including The Children’s Society, where he led on the development of the quality assurance division and the Charity Sector Quality Assurance Group. Simon has significant experience of programme and organisation review and was a Research Associate with Canterbury Christchurch University. Simon is passionate about supporting people and organisations to reach their full potential and to make a positive contribution to society.