Judges

 

NOMINATION CRITERIA

2024 Judges

JUDGING IS RIGOROUS, FAIR AND HONEST.

Our highly experienced judging panel is represented by each of the partners and representatives from the region’s most influential bodies. Judges will score and pick the winners from the individual interviews.

George Elliot
Former Partner Grant Thornton
Chairman of listed and VC backed Tech Companies

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George Elliott has a proven track record in profitably scaling technology companies. Since 2007 he has been non-executive chair/director of over 25 companies.

His main achievements centre around building businesses, including four initial public offerings (IPOs) that compete and win on the global stage.

George was a keynote speaker on The Role of the Non-Executive Director in Growing a Company, a programme organised by the University of Edinburgh Business School and FWB Park Brown. He is also a regular presenter at conferences and dinners.

George, formerly a partner of Grant Thornton, is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland and has a degree in Accountancy and Finance from Heriot-Watt University. George is a former rugby player having captained both Heriots FP, Melrose RFC and Scottish Schools under 19 age group. He lives in the Scottish Borders and is a keen salmon fisher.

Jane Stewart
Chair and Non-Executive Director
Maven (MIG 5 VCT plc), Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult & Macphie

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Jane Stewart is an independent director and Chartered Accountant with over 25 years’ Board level experience across industry, private equity investment and corporate finance. She is a Non-Executive Director / Chair with a portfolio of interests from private company Boards at varying stages of growth (environmental and technology sectors) to the Circular Economy Investment Fund. A Women’s Enterprise Scotland Ambassador, Jane has been recognised by Innovate UK in the National Women in Innovation Awards 2022 as one of the UK’s leading female entrepreneurs and was Highly Commended Scottish Businesswoman of the Year 2017.

Andrew Craig
Experienced Private Equity professional. Consultant, Angel Investor & Non-Executive Director.

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Until June 2022 I was a Partner and co-founder of Maven Capital Partners (“Maven”), one of the most active growth capital investors in UK SMEs. I was one of the team who led the buyout of the Private Equity division of Aberdeen Asset Management (“AAM”) Plc in 2009 to form Maven, having joined AAM in 2004 from the Corporate Banking Division of Bank of Scotland.

I am an experienced board member and active angel investor with c.30 years of experience of investing and lending to a wide range of SMEs and currently sit on the advisory board of The Ocularium, an e-commerce eyewear retailer. I also provide business advisory services to a portfolio of clients across the UK.

Finally, I am a trustee of a charity based in Glasgow called Launch Foods, which focuses on maximising food surplus by feeding kids in our communities with free hot nutritious foods after their school day and during holidays and partners with some of the largest food producers in the UK to make the most of any surplus food.

Alasdair Miller

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Alasdair is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland. Having qualified with EY, he has 35 years experience in Corporate Finance, Banking and Private Equity and has assumed a number of roles as Finance Director and Non Executive for both private equity backed companies and some of Scotland’s most prominent and acquisitive family businesses.

He currently holds the position of Group Finance Director of McLaren Packaging, acts as Investment Adviser to the Turner and Co family office , and is a Trustee of The Newark Trust, a charity which he helped found, and which seeks to alleviate child poverty and help young people with additional support needs in Inverclyde.

In 2023 he was named Scottish CFO of the Year for Family Owned Businesses.

Andrew Brown

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Andrew Brown is the CFO of Ooni Pizza Ovens. Having joined the business as its ninth employee in 2017, Andrew has helped steer Ooni to become one of the world’s leading outdoor cooking brands, with sales totalling almost $1bn over the past 6 years.

Prior to joining Ooni, Andrew spent 9 years in KPMG’s Financial Sector Audit practice, specialising in investment management and funds. He is a Chartered Accountant, and in 2023 was named Scottish CFO of the Year for Growth/Scale Up.

Susan Rice

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With a career spanning medical research, leadership roles in higher education and then banking, Susan is inaugural Chair of Forth Green Freeport, creating a green industrial corridor in Scotland alongside jobs creation and regeneration. Focused on the creation of long-term value in business and enterprise, she also chairs GEFI (Global Ethical Finance Initiative) which leads the extensive Path to COP campaigns.

A non-executive member of the UK’s Office for Budget Responsibility, she was founding chair of Scotland’s Fiscal Commission, the country’s official, independent economic and fiscal
forecaster. She has chaired several Scottish arts organisations including the Edinburgh International Book Festival.

The first woman to head a UK or European clearing bank as Chief Executive of Lloyds TSB Scotland plc, she was also Director and Audit Committee chair at the Bank of England, Senior Independent Director of both J Sainsbury’s plc and SSE plc, and lay member of Court at Edinburgh University. Most recently, she chaired the boards of Scottish Water, Business Stream and North American Income Trust.

Alongside a number of honorary degrees and professional fellowships, Dame Susan is a Freeman of the City of London.

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