The Comms Business Awards are open for entries! Here, we take a look at our expert panel of judges and pick out some key advice for those looking to win one of the most prestigious awards the industry has to offer.
The Judges
Itret Latif – FCS Deputy Chairman Itret Latif was appointed interim Chief Executive at the beginning of November by the board to manage the handover from Chris Pateman who retired at the end of last year. The FCS represents the vital business-to-business market for voice and data communications.
Lucy Green – Dr Lucy Green runs a channel consultancy called Larato which specialises in finding hidden potential which lies within businesses. Lucy has provided many resellers and channel providers with valuable insights and has delivered business transformations worth over £300 million.
Cal Leeming - For over a decade, Cal has been a Cyber Security Advisor and widely considered one of the foremost experts on staying secure in a connected world. From his early days as the UK’s youngest hacker to his leadership role today, Cal brings a unique perspective to cyber risk management.
Adam Simon - Simon heads analyst and consultant ContextWORLD which provides fact-based detail of total end-user consumption, margin visibility and real channel sales figures for both B2B and Retail clients.
Paul Richens – As director of Tricca, Richens is a specialist in providing solutions, support & guidance in project management, support teams, software, product, systems, networks, billing and marketing.
Adam Zoldan – Director of Knight Corporate Finance, Adam has brought his expertise and experience to the judging panel. Primarily Knight offers financial services to the Channel on mergers and acquisitions.
Matt Townend – Having joined the board of the Cavell Group in 2012 Matt has been a long standing judge. He has been a pioneer in the Internet, VoIP and SIP markets since he founded his illume consultancy in 2005. He leads major consulting projects around the world from the Middle East to Africa and Asia.
Ian Hunter – Ian Hunter was Editor of Comms Business Magazine since 2001 as well as non-voting Chairman of the Comms Business Awards since their inception. Hunter stood down from his role in 2017 now continues to utilise his extensive Channel knowledge within various roles within Comms Business.
Judges Top Tips
- Innovation
- Explain why have you built your supply chain relationships
- How do you deal with employees differently?
- Be passionate and proud of your products and services
- Evidence of successful outcomes – does it deliver and provide ROI for the customer?
The Awards
Channel Product– Hardware
Channel Product - Software
Channel Product – Professional Services
Connectivity
Distribution
IoT/ M2M
Mobile
Security
Wholesale Provider
Independent Software Vendor
Ones to Watch
Reseller of the Year – SMB
Reseller of the Year Mid-Market
Reseller of the Year – Enterprise
SMB ICT Solution – up to 250 users
Mid-Market ICT Solution – 250-500 users
Enterprise ICT Solution – 500+ users
Customer Service Team of the Year
Apprenticeship scheme of the Year
Hidden Heroes Award
Services to the Channel