Who are the judges?
The Corporate Engagement Awards is judged by a broad range of in-house industry experts in sponsorship, partnerships, CSR and sustainability.
Each year we invite the previous year's winners of the 'Best creative execution of the employer brand' and the 'Grand prix' awards to join the panel and these judges fill two agency slots.
How does the judging system work?
Scoring is based on a points system and the judges submit these scores anonymously. The judges mark the entries against the criteria mentioned within the entry and information guide: objective, research and planning, creativity and innovation, strategy and implementation and results.
Our judging system is rigorous and fair. If a judge has entered a specific category they will be exempt from reviewing that category, to avoid a conflict of interest.
Winners are determined by the scores they receive and the entries that score high enough will be shortlisted, invited to attend the awards ceremony and awarded with a trophy. If requested, we also provide detailed feedback on agencies’ work after the awards evening, which proves useful for future entries.
Interested in joining the panel?
If you are interested in the opportunity to judge and believe you have the necessary background, please email Aaron at aaron.alderton@communicatemagazine.co.uk with a short biography for consideration.
Richard Amos
Head of corporate partnerships
Richard leads the corporate team at Samaritans who have some major partnerships with, Three, Phoenix Group and Cala Homes to name a few. Previously at Mind, Richard established the first new partnerships team who secured partnerships with brands such as, Co-op Group, Dunelm, English Football League, Allianz and McVitie’s. Before this, he led the development of new strategic partnerships for Diabetes UK with pharmaceuticals such as Janssen-Cilag (J&J) and led several successful corporate bids at Alzheimer's Society. Before joining the Third Sector, Richard had a career in promotional marketing and rights licensing.
Chris Coles
Partnership director
Chris is a Partnership Director at the European Tour group, the leading men’s professional golf tour in Europe, which oversees the DP World Tour and Ryder Cup. Chris leads the Tour Partner programme which includes blue-chip brands BMW, Emirates and Rolex as well as building commercial programmes with the PGA TOUR.
Specialising in sponsorship strategy and activations, prior to working at the European Tour group, Chris worked across award-winning sponsorship campaigns for Beko, McDonald’s and Bose.
Chris Gasnier
Senior communications manager
Chris is the Senior Communications Manager and leads on Three UK’s responsible business and sustainability workstreams. His over 15 years’ experience in communications and marketing has seen him work for a number of well-known brands including ASK Italian, P&O Cruises and BHS as well as a number of charities included Great Ormond Street Hospital and NSPCC. Under his role at Three, he is responsible for their corporate charity partner, Samaritans, as well as other schemes and initiatives including their Community Fund, Reconnected programme and involvement in the UK National Databank.
Cat March
Head of corporate development
Cat has built a career in sponsorship sales and account management within the cultural sector, including with Tate galleries, Theatre Royal Stratford East, and is currently Head of Corporate Development at The Old Vic theatre. She has designed and executed sponsorship campaigns with a variety of well-known brands including EY, BMW, Deutsche Bank, LOEWE, PwC, Royal Bank of Canada, UNIQLO, and Van Cleef & Arpels.
As a sponsorship practitioner, she is particularly interested in understanding the intricate dynamics that define the relationship between the cultural and corporate worlds. Her focus lies in crafting bespoke, enduring sponsorship solutions that align values, elevate reputations, and meet strategic objectives.
Cat has shared her insights as a panellist at the Think! Sponsorship conference, discussing how cultural partnerships can play a pivotal role in supporting employee wellbeing initiatives, and as a judge for the Corporate Engagement Awards. Beyond her professional engagements, Cat serves as a Trustee with Hackney Showroom and mentors for ILIKENETWORKING, a career platform for women and non-binary individuals in the creative industries. She has also completed the Clore Emerging Leaders Programme as well as the Sponsorship Sales Certificate with the European Sponsorship Association.
Sally Moore
Senior director, global sponsorship leader
Sally Moore is Global Sponsorship Director at Sage. Sage is the UK’s largest tech company, supporting millions of small businesses across the world with amazing technology support and guidance. Sage’s brand strategy is to be the most human tech company, a mantra that is brought to life through its sports and entertainment sponsorship strategy. As the Official Insights Partner of The Hundred and Six Nations Rugby, as well as an official Major League Baseball partner, Sage brings enhanced insights and innovations to the sports it operates in, driving better decision making. Sage is also the naming rights partner to a 12,000 person arena and international conference centre currently being built in Sage’s home town of Newcastle.
Nicky O'Malley
Director of corporate partnerships
With a background that includes brand-side, agency-side and charity-side roles, Nicky is a specialist in Corporate/ Charity sector collaborations. Her work spans international markets on initiatives that align with a brand's ESG and CSR strategies covering both environmental and social justice issues and has resulted in her convening award-winning sustainability initiatives and collaborations that deliver global impact.
Tom Whiteside
Head of group sponsors
Tom is currently Head of Group Sponsorship at Aviva, where he has developed the new group sponsorship strategy for the UK, starting with Manchester’s new landmark new arts, culture and music venue – Aviva Studios. He joined Aviva in 2022 from Toyota, where he oversaw three Olympic and Paralympic Games as UK Sponsorship Lead. Prior to this, Tom worked at Sports Marketing Agency Synergy as consultancy lead for clients such as Martini, BMW and RBS.