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 'Grand prix' awards to join the panel and these judges fill the 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 Tom at tom.leask@communicatemagazine.co.uk with a short biography for consideration.
Please see the judging panel for 2025 below. More will be announcing soon!
David Bedi
Head of corporate partnerships
David is the Head of Corporate Partnerships at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Charity and Evelina London Children's Charity. Prior to this role, he worked for a number of domestic and international charities, including Unicef UK, Alzheimer’s Society and Breakthrough Breast Cancer, focusing on developing new strategic partnerships. David was also a member of the CIOF’s Corporate Fundraising Special Interest Group (SIG).
Ellie Failes
Partnerships Consultant
Ellie Failes is a Partnerships Consultant at the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), where she builds impactful, global partnerships to achieve zero hunger and create sustainable food systems. With over a decade of experience in the NGO and intergovernmental sectors, Ellie specialises in developing large-scale, long-term partnerships that combine technical expertise and funding to drive social, economic, and environmental change.
She works with partners across industries - from food services to manufacturing - and involves collaboration with governments to drive systemic, sustainable change, from tackling urgent humanitarian needs to strengthening supply chains that connect farmers to global markets.
Adam Feder
Head of Corporate Partnerships
Adam is Head of Corporate Partnerships at Maggie’s – a charity providing free cancer support and information in centres across the UK and online. Adam has been at Maggie’s since 2018, his team builds and manages partnerships with companies such as Howden, Scotmid, GSK and Sir Robert McAlpine. Adam has worked in Corporate Partnerships for nearly 15 years, at Age UK, Breast Cancer Care and vInspired, securing partnerships with companies such as Credit Suisse, nPower and First Utility.
Jeremy Gould
Jeremy is the Senior Corporate Growth Manager at the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF), working with companies to help them give more effectively and impactfully, and accelerate progress in society towards a fair and sustainable future for all. He also works as an Associate at Bright Spot Fundraising, coaching a portfolio of fundraising clients.
His career to date has included high value fundraising roles at a range of domestic and international charities including the Stroke Association, Carers UK, World Child Cancer and HelpAge International. Jeremy began his career in finance working for Bloomberg in London & Switzerland. He was also previously the Chair of the CIOF’s Corporate Fundraising Special Interest Group (SIG). Jeremy is a Trustee of the Friends of the Gordon (his children’s school PTA!)
James Hails
Director of Fundraising and Communications
James joined London Youth as Director of Fundraising and Communications in March 2024. Having worked in marketing and communications in film and TV, theatre and dance for six years in his native Newcastle, he joined the charitable sector in 2011. He has built a first-class reputation for working with global businesses, leading trusts and foundations, and generous major donors at charities including Stroke Association, British Heart Foundations, Alzheimer’s Society and Independent Age. A trustee at Dance City for three years, he chaired their Fundraising and Marketing Committee.
Sara Heald
Sustainability Manager
Sara is the Sustainability Manager at Premium Credit Ltd, where she steers the development and delivery of the company’s sustainability strategy, targets and initiatives. With over 30 years of experience in financial services, Sara has built her career from junior positions to senior leadership roles, including servicing as Head of CSR at Legal & General.
Beyond her professional role, Sara is a Trustee of Crawley Open house, a charity supporting those facing homelessness and is chair of the Neurodiversity network at PLC. Sara has a passion for sustainability and a strong sense of purpose.
John Hibbert
Corporate Partnerships Manager
John has over 15 years’ experience managing partnerships and high-impact campaigns with some of the biggest UK brands, including HSBC UK, M&S and Nationwide Building Society. John has recently joined Historic Royal Palaces, heading up their corporate team, and was previously Head of Corporate Partnership Management at Shelter, leading the team to maximise engagement with and raise over £7m per year from the private sector. John has also worked in corporate partnerships roles at The King’s Trust, UNICEF-UK, The Fairtrade Foundation and Australian Red Cross.
Mirième Hill
Global Corporate Responsibility Project Manager
Mirième is a corporate responsibility, stakeholder engagement and communications specialist with more than 15 years’ experience in private sector, not for profit and FTSE100 in the UK and overseas. Prior to joining the Corporate Responsibility team at RELX - a global information, data analytics and events company in 2016, Mirième held roles in communications, stakeholder engagement and responsible business at ITV and Virgin Holidays and previously participated as a guest judge at the Observer Ethical Awards and the World Responsible Tourism Awards. In her current role as Global Corporate Responsibility Project Manager, Mirième leads on partnerships and programs to support the advancement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals including the RELX SDG Resource Centre and RELX Environmental Challenge.
Natalie Moss
Head of corporate partnerships
With two decades of experience in arts fundraising and partnerships, Natalie is passionate about connecting world-class cultural institutions with brands.
She currently leads Corporate Partnerships at the Southbank Centre, one of London’s most iconic arts destinations, where she develops strategic brand collaborations that support the organisation’s ambitious artistic output.
Previously, Natalie spent 16 years at BAFTA, delivering award-winning campaigns with some of the most recognisable brands, consistently building long-term relationships and delivering revenue goals.
Her career began at the Royal Court Theatre and English National Opera, where she built strong foundations in stakeholder engagement, project delivery, and relationship management.
Emily Murphy
Formerly Head of Marketing & Partnerships, Northern Europe
Emily brings more than twenty years of experience in marketing and communications, with the past seventeen years working in the tech and telecom sector. In her recent role at Alibaba Group, Emily oversaw marketing and partner development for the region, building Alibaba’s reputation, profile and reach as a trusted enabler for Northern European SMEs selling overseas through Alibaba’s marketplaces. Prior to Alibaba Group, Emily worked for the GSMA (mobile industry body), Skype and Badoo, among others. She holds an MBA from Melbourne Business School, and a BS in communications from Boston University.
Sabrina Nixon
Deputy Head of Corporate Partnerships
Sabrina is a corporate partnerships specialist, currently Deputy Head of Corporate at Dogs Trust. Sabrina specialises in truly transformational partnerships that make a meaningful difference for charities, companies, and society at large. Her award-winning work includes the #GetOnARoll campaign at Bowel Cancer UK which mobilised supermarkets and loo roll manufacturers to put life-saving information on their packaging, and the international partnership between Aviva and British Red Cross.
Stephen Nutt
Head of Specialist Audiences
Stephen has extensive experience of developing and leading engaging partnerships having led the partnership marketing team at Smart Energy GB, working with a range of sports organisations, retailers and third sector organisations. He’s also worked in partnership roles as the deputy head of commercial partnerships at the Department of Health and Social Care, and children’s charity, the NSPCC, where he led a team dealing with non-fundraising aspects of partnership work, including marketing and communications, pro-bono and corporate volunteering.
Lauren Riley
UK & Ireland Communications Manager
Lauren Riley joined the CMA CGM Group, a global player in sea, land, air, logistics and media solutions, as UK Communications and CSR Manager in May 2022 and is responsible for all internal and external communications, stakeholder engagement and corporate social responsibility activity in the country. With over 12 years of experience in communications and CSR across industries including housing, recruitment, transport and agency-side, Lauren has a passion for telling a brand’s story, protecting its reputation, and developing a strong sense of purpose beyond their day-to-day operations.
Becky Read
Head of Corporate Partnerships, Business Development and Innovation
With a wealth of experience in corporate charity partnerships, working at organisations such as Macmillan Cancer Support and Dogs Trust, Becky is currently the Head of Corporate Partnerships, Business Development and Innovation at English Heritage. With a career built around a passion for partnerships with purpose, Becky is excited to be on the panel for this year’s Corporate Engagement Awards and is looking forward to hearing about fantastic partnerships.
Alyse Roberts
Head of Corporate Partnerships
Alyse is Head of Corporate Partnerships at Family Action - the charity for every family in need and anyone without family support. Alyse joined Family Action in 2024 to lead her team across new business, account management, and challenge events. With over eight years of corporate fundraising experience, Alyse has held roles at Action for Children, Diabetes UK and Leonard Cheshire, working on sector-leading partnerships with companies such as Royal Mail and Tesco. Alyse is passionate about securing and developing purpose-driven partnerships, finding the golden thread that aligns mutual goals between companies and charities, and generating tangible and lasting impact.
Illen Rowe
American Express Global Business Travel
Social Impact Manager
Over more than a decade Illen has worked at the intersection of business and social impact to harness the power of the private sector for good. He is passionate about the positive role that companies can play in society by deploying their people, their products and their profits to solve some of society’s biggest challenges. Illen is currently the Social Impact Manager for American Express Global Business Travel, the world’s leading B2B travel platform, providing software and services to manage travel, expenses, and meetings and events.
Rob Singleton
Group Sponsorship Manager
Rob is currently Group Sponsorship Manager at Aviva, where he has helped develop the group sponsorship strategy for the UK, starting with Manchester’s new landmark arts, culture and music venue – Aviva Studios. Most recently he has worked on Aviva’s new partnership with Amazon Music’s City Sessions. He is a sponsorship manager with over 14 years’ experience across the industry including stints agency, rights holder and brand side. He joined Aviva in 2021 having worked on a diverse portfolio of properties & brands including Norwich Union’s British Athletics sponsorship, Rugby League World Cup 2013, Rugby Football League, UEFA Women’s Euros 2021, Gillette, Marriott, Specsavers and Vodafone.
Megan Smith
Strategic Partnerships Lead - EMEA
Megan is the Business Development Manager at Hark London, where she is pioneering a new era of transformative partnerships with Hark Sport. She collaborates with sports-focused organisations to drive youth engagement and create lasting social impact on a global scale. Prior to this, Megan was a Strategic Partnerships Lead at Blackbaud Europe, where she forged impactful cross-sector collaborations. Her extensive experience also includes delivering sports education programmes for Chelsea FC and QPR FC, as well as leading consultancy projects for high-profile events such as the Commonwealth Games, World Athletics, and The FA. In 2023, Megan was honoured with the Barrie Gill Award for Most Promising Young Sponsorship Executive at the UK Sponsorship Awards. Megan is known for her passion, energy, and strategic mindset, paired with a proven track record in the sponsorship and partnership sector.
Tanushree Srivastava
Corporate Partnerships Manager
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.
Lauren Tones
UK Partnerships Director
Lauren Tones is the UK Partnerships Director at ASM Global, overseeing brand activation across iconic UK venues including AO Arena Manchester, OVO Arena Wembley, and first direct arena Leeds.
With nearly 20 years of experience in live entertainment, Lauren began her career at Brixton Academy before moving on to roles at Wembley Arena and The O2, managing relationships with brands such as O2 Telefonica, Budweiser, and Nissan. At ASM Global, she has played a key role in renewing first direct’s naming rights agreement and has built strong partnerships with brands including OVO, Sky, Three and American Express.