The Judging

The Comms National Awards are judged independently by an experienced and knowledgeable team of industry experts (to be announced). who will not be employed by any ICT industry company entering the Awards.

Judges will examine each submission before discussing the pros and cons of each entry as a group. They will take into account the quality of product, service and support provided to resellers or end user customers and the case study examples provided in support of each submission.

The Judges will then privately mark down their individual choice for the top four entrants in each award category.

The chairman of judges will then collect each of the judges' score sheets and mark the results as follows: first place scores 10 points; second place 7 points; third place 4 points and fourth place 1 point. The entry with the highest amount of points will be deemed the winner. In the event of a draw the chairman will have the casting vote.

‘Now in its 9th year, the Comms National Awards continues to recognise the highest standards of technical excellence, customer focus and business partnership in the UK ICT channel.
As chairman of the judging panel, I can confidently state that the job only gets harder with each passing year as the sophistication and business impact of the nominees increases and more and more participants strive to attain this highest of accolades.'

PAUL CUNNINGHAM - CHAIR OF JUDGES

Paul Cunningham is the founder of the MonkeyBridge consultancy.

Paul has held senior channel development and product marketing positions with Westcon Group, Comstor UK, BMC Software, Oracle Corporation, Cap Gemini and ICL/Fujitsu. Since founding his own consultancy MonkeyBridge in 2006 he has focused on the business communications software market where rapid growth and competition have created significant challenges for technology companies seeking to develop and successfully market their products and services.

MonkeyBridge measurably improves marketing effectiveness and increases sales opportunity for communications technology providers by delivering expert outsourced management services.
Clients have included: AVST, 5i, Securelogix, CommsVision, Cistera Networks and Odysii

ADAM HARRIS

Adam Harris is CEO of the Technology Channels Association .
Adam built a highly successful midlands-based technology reseller winning several awards for his entrepreneurship, culminating in being announced as the midlands' Young Directors of the Year 2008, by the Institute of Directors.

As well as the TCA, Adam has other business interests which include Fresh Mindset, a Technology based consultancy company which bridges the gap between Business and Technology.  A proclaimed 'Technologist' Adam sits on the board of two companies as IT Director as well as being a guest lecturer in Business and IT in several universities. He is also a regular contributor to a number of media organisations.

PETER SELDON

Peter Seldon is non -executive Chairman of Global Technologies Media (Conjungo).

Peter started his career with Olivetti in 1971 and subsequently held senior roles within Honeywell Information Systems, ICL and Groupe Bell before starting his own business, Microplan in 1982. With Peter as CEO this company evolved into Serverware Group plc ,specialising in the development of enterprise scale system management products for the emerging Windows NT environment.

Under Peter's leadership Serverware went on to develop and sell its ‘Operations Manager' real time eventing product to NetIQ for $17m and its ‘Enterprise Configuration Manager' suite to Configuresoft in 2000. Peter now sits on the Configuresoft Board and continues to market ECM (now SCM and owned by VMWare) from Serverware's London offices

JOHN CHAPMAN

John is Business Development Director within IT Europa, the leading provider of strategic business intelligence, news and analysis on the European IT marketplace and the primary channels which serve it.

During the 1980's and 1990's John held a number of senior IT sales and marketing roles as well as being the Managing Director of IT distribution, systems integration, software and services companies.
During this time John was responsible for launching many of the technologies and IT brands onto the UK market that are now at the core of the IT industry.

He has also presented the CN Awards since its inception and is a much respected ICT industry consultant and speaker.

JACQUI BROOKES OBE

Jacqui Brookes, OBE is CEO and Executive Director at the Federation of Communication Services.

Originally appointed in 1990 to manage the FCS trade association Jacqui has been CEO since 2002, with responsibility for representing and supporting members and developing the Federation. Jacqui's experience covers representation to Government and regulators on radio spectrum, competition, markets and consumer issues, developing self regulatory schemes, including industry codes of practice, staging conferences and seminars and building FCS information services.

Jacqui Brookes represents FCS on many industry and other committees and is the chairman of the Industry Liaison Panel for Phonepay Plus.
Jacqui Brookes was awarded the OBE in the 2007 New Years Honours List for services to industry.

KEITH HUMPHRIES

Keith Humphreys has been active in Local Area Networks distribution channels since their inception in Europe after initial experience gained in South Africa. Sales channel management roles in Europe and for US based companies add to his experience in mid-range computing and connectivity issues.

As a consultant with euroLAN Research, based in the UK, he has worked with several major networking vendors in streamlining their European channels and in analysing their markets and competitors. He holds a degree in Engineering from the University of Westminster.

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