A stellar line up of judges have put Birmingham Young Professional of the Year 2016 finalists through their paces.
The panel’s decisions on who has won each of the six categories and who should be crowned overall victor will be revealed at the glitzy awards ceremony at the ICC on May 12.
Bina Ganatra, chairman of the BYPY16 organising committee, said: “This year’s judging panel is a great representation of Greater Birmingham’s BPS sector, with expertise across our six awards categories.
"It was really important for us to find a blend of professionals who could not only identify people excelling in their careers but who are also true advocates for the city and showcase their passion.
“The judging day was as competitive as ever and the finalists made the decision extremely difficult. Awards night is going to be amazing and I can’t wait for the BYPY16 winners to be revealed.”
The Judges
Tracy Westall, SCC Executive Director and panel chair – a leading figure in the technology industry, Tracy is responsible for SCC Corporate Services, overseeing supplier and partner management and procurement, public sector policy, business performance, marketing and Corporate Social Responsibility
The Honourable Mr Justice Ian Dove, High Court Judge – appointed a High Court Judge in October 2014, he is also an Honorary Professor of Law at Birmingham University
Mike Steventon, Regional Chairman and Senior Partner at KPMG’s Birmingham Office – brought over 30 years’ experience to the judging table
Ahmed Farooq, Chief Financial Officer for Wesleyan Assurance Society – previously Managing Director of General Insurance for the Birmingham firm. He is also chair of BPS Birmingham and is the local enterprise partnership’s sector champion for business and professional services
Clive Bawden, Commercial Director at Breaking Free Group – trained at KPMG Birmingham and worked for Inchcape plc, Saint-Gobain and Catalyst Corporate Finance before starting his own business in 2013
Jason MacKenzie, Managing Director of Liquid PR – as well as heading up the award-winning PR and marketing consultancy, Jason is President-Elect of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR)
Katie Kershaw, overall winner of BYPY15 – Director at Node, an award-winning urban design, landscape architecture and heritage practice, based in Birmingham. Katy also won last year’s Property & Construction category
Rebecca Simkiss, Joint Managing Director of SimkissGuy Recruitment – has spent the last 12 years working in the city as an office support and graduate recruitment specialist, and is incredibly passionate about promoting Birmingham as a fantastic place to live and work. She is also Chair of BPS Birmingham Future.
The 18 finalists of each category – Finance; HR, Recruitment & Training; Legal; Marketing & Communications; Property & Construction and Technology – were announced earlier this month.
As well as deciding who should win each category, the judges must decide on an overall winner and choose successful candidates for the Aspiring Talent and Inspiring Leader titles.
• Tickets and tables for BYPY16 are already selling fast. To secure yours, visit here