The Judges

We understand the importance of a well-respected judging panel and are extremely grateful to all our judges for their time and expertise. Each judge has their own speciality and brings their expertise to the judging table. Once all the applications are in, they’ll meet at a secret location to choose the finalists before the round of face to face interviews take place. Exciting and busy times ahead!

Paul Dickson

Armstrong Watson

Paul is Chief Executive of Armstrong Watson, leading the team of over 400 staff across all of the firm’s locations in the North of England and Scotland and whose quest it is to help their clients achieve prosperity, a secure future and peace of mind. As a firm of Chartered Accountants, Business Advisers and Financial Advisers, Paul believes that Armstrong Watson should fulfil its quest, by helping family businesses run more successful and profitable businesses as a result of their relationship.

Grahame Latus

Enterprise Answers

With almost 37 years in the finance sector under his belt of which 25 were with HSBC Bank in Liverpool, Surrey and Cumbria, Grahame comes with a very experienced understanding of the needs of businesses. Upon leaving the bank at the end of 2004, Grahame created a new financial organisation which provides finance to enterprises across the county, assisting those experiencing difficulty accessing finance from mainstream sources.

Graham Lamont

Chief Executive of Lamont Pridmore

Graham has overseen the development of the firm from a sole practitioner into a Top 100 national award-winning firm. He was recognised as the 40th most influential financial person in the UK in 2014 by the Accountancy Age Financial Power List. Lamont Pridmore prides itself on being a family-run firm of accountants and advises a wide range of family businesses.

Maria Whitehead

The Hawkshead Relish Company

Maria Whitehead runs one of Cumbria’s best loved family businesses – The Hawkshead
Relish Company.

Working with her husband Mark and daughters Izzy and Abbie; Maria fully understands the highs and lows of running a family business first hand. The Hawkshead Relish Company began life after the adversity of Foot and Mouth in 2001 when Maria and Mark’s business diversified following the dramatic drop in footfall to Hawkshead. Today they are the proud holders of over fifty Great Taste Awards. The family values of the business have seen it go from strength to strength, and they now have a range of over 120 batch made relishes, pickles and preserves.

Zoe Dawes

The Quirky Traveller

Sharing her travels in the UK and overseas, Zoë Dawes encourages people to look at the world with new eyes. Via her award-winning blog thequirkytraveller.com she tells stories about culture, history, food and drink, nature and tradition with a dash of the unusual.

Jacqui Jackson

Director at Thomas Jardine & Co and Former Head of Family Business Engagement at Lancaster University

Jacqui’s experience comes not only from her esteemed work at Lancaster University. As a fifth generation retail family business owner Jacqui understands the unique challenges family businesses face. Jardine Jackson Associates support family businesses specifically, through modelling stages right up to board management.

Paul Andrews

Creator of Family Business United

Family Business United (‘FBU’) was created by Paul Andrews who is passionate about the sector and thereby champions it on a global level. Family business is at the core of all that FBU does and is the culmination of working in the sector for over 20 years. Since being founded in 2011 FBU has become an unparalleled rallying point and voice for the global family business community and an invaluable source of insight into the sector.