Judging panel revealed for Solihull awards
The judging panel has been revealed for the Solihull Chamber of Commerce 's annual awards extravaganza next month.
The Solihull awards will take place on 14 October at the Forest of Arden Marriott Hotel & Country Club and is anticipating the attendance of over 200 guests.
The achievements of businesses and professionals from across Solihull will be recognised during the ceremony, which will also be livestreamed to an online audience.
Ahead of the event judges will come together to decide which businesses deserve to be crowned winner of this year 's various categories.
Chairing this year 's judging panel is Helen Bates (pictured), chief financial officer at the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce (GBCC).
She said: “I am honoured to be chairing this year 's Solihull Awards and am really looking forward to seeing all of the talent and success stories that this borough has to offer. While the pandemic has impacted our region in more ways than one, these awards are the perfect opportunity to showcase what our businesses are made of. ”
Accompanying Helen on the judging panel are Deborah Leary, Pam Sheemar, Phil Arkinstall and Sabah Hussain.
Deborah Leary is CEO and founder of Forensic Pathways, an international consultancy and technology design company specialising in the development of innovative technologies for the criminal, threat intelligence and business intelligence arena.
She is also a motivational speaker and consultant on entrepreneurship and innovation, international trade and corporate social responsibility.
Deborah also has a personal affinity to the GBCC, acting as the Chamber 's senior vice president as well as being a board member for the Greater Birmingham Commonwealth Chamber of Commerce.
She said: “I am absolutely delighted to be invited as a judge for the Solihull Awards. This is a true celebration of not only the fabulous businesses within Solihull but an acknowledgement of the resilience of business across the region.
“All of you have shown a commitment to being the best no matter the circumstance. Many congratulations to all those who have made it to the final. You are all superstars. ”
Pam Sheemar has held various positions at one of the UK 's top 5 banks, Natwest, including Local Director for North and South Wales and her current role within the Corporate Commercial Coverage team.
Pam also heads the Birmingham Entrepreneur Accelerator and supports hundreds of entrepreneurs to start, scale and succeed with their businesses. She also supports various diversity and inclusion initiatives across the region and is a proud board director for Birmingham Tech Week.
Phil Arkinstall is chief executive of Ark Media, an award-winning video production company. Phil has been involved in the visual creative industries for over 20 years and founded his own agency eleven years ago which has gone on to win awards such as Small Business of the Year at the Birmingham Post Business Awards.
Phil is also President of the Sutton Coldfield Chamber of Commerce.
He said: "I'm delighted to be on the judging panel for this year's Solihull Awards. As we move further out of the pandemic I'm excited to hear the success stories coming out of the Solihull division."
Sabah Hussain is a Business Architect and Coach at Correla and is vice-president of the Future Faces Chamber of Commerce (FF). Sabah is invested in supporting her own business community, as her organisation is also based in Solihull, and also has a passion for the region 's young people and helping them realise their full, unique potential.
She said: “I am excited to be part of the judging panel for this year 's Solihull Annual Dinner and Awards 2021. There is exceptional talent and incredible people across the region so I have no doubt it will be a tough process. It will be a great opportunity to come together and recognise all the amazing things that have been happening over the past year. ”
The categories being awarded this year are:
- Outstanding in Contribution to Community
- Outstanding in Customer Service (Sponsored by runyourfleet)
- Outstanding in Hospitality & Retail
- Outstanding in Manufacturing
- Outstanding Young Talent
- Outstanding in Sales & Marketing
- Outstanding in Sustainability
- Outstanding in Technology & Innovation (Sponsored by AirIT)
- Outstanding in Training & Education
- Outstanding in Charity/Third Sector
To submit an award nomination, find out more about sponsorship or purchase tickets, click here.