Judges revealed for Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce Awards 2025
The Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce have revealed the judges for the GBCC Awards 2025.
Taking place on Thursday, 27 February 2025 at the ICC Birmingham, the awards celebrate the very best in Greater Birmingham business and recognise the achievements of those who have demonstrated excellence in their field.
The judges for the awards are as follows:
- Mike Hopkins MBE- Principal at South & City College Birmingham
- Justice Williams MBE- Editor in chief and Co-Founder of Black Business Magazine
- Steph Smith- Business Manager at Crown Highways
- Dr Nik Kotecha OBE DL- Founder and Chairman of RandalSun Capital
- Professor Harris Beider- Pro Vice-Chancellor: Engagement, Enterprise and Innovation at Birmingham City University
- Wendy Morgan (Merricks)- CEO and Founder of Jumar
- Liam Dillon- Chef Owner at The Boat
- Marverine Cole- Award-winning Journalist and Broadcaster
- Parveen Mehta- Group Director at MWW
- Mike Owens- Non-Executive Director at the GBCC
- Simon Marks- City Executive – Birmingham at Arcadis
- Joanna Duggan- Director of Fundraising, Communications & Marketing at Newlife
Speaking about judging the award applicants, Mike Owens said: “I’m excited and privileged to be a judge for the GBCC Awards 2025 as this gives me an opportunity to see the real depth of quality and dedication within the Third Sector/Sustainability/Contribution to Community area and contribute to giving well-deserved recognition to the best of the best.”
Marverine Cole said: “I am thrilled to join the judging panel for the first time this year. Having expertise as a beer sommelier and as a digital solopreneur, I’ve always got my beady eye on the food & drinks sector in the region and on how businesses market themselves. Therefore I am very much looking forward to it examining the entries in these categories.”
The judges will be chaired by director of membership at the GBCC, Lillian Elekan. Lillian said: “I am honoured to chair and guide this year’s judging panel in recognising and celebrating the remarkable achievements of businesses in Greater Birmingham. The calibre of entries for these awards year on year is a testament to the region's vibrant business community and entrepreneurial spirit. I am excited to work with our esteemed judges to carefully review each submission and select the most commendable winners.
“These awards showcase the excellence and innovation that define Greater Birmingham's business landscape, and I look forward to following the exciting journeys of all our finalists and winners.”
The categories for the GBCC Awards 2025 are as follows:
- Excellence in Contribution to the Community - sponsored by runyourfleet
- Excellence in Customer Service
- Excellence in Hospitality, Retail & Events - sponsored by Translift Bendi
- Excellence in Inclusive People Development
- Excellence in International Business - sponsored by Gowling WLG
- Excellence in Manufacturing
- Excellence in Sales & Marketing - sponsored by Pyvital
- Excellence in Sustainability- sponsored by South & City College Birmingham
- Excellence in Technology & Innovation
- Excellence in Third Sector
- Excellence in Training & Education - sponsored by AIM Qualifications and Assessment Group
- Greater Birmingham Business of the Year (picked as an overall winner from the above categories) - sponsored by Crowe UK LLP
There are still award categories available for sponsorship. For more information on sponsorship opportunities and tickets, visit the GBCC Events website.
Pictured: Top L-R: Mike Hopkins MBE, Justice Williams MBE, Steph Smith and Dr Nik Kotecha OBE DL. Middle L-R: Professor Harris Beider, Wendy Morgan (Merricks), Liam Dillon and Marverine Cole. Bottom L-R: Parveen Mehta, Mike Owens, Simon Marks and Joanna Duggan
