Luke is AI Director at Definition, he helps companies with bespoke genAI builds, prompting, tuning and training, so they don't look and sound the same as everyone else. Luke has worked as director of PR and SEO at B2B agency Definition. He spent a lot of time working out which comms channels are best for Definition’s B2B clients and then developed and executed bespoke strategies based on this research.

To give you an idea of how long Mark Casey has worked in Comms for the UK IT Channel, when he started two of his first clients were Zenith Data Systems and ICL and Wordperfect was the writing software of choice! Over the course of some 30 plus years, he and his colleagues, have launched new PCs, servers the size of kitchens and software packages that were so complicated to install and operate that you needed a team of people in white coats to be on permanent standby. With the IT Channel now going through yet another evolutionary change, Mark maintains positivity and good humour and continues to embrace whatever the people of the IT Channel throw at him. Despite the passing of the years, he is still probably best associated with the "Casey" press trips that covered the four corners of the globe and could not now be repeated for both budgetary and legal reasons.

With over 15 years of experience as a business and IT journalist across London and New York, Sara led editorial teams at titles such as CRN and eWeek Channel Insider. Using her journalistic skills to analyse and understand technologies and markets, Sara now runs her own content and consultancy business, Content360. She provides services including, editorial writing and editing, content marketing, media training and event hosting, and business consulting.

A hands-on, results driven, agile marketing leader and sales enabler, Richard has wide experience in setting and communicating strategic direction and executing ‘Go-to-Market’ plans which have driven profitable sales growth within the technology sector. As a chartered marketer, Richard looks to use his experience and knowledge in ensuring the marketing strategy remains aligned with the needs of the business. As one of the original members of the CRN Sales & Marketing judges panel, Richard recognises how important his role is in providing complete integrity and transparency when it comes to the judging process. He feels very honored and privileged to continue his association with these industry leading awards, and continues to be impressed with the level of dedication demonstrated from all those companies that repeatedly raise the bar in terms of the quality of their submissions.

Rory Flashman is a Director at Spa Communications, an integrated PR, Social Media and Creative Content Marketing agency specialising in tech and digital infrastructure. With more than 15 years' experience working with start-ups, scale-ups and Fortune 500 businesses, he's delivered award-winning PR campaigns for a host of world-leading organisations, including data centres, sustainability specialists, and IT reseller firms. Connect with him on LinkedIn here - https://www.linkedin.com/in/rory-flashman-wells-26440348/

Founder of 7Demand and owner of industry event Channel Meet Up Sophy Gray has over 24 years of IT Marketing experience. Throughout her career, Sophy has launched brands, developed partner programs, devised GTM messages, led teams, introduced integrated campaigns, improved marketing operations, and delivered large-scale events. 7Demand are experts in demand marketing. They create and manage customer campaigns, and empower Partner Marketing teams to match the campaign sophistication of their customer marketing peers. Their team of strategic experts spot opportunities, working alongside sharp tactical specialists to get the job done. This combination is brought to you as a managed marketing service. With 7Demand, you can tap into a vast network of global specialists who are not easily found elsewhere, harnessing the proven methodologies developed through years of experience in B2B marketing leadership roles.

Gina founded her first agency MCC International in her early 20s and grew it to be one of the UK’s largest regional consultancies before moving on to set up a successful PR division at WLM.Digital where she was co-owner and Communications Director for 7 years. Now back into consultancy, she’s working with a great team of freelancers and global partner agencies, offering a wider range of services to clients and drawing on the knowledge she’s built up over the past 30 years. Gina spends a lot of time mentoring and training and her hands on, tell it how it is approach to managing clients’ expectations has never changed. Journalists know what to expect from her and she’s built up some great contacts during her career. Humour and an abhorrence of pretentiousness have always stood her in good stead and she’s currently enjoying her third time round the working wheel.

Stephanie is a seasoned leader in channel marketing, boasting over three decades of experience in the field. Beginning her career as a channel marketing specialist with 3Com, she has gone on to hold leadership roles within tech vendors and specialist channel agencies, ascending to heading the global agency services division at The Channel Company. In this capacity, Stephanie oversees a talented team of over 180 marketers worldwide, leveraging her wealth of knowledge and expertise to craft and execute marketing strategies that yield significant impact and ensure optimal return on investment for clients.

Prior to his current role as CRO of Smartbox.ai, Darren was the Managing Director of Bytes Document Solutions, and the founder and Managing Director of the channel services group, Boost Technology Group, where he and his team designed and delivered training, enablement, and specialist marketing services for the likes of Microsoft, Ingram Micro, Westcoast, Exclusive, SHI, Xeretec, Bytes, Total Computers, Bluesource, and many others. Darren has over 26 years of sales, marketing and leadership channel experience and has been a CRN judge every year since 2016.

A tech marketing specialist with over 20 years in the channel, I excel in generating impactful marketing strategy, ideas and nurturing genuine relationships, all underpinned by a keen analytical and creative approach. Specialising in channels, partnerships, and alliances, I guide tech companies towards marketing strategies that deliver true impact and deeper, trust-based alliances for stronger business outcomes. My focus is on driving revenue, enhancing relationships, and fostering creativity with key partners. I work collaboratively as a strategic partner over the long term and am committed to meaningful impact over fame, dedicated to strategic alliances, and enterprise-level engagements. I’m delighted to have been a judge for the CRN Sales & Marketing awards since 2019 and really enjoy seeing the entries each year. It’s a great privilege being able to help choose the winners with my fellow judges.

Geoff is the Managing Director of Asgard Marketing, a specialist marketing agency focused on supporting technology companies and helping them achieve their goals. With over 25 years of experience in the IT industry, he has successfully assisted numerous channel clients in developing and implementing effective marketing strategies

Mark is a tech PR doer, brand story teller and content creator. As co-founder of Cohesive, he helps disruptive and innovative tech companies create influence and market momentum in the UK and EMEA, through a purposeful mix of story driven PR and meaningful content. In a career spanning three decades, Mark has worked with some of the fastest growing tech companies in the world, including Fortinet, Palo Alto Networks (now two of the biggest cybersecurity companies on the planet), FireEye, SentinelOne, Rubrik and VAST Data. Major IT channel clients have included Logicalis, EquIP Technology, VADition, Ignition Technology, and Exclusive Networks. Honoured to be a judge for the CRN Sales & Marketing Awards since 2018.

Carl is Managing Director at Open & Informed Ltd. He has worked in the IT and Market Research industry for over 20 years, as well as in distribution, reseller, vendor and market research businesses. Carl has been a judge for CRN Channel Awards for over 10 years.

Sara Yirrell left CRN UK in December 2016 to become a freelance journalist and content consultant specialising in all things IT channel. Before that she had worked at CRN since August 2000, holding the title of Editorial Director since October 2014. She was the editorial driving force behind the brand since becoming Editor in 2007, and oversaw the expansion to incorporate channelnomics.eu and channelnomics.com, which created the first true global channel network. Before joining CRN, Sara worked on local daily newspaper The Northampton Chronicle & Echo for three years, covering areas such as crime, local politics, education, business and transport.