With a 25+ year career in the IT Channel, I am a strategic yet execution centric Partner leader with C-level global industry experience from SMEs to multinationals. Proven abilities to drive business growth in new environments, combining individual accountability with excellent team collaboration through exceptional interpersonal skills, I have succeeded in whatever Channel throws at me!

I know what it takes to get the most from relationships across Partner organisations through problem solving & strategic execution of joint plans to achievement mutual growth.

I have a passion for creating a positive difference for women & girls, & believe this starts with inspiring girls to pursue STEM subjects in education & highlighting the opportunities within the Tech industry beyond the usual female tropes. With my ongoing volunteering position as an Enterprise Advisor at 2 local secondary schools, I help kids prepare for life beyond school with CV & interview skills training. I’m also “Ruby Owl” in a local Girl Guiding group which encourages the girls to challenge themselves outside of their usual comfort zone.

Daniel Evans is Senior Partner Manager at Distology, a leading UK specialist cybersecurity distributor, where he drives strategic growth through high-impact channel partnerships. Working closely with vendors and major reseller partners, he focuses on enabling sales teams, accelerating opportunity creation, and building strong relations.

Daniel has been recognised as one of the IT Channel’s Top 25 Influencers and is also a Director of The Channel Community CIC; an organisation driving mentorship and collaboration in the IT Channel. As an advocate for diversity and inclusion, Daniel created and leads the Distology Pride Network, establishing a visible and supportive platform that champions LGBTQ+ colleagues and allies while driving positive change.

As a judge for the CRN Women & Diversity in Channel Awards, he brings channel expertise and a genuine commitment to recognising those shaping a more inclusive future for the industry.

Tanaz Gould is Chief Revenue Officer at the Trustmarque and Ultima Group, where she leads the revenue growth strategy for the newly merged organisation. With more than 25 years’ experience in the technology sector, she has a strong track record of building and scaling high-performing teams, launching new propositions, and delivering sustained growth in complex B2B environments.

A commercially astute and people-focused leader, Tanaz has held senior roles across leading managed services, cloud, and technology organisations. She is recognised for bringing clarity, pace, and discipline to growth agendas, aligning customers, partners, and teams around clear priorities and measurable outcomes.

Tanaz plays a central role in shaping the organisation’s go-to-market strategy, revenue engine, and market positioning, helping to unlock the full potential of the combined business.

Beyond her executive responsibilities, Tanaz is a passionate advocate for inclusive leadership and talent development and actively mentors emerging leaders across the technology sector.

Uniquely, Tanaz brings a rare combination of technical engineering foundations and commercial leadership. This dual perspective enables her to translate complex technology capabilities into clear strategic value for customers.

With over 30 years of experience in the IT industry, I am driven by a mission to forge strategic alliances that amplify our expertise, fuel ambition, and deliver exceptional client outcomes—while advancing environmental sustainability.

Recognised as the UK CRN Executive Mentor Winner in 2023, I’m committed to developing the next generation of talent, fostering inclusive growth and long-term capability across the tech industry.

My core strengths lie in strategic clarity, inspiring execution, and leading transformation through a technology-centric, business-outcome approach. I champion a high-performance, ethical culture that enables innovation and resilience—building future-ready organisations where people thrive and excellence is the standard.

Donavan Hutchinson is the Founder and CEO for D&A Services International Ltd the industries first DEI As A Service organisation. Donavan is also a Governor at Barnsley College with over 20 years in the technology industry and has a wealth of experience in leadership, sales strategy, compliance, mergers and acquisitions and international collaboration programs having worked as an executive leader for some of the world largest technology reseller organisations.

His commitment to driving change across various industries in promoting equality for all has been instrumental in the growth of several organisations he has had the opportunity to lead during his tenure. Awarded by CRN as the 2023 Industry Achievement Award Winner, CRN Diversity A lister, CRN Channel A Lister, CRN Executive Mentor of the Year finalist 2023 and CRN Mental Health Champion of the Year finalist 2023 , Donavan's focus on equality focuses on all demographics as he continues to drive education and awareness programs across the community socially but also through consultative engagements. Donavan's focus on DEI has been seen at a global level with features in Humans Of Globe and CIO Views as one of the Top 10 Global trailblazer Leaders in DEI. Donavan is an out and proud member of the LGBTQIA+ community and Pride Life Global Advocate and has utilised his own experience in helping to educate others to be their most authentic version of themselves , speaking at several events on the topic of DEI and driving positive cultural change through education and awareness.

With over 28 years of experience in the IT channel, I currently serve as a presales Service Design Architect at Trustmarque/Ultima, where I play a strategic role in driving sales growth through innovative service design and customer-centric transformation. I specialise in translating complexity into clear commercial value, shaping services that deliver business outcomes, enable sustainable growth, operational resilience, and long-term partnership success.

Alongside my service leadership, I am a passionate advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion. As Chair of the Wellbeing Committee, I’ve helped cultivate a culture that prioritises mental health, belonging, and courageous leadership. I actively mentor women across the industry, championing underrepresented voices and strengthening female representation within technical and commercial roles.

In 2025, I was honoured to receive the Mental Health Champion of the Year and Unsung Hero – Reseller/Solution Provider awards at the CRN Channel Women and Diversity Awards. These accolades reflect both professional excellence and a deep commitment to empower others.

Having navigated significant personal and professional adversity, including experiences of bias in the workplace, I lead with resilience, integrity, and purpose. As a judge, I am committed to recognising individuals who drive meaningful impact, champion inclusion, and elevate the standard of leadership across our industry.

As the International Manager for Field Marketing across EMEA and APAC at ConnectWise, Yvette is a highly accomplished professional with an impressive track record in the B2B technology industry. With over 20 years of experience, she has held key marketing roles at some of the world's leading global companies, where she has consistently demonstrated her expertise in driving successful marketing strategies and executing impactful events, brand and demand-generation programs.

Yvette's passion for marketing and her deep understanding of the industry have enabled her to develop a keen eye for identifying opportunities and leveraging them to deliver exceptional results. Her ability to navigate complex market landscapes and adapt to ever-evolving trends has made her a trusted leader in the field.

Yvette's mission goes beyond just achieving marketing success. She is driven by a genuine desire to bring enthusiasm to the most aspirational technology brands and make a real difference in the channel. She understands that it takes more than just a cookie-cutter approach to stand out in today's competitive landscape. It requires a unique blend of creativity, strategy, and that special something extra to truly capture audiences' attention and leave a lasting impact.

Jenny Latimer is Operations Director at Highgate, a 100% remote ‘work anywhere’ organisation. Jenny has over 10 years experience in the IT Channel, having worked at two other resellers, before joining Highgate in 2021. Jenny's proudest moment at Highgate was when they won the 'Best Place to Work' in the CRN Women & Diversity in Channel Awards 2025. Jenny is also proud to be a channel buddy for The Channel Community, a mentoring initiative in the channel, helping others with their career journeys.

Rebecca Little is the Head of Marketing & Communications Northern & Central Europe at Ericsson, with responsibility for marketing programs, external and internal communications across 17 countries. And CRN Role Model of the year 2024. Prior to joining Ericsson, she led a successful technology marketing agency to deliver over 4,000 business, sales and marketing projects for the IT ecosystem. She has experience working with many technology companies of all sizes from Microsoft and Vodafone to smaller start up IoT and AI organisations to grow their businesses. She has first-hand experience of successfully pitching to private equity firms, investors and shareholders. Recognised as one of the first people to gain a Master’s degree in Digital Marketing in the UK, Rebecca’s greatest strengths are her passion, creativity, drive and leadership.

Larisa Lavinia Lucaciu is the Business Transformation Leader for Lenovo’s Infrastructure Solutions Group (ISG) in the UK&I, where she is responsible for driving the evolution of the server and data center infrastructure business.

Her focus is on accelerating channel growth and enabling better integration between Lenovo’s established PC ecosystem and its infrastructure portfolio, delivering scalable and impactful business outcomes.

Over the last 7 years at Lenovo, Larisa has held several leadership roles, including UK&I Strategic Partnerships Leader, where she led alliances with key global partners such as Intel, Microsoft, AMD, Google, Nvidia, and Qualcomm, driving joint go-to-market initiatives and commercial impact. Prior to that, she was the UKI Territory Marketing Lead for ISG, leading all marketing and business development activities and contributing to Lenovo achieving 3rd place in the UK&I server market.

Before Lenovo, Larisa built extensive experience across BNP Paribas, TD Synnex, Digital River, and Cisco, leading sales, marketing, and channel strategies across the IT and insurance sectors. In 2022, she was recognised as CRN Woman of the Year at the Women & Diversity in Channel Awards.

Dinet is the founder and director of The Right Solutionist, and is dedicated to solving business challenges through innovative thinking and deliberate action. With more than 18 years of experience in the UK IT channel—spanning commercial leadership, sales strategy, and partnerships with global VARs—she brings a deep understanding of the industry and the evolving needs of its ecosystem.

A passionate advocate for women and diversity in technology, Dinet has been recognised as a four time awards finalist (Manager of the Year x3 and Unsung Hero) and has served as a judge for the past three years. Her experience on both sides of the process has shown her how celebrating exceptional people and organisations strengthens the entire industry.

For Dinet, diversity isn’t just something to acknowledge—it’s something to champion. It broadens perspectives, fuels innovation, and opens the door to new possibilities for everyone.

I am Meg Marshall and I have 5 years experience working in the IT Channel Industry. I have recently taken on a new role at Everpure (Previously Pure Storage) as a Channel Account Manager, starting the role in April 2026. This is an incredible opportunity and a role in which I look forward to making significant impact. Prior to this, I worked at HPE in the Channel Data Solutions team and I was aligned to various partners across metal status and had recent alignment to CDW.

I am extremely proud to be an ambassador for women in technology. I had the honour of moderating and judging in 2025 and winning Graduate of the Year in 2024. I wouldn’t have achieved this without the incredible people I worked with. Additionally, at HPE I had the pleasure being the Chair of STEM, a HPE resource group, coordinating all STEM activity across 7 sites over UKI and supporting 7 Site Leaders. A clear strategy was to raise awareness of opportunities and career paths and to partner with all-girls schools to inspire and attract females to the industry.

I am pleased to return as a judge this year. This is an incredible opportunity to champion and showcase the impact women are making across our industry.

Fiona McKenzie is the Managing Director, Europe at Marketbridge, a go‑to‑market growth firm that helps marketing and sales leaders align and win in complex global markets, with seamless execution from strategy to delivery. She also serves as a Board Advisor for Wotter, an employee engagement and culture analytics platform.

As a customer‑ and employee‑obsessed leader, Fiona is dedicated to fostering an inclusive, supportive, and high‑performance environment. She is a strong advocate for women in leadership, actively mentoring and championing women across the technology and channel ecosystem. In recognition of this commitment, she was awarded CRN Executive Mentor of the Year 2024.

Fiona also speaks publicly on critical issues such as sexual harassment and psychological safety, emphasising the urgent need to build workplaces where every individual feels safe, respected, and empowered to speak up.

Her commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion is reflected in her leadership approach—ensuring that every team member at Revere has the opportunity to contribute meaningfully and thrive within a collaborative, innovative, and values‑led culture.

Kelsey Rees is Deputy Editor of CRN UK. She originally joined the company’s former Channel Partner Insight title in March 2021 as a Reporter. Kelsey was then promoted to the roles of Senior Reporter and Associate Editor in consecutive years and now assists with the editorial strategy across CRN UK, writing news and features, hosting in-person and online events, and interviewing channel executives. She has completed an undergraduate degree in English Literature and a Master’s degree in Magazine Journalism both at Cardiff University.

Nima Sherpa Green is a British/Sherpa broadcast journalist and editor. She has a multimedia background in newsrooms around the world. Currently the EMEA Editorial Director at The Channel Company, she was the UK Editor of CRN and Editor of its European sister publication Channel Partner Insight.

As the editorial founder of the Women in Channel series in 2018, she is passionate about championing diverse views and insights within the industry. She has an MA in Journalism from Monash University, Melbourne and a BA in Political History of Southern Africa from the University of Sheffield."

Darren has 30 years' experience working at the highest level at IT Resellers, Software vendors and Distributors. Most recently Darren served as Group Managing Director of Northamber PLC, prior to that he was CRO of the AI and Technology Company of the Year, Smartbox.ai, and prior to that Darren was Managing Director of Bytes Document Solutions (a division of Bytes Technology Group), Sales and Marketing Director of the MSP, Content and Cloud, which went on to be part of Advania, and prior to that founded the Award winning sales training company Sales Gym 360, and the channel marketing company, Boost Performance Limited.

Darren has been a judge of the CRN Sales & Marketing Awards, and Women and Diversity Awards continuously since 2016 and is very well networked.

Emma Taylor is Cultural & Organisational Development Manager at Phoenix Software and has a passion for promoting women in technology and improving employee wellbeing.

With over 25 years of experience in the technology sector, Emma is an advocate for women in technology and works closely with local schools, colleges and universities to encourage more women to pursue careers in technology.

Emma is also committed to improving employee wellbeing. She believes that a healthy and happy workforce is essential for productivity and success and has implemented various initiatives at Phoenix Software to support employee mental and physical health.

As a previous CRN Women in Channel award winner, she is thrilled to have the opportunity to be a judge this year.

Lorraine is the Director, UK Counsel for Legal, Risk, Ethics & Compliance and a UK Board Director at CDW, a Fortune 500 technology solutions and services provider. She leads all legal, risk and compliance activity across CDW’s EMEA/APAC regions, advising senior executives and shaping the frameworks that support effective governance and confident decision making.

With more than 15 years’ experience across private practice and senior in house roles - including at Mishcon de Reya, Davis & Co and Computacenter - Lorraine’s expertise spans commercial contracting, dispute resolution, regulatory and trade compliance, corporate governance and crisis management. She is recognised for simplifying complexity and aligning stakeholders around clear, achievable outcomes.

Lorraine’s leadership centres on building high performing teams with diverse backgrounds and perspectives, and fostering a growth mindset culture. She drives cross jurisdictional and cross functional initiatives that enhance operational excellence and modernise legal service delivery, working closely with global subject matter experts. Known for her pragmatic and solutions focused approach, Lorraine brings clarity and perspective while maintaining an inclusive style that puts people at ease.

Liz Waugh is the Global Head of GTM & Marketing at SoftwareOne, leading the worldwide go to market and marketing strategy. Her remit includes brand, sales enablement, product marketing, content strategy, demand gen and GTM growth activation across more than 70 countries. With nearly 20 years’ experience in global technology organisations, Liz brings a broad and practical understanding of how teams, partners, and customers work together to deliver meaningful outcomes.

She began her career in hands on roles that gave her a grounded appreciation of the channel and the importance of clear strategy, execution, communication and collaboration. Over time, she progressed through a range of sales, marketing and commercial positions, supporting organisations as they evolved their sales, marketing & growth strategies. Throughout her career, Liz has focused on partnership, clarity, and creating conditions where teams can contribute effectively, develop and innovate with confidence, as well as being intentional in the impact being made.

In recent years, she has helped teams navigate significant transformation and global brand change, approaching each challenge with empathy, transparency, and thoughtful decision making.

Liz is a committed advocate for diversity, equity, inclusion, and strong allyship within the technology sector and in everyday life. She champions representation, psychological safety, and inclusive leadership, and is dedicated to supporting the growth and visibility of underrepresented talent.

As a judge for the CRN Channel and Diversity Awards, Liz brings her career long perspective and experience, her commitment to fairness, and her belief in recognising those who are shaping a more inclusive and innovative ecosystem.

Zoe Westwood spearheads innovative end user market strategies and oversees the dynamic UK & Ireland end user cluster, driving transformative results and shaping customer success across these key segments.

Prior to her role as Senior Sales Director UK&I and interim Managing Director UK&I cluster, Zoe has held several positions at HP. She joined HP in 2015 and has since evolved her career from Enterprise Sales Print Specialist, Global Corporate & Large Enterprise District Manager to Northwest Europe Enablement Director and UK&I End User Sales Director.

Before joining HP, she has had an impressive 10-year career leading up to the role of Head of End User Sales at Brother.

Zoe is known for her ability to deliver high-impact results and above all fostering collaborative teams.

With her commitment to fostering an inclusive team culture, Zoe brings both experience and a culture aware approach to leadership. Zoe strives to create environments where diverse perspectives are celebrated, collaboration is encouraged, and innovation thrives through a respectful, engaging workplace.

Zoe has a reputation as trusted leader who inspires & empowers others. In addition to this Zoe’s leads with an approach that blends decisive leadership with empathy.

Sara Yirrell is currently consulting editor at CRN and has worked on the editorial side of the brand since July 2000, holding various roles including Editorial Director and Editor. She went freelance in 2017, and also works with a number of channel-focused companies both in the UK and further afield, specialising in content, marketing and communication strategy. She started as a journalist in 1997 on daily regional newspaper the Northampton Chronicle covering crime, business, education and other local news. 

Jane is an Executive leader with over 25 years of experience in Sales & Marketing and General Management.

She held the role of UK&IRE Channel Director at Lenovo for over 3 years and more recently heads up Lenovo’s new Global Strategic Channel Partnerships team.

Jane is the voice of Lenovo UK’s Women in Leadership program, which strives to support diversity and inclusion in the workplace, and delivers guidance, networking and training to Lenovo employees as well as supporting it’s channel partners.

Away from the workplace, she enjoys spending time with her family and enjoying time outdoors, either walking her dog or trail running.

Jamie Brothwell is a veteran leader in the IT and technology channel, currently serving as a Senior Director at Pluralsight, a global tech workforce development platform.

Known for her extensive career in technology distribution, she has been a prominent advocate for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) and was recently honoured with the CRN Industry Achievement Award in 2025.

Outside of her professional life, she is a passionate car enthusiast, particularly for Ford models. She has a significant following on Instagram (@rs_jamie) where she shares her car collection.

Zoe Chatley Managing Director and Owner of The Channel Recruiter has spent the last 2 decades recruiting in the IT Channel. Having worked in the industry for so long now, I champion women and diversity in the channel and cannot wait to review all the entries and be part of this event

Sarah Gray is a B2B and B2C marketing leader based in the UK with over 25 years of experience in the technology sector within UK, EMEA and global roles.

Currently Global Director of Channel Marketing at Lenovo within the International Sales Organization, she leads the global channel marketing strategy, campaigns, events, digital platforms, and content development to accelerate channel growth across all Lenovo business groups. Prior to Lenovo, Sarah was General Manager and Senior Consultant at a global channel marketing agency for 3 years and spent 12 years with Jabra (GN Audio) in various marketing leadership roles at an EMEA & Global level.

Passionate about diversity and inclusion, Sarah co-founded the first global ERG at Jabra (The Jabra Women’s Network) and was previously a board member of The WIT Network in the UK. Currently she is studying for a Diploma in Professional Coaching with a focus on supporting emerging women leaders. Sarah holds a BA (Hons) in Business Studies and is based in the UK.

Elisha is Softcat’s Recruitment Manager, and has worked within the tech space for 10 years. Born and raised in Manchester by a single working mum, with an innate and undeniable passion for people from day one, it was no big surprise when Lish ended up pursuing a career in People and Talent. In recent years, Lish’s passion for enabling others, most specifically supporting women in business, has skyrocketed. As a result, she has been recognised with the award for CRN Outstanding Returner 2023, and also delivered a keynote at CRN Women in Tech Fest last year titled ‘The Power of Vulnerability in Leadership’. One of Lish’s biggest loves in life is getting people excited about the things that she’s excited about, and one of those major things is exploring the impact that strong and effective leadership and community can have on female empowerment in the workplace. Lish is testament to the fact that with the right support system around you, the potential that we as women in industry can realise is immeasurable.

I am the Head of HR at Bytes Software Services and have been working in the IT Industry for longer than I care to remember! 29 years of that has been with Bytes, starting out in a non-HR role working in the Sales Support function when the company was just 35 people.

Over the years I have had exposure to the growth and development of our company from simple Microsoft Reseller, through Hardware Provision to the Large Services and Solutions organisation we are today. As a PLC we now have a very different and diverse team, with rapid growth both a blessing and a challenge.

I am inspired by the strength and determination of my female peers and work with our Women in Tech group to help champion success and development for our future female leaders.

Sinead O’Donnell is a Client Director at MTI with over 20 years’ experience in the IT industry, having begun her career in 2005 and progressing from sales support roles into a senior client-facing position. She specialises in cyber security and data centre solutions and services, working as a trusted strategic partner to major UK and global organisations.

Recognised for her commercial leadership and industry impact, Sinead has earned multiple awards and is known for building strong, long-term customer relationships grounded in trust and strategic insight.

Beyond her commercial success, Sinead is a passionate advocate for women in technology and for working parents balancing ambitious careers with family life. As a proud mother of five, she is committed to challenging perceptions around what leadership looks like in the tech sector and actively supports and mentors others entering the industry.

As a judge for the CRN Women & Diversity Awards, she brings extensive industry experience, a customer-first mindset, and a genuine passion for recognising and celebrating talent across the sector.

Zeta is a Channel Account Executive at Sophos managing their most strategic and the UK’s largest reseller partner.

She is recognised for identifying key opportunity areas and building meaningful relationships to create key partnerships that drive mutually beneficial goals that increases revenue.

She cares about diversity in tech and promoting underrepresented demographics in the industry. She is also an advocate for managing a healthy work life balance.

Previously Zeta has managed a range of channel partners in roles at Mimecast and Distology.

Hannah Varley Fodden is a senior leader at Oakland Everything Data, serving on the organisation’s Senior Leadership Team, where she plays a key role in shaping strategy and driving the firm’s growth. As Head of Clients, she owns revenue generation for the business and is accountable for the performance and expansion of Oakland’s entire client portfolio. Known for her clear, calm approach to complex challenges, she brings a distinctive blend of commercial acumen and people centred leadership, operating at the intersection of people, process, and technology to help clients and teams thrive together. Hannah played a pivotal role in guiding Oakland through its acquisition by Softcat, an industry defining milestone for both organisations, leading transparent communications and ensuring a smooth, trust driven transition.

Alongside her commercial leadership, she is deeply committed to developing others: mentoring more than 20 colleagues, championing inclusive growth, and serving on the board of Paperworks, a social enterprise supporting adults with learning disabilities and mental health challenges. Underpinning her approach is a strong technical foundation, holding a First Class degree in Computing, which she uses to empower others, broaden access to tech careers, and inspire future talent through regular speaking engagements at schools and universities.

Seleeta Walker is a strategic Inclusion specialist and industry judge with extensive experience leading large-scale diversity initiatives within complex organisations. Her work focuses on inclusive leadership, governance design, talent progression and embedding cultural accountability at senior levels.

She operates at the intersection of diversity, commercial performance and organisational impact, bringing a structured and evidence-based approach to advancing equitable leadership and sustainable culture change. Seleeta has contributed to leadership development programmes, external partnerships and industry awards panels, and is recognised for translating inclusion strategy into measurable outcomes.

I look forward to supporting another strong year for the awards.

With nearly 40 years of experience in the technology industry, I have held roles at leading organisations including Compaq, Hewlett-Packard, BT, and the Morse Group. I specialise in technology strategy, leadership, innovation, and future-focused thinking.

Currently, I deliver cyber security, technology and business strategic guidance to large enterprises, IT product vendors, and early-stage or emerging tech companies. Over the past 20+ years, I have specialised in cyber security and currently define the security strategy for the Computacenter UK Solutions business unit. More recently I was invited and am now a member of the Cabinet Office National Cyber Advisory Board that uses leading figures from the IT industry to advise the UK Government on Cyber security.

Time permitting, I still mentor extensively and present in schools, colleges and universities on such topics as leadership, career success, imposter syndrome and or the value of STEM education. I am an active member of the Computacenter UK Ethnic Diversity & Women in Leadership EIGs, as well as the TC4RE and the channel community. I hold an Executive MBA, a Doctorate from the University of Worcester, am a trained NLP practitioner and an am Executive Coach with more than two decades of experience.

On a personal note, I have two daughters and I am a trustee on the Crohn’s and Colitis UK and Care Packs UK charities.