Meet the judges

Each year our judges pore over nominations from all over Britain. With so many exceptional bosses out there, it's never easy picking just one. Here you can learn more about the people who choose Britain's Best Boss.

Meet our judges below

  • Allison PearsonJournalist and author

    Allison Pearson is an award-winning journalist and author. She has been named Critic of the Year and Interviewer of the Year in the British Press Awards and has been nominated twice for both Feature Writer and Columnist.

    For 10 years, Allison was a popular columnist on the London Evening Standard and she now writes the Wednesday column in the Daily Mail. Allison has appeared frequently on TV and radio, including a stint hosting Start The Week on Radio 4 and regular appearances on BBC1's Question Time... read more.

    Allison Pearson is an award-winning journalist and author. She has been named Critic of the Year and Interviewer of the Year in the British Press Awards and has been nominated twice for both Feature Writer and Columnist.

    For 10 years, Allison was a popular columnist on the London Evening Standard and she now writes the Wednesday column in the Daily Mail. Allison has appeared frequently on TV and radio, including a stint hosting Start The Week on Radio 4 and regular appearances on BBC1's Question Time.

    Allison’s first novel, I Don’t Know How She Does It, the hilarious and sometimes heartbreaking story of a City mother trying to juggle work and family, became an international bestseller, selling over 2 million copies in 29 different languages. Allison was named Newcomer of The Year at the British Book Awards. She appeared on the Oprah Winfrey show in Chicago and Oprah called the book: “A Bible for the working mother”. Inspired by hundreds of stories from working mothers, Allison now campaigns for flexible working for parents. She is a Patron of the charity, Working Families.

    Allison lives in Cambridge with her husband and two children. She is working on her second novel.

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  • Caroline WatersDirector of People and Policy for the BT Group

    Caroline Waters is Director of People and Policy for the BT Group. She has held the role since 2005 following a number of senior HR appointments in the company.

    Her current role focuses on realising BT’s business ambitions through leading-edge people strategies. These are underpinned by robust policies and processes, which promote inclusivity, empower individuals and generate revenue and opportunity... read more.

    Caroline Waters is Director of People and Policy for the BT Group. She has held the role since 2005 following a number of senior HR appointments in the company.

    Her current role focuses on realising BT’s business ambitions through leading-edge people strategies. These are underpinned by robust policies and processes, which promote inclusivity, empower individuals and generate revenue and opportunity.

    In April 2007, Caroline created BT’s Diversity Centre of Expertise which builds on the company’s leadership in diversity practice to enhance implementation throughout BT’s operations.

    She regularly contributes advice and guidance to government and industry through a variety of employer forums and working parties. Current responsibilities include Chair of the Employers’ Forum for Belief, Chair of Employers 4 Fathers, Co-Chair of the Prime Minister’s National Strategy for Carers in Employment Task Force, Director of the Stitching Permits Board, Director and Trustee of the Employers’ Forum on Age and President of the BT International Twinning Federation.

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  • Chris AinslieManaging Director, Global Partners

    As Managing Director, Global Partners, Chris Ainslie is responsible for BT Global Services’ sales to and through leading outsourcers and systems integrators worth more than £500 million a year. He also has the job of identifying and developing new partnering opportunities... read more.

    As Managing Director, Global Partners, Chris Ainslie is responsible for BT Global Services’ sales to and through leading outsourcers and systems integrators worth more than £500 million a year. He also has the job of identifying and developing new partnering opportunities.

    Chris joined BT in November 2005. By then, he had spent more than 15 years in sales roles in the communications and IT industries. Immediately before coming to BT, Chris had helped turn around UK telecommunications company Energis. Joining as sales director responsible for public sector clients, he was soon promoted to Head of Indirect Sales where he played a pivotal role in delivering Energis’ first profit for seven years.

    At HP, Chris directed sales to public sector clients. Over a four-year period, he increased revenues from US$30 million per annum to just over US$1 billion per annum. He also helped HP integrate Compaq Computers into its business.

    At BT, Chris works four 10-hour days a week, allowing him to spend more time with his wife and three sons. He argues this improves his performance and efficiency – a case that’s supported by the excellent results his team routinely turns in and high satisfaction ratings among his 350 staff.

    Based on his experience, Chris has become a keen evangelist for the rights of working fathers, including those at senior levels, and has acted as a consultant on work-life balance to blue chip companies such as PricewaterhouseCoopers.

    Chris has recently been appointed BT’s gender champion and is a trustee for Working Families, a charity that helps working parents, carers and their employers find a better balance between responsibilities at home and work. As BT’s gender champion, he is working to ensure the company’s employment and working practices are as gender-neutral as possible.

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  • Cilla SnowballChairman and Chief Executive, Advertising and communications Group

    Cilla Snowball is Chairman and Chief Executive of the advertising and communications Group, Abbott Mead Vickers. She has worked for AMV for 17 years.  The AMV Group employs over 1,000 people in the UK and its clients include Sainsbury’s, BT and Guinness.
     
    Cilla was awarded the CBE for services to the advertising industry in January 2009... read more.

    Cilla Snowball is Chairman and Chief Executive of the advertising and communications Group, Abbott Mead Vickers. She has worked for AMV for 17 years.  The AMV Group employs over 1,000 people in the UK and its clients include Sainsbury’s, BT and Guinness.
     
    Cilla was awarded the CBE for services to the advertising industry in January 2009.  

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  • Howard DaviesDirector, London School of Economics and Political Science.

    Howard Davies is Director of the London School of Economics and Political Science. Prior to his current appointment he was Chairman of the Financial Services Authority, the UK's single financial regulator since 1998.

    Howard Davies had previously served for two years as Deputy Governor of the Bank of England... read more.

    Howard Davies is Director of the London School of Economics and Political Science. Prior to his current appointment he was Chairman of the Financial Services Authority, the UK's single financial regulator since 1998.

    Howard Davies had previously served for two years as Deputy Governor of the Bank of England after three years as Director General of the Confederation of British Industry. From 1987 to 1992 he was Controller of the Audit Commission. From 1982 to 1987 he worked for McKinsey & Company in London and during 1985-1986 was seconded to the Treasury as Special Adviser to the Chancellor of the Exchequer. He had previously worked at the Treasury and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, including two years as Private Secretary to the British Ambassador in Paris.

    Howard Davies was educated at Manchester Grammar School and Merton College, Oxford, where he gained an MA in history and modern languages. In 1979 he was awarded a Harkness Fellowship and in 1980 took an MSc in management sciences at Stanford Graduate School of Business, California. Since 2002 he has been a Trustee of the Tate. He is a member of the governing body, Royal Academy of Music; and in 2004 was elected to an Honorary Fellowship at Merton College. In 2004 he joined the board of Morgan Stanley as a non-executive director.  He was appointed to the Board of Paternoster in 2006 as a non-executive Director, and chaired the Man Booker Prize in 2007.

    Howard Davies has written two books, the first of which "The Chancellors' Tales" was published in November 2006. For more information please see "The Chancellor's Tales".  His second book "Global Financial Regulation: The Essential Guide" co-authored with David Green was published in March 2008.  For more information please see "Global Financial Regulation: The Essential Guide".

    Howard Davies, who is 57, is married with two sons and lives in London. In his spare time, Howard likes to watch his football team, Manchester City, and regularly plays cricket.

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  • Sarah JacksonChief Executive, Working Families

    Involved in work-life balance campaigning and culture change since joining Parents At Work in 1994, Sarah is an acknowledged expert in the field, and was included in Human Resources Magazine’s inaugural “HR top 100 Most Influential” in 2006 and again in 2007.

    Sarah led the merger between Parents At Work and New Ways to Work, which resulted in the launch of the new work-life balance charity Working Families in 2004... read more.

    Involved in work-life balance campaigning and culture change since joining Parents At Work in 1994, Sarah is an acknowledged expert in the field, and was included in Human Resources Magazine’s inaugural “HR top 100 Most Influential” in 2006 and again in 2007.

    Sarah led the merger between Parents At Work and New Ways to Work, which resulted in the launch of the new work-life balance charity Working Families in 2004.

    Leading Working Families’ policy and parliamentary work, she is the charity’s key media and public spokesperson on all aspects of work-life balance. Sarah has chaired the judging panel for the Working Families Employer of the Year best practice awards since 1996 and developed the popular national Best Boss competition, which is now in its ninth year.

    In 2007, Sarah was awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List for services to Quality of Life Issues.

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About Working Families

Click here to learn more about Working Families and how we help working parents, carers and employers balance their work and home lives.

Best Boss tips

To learn more about the characteristics that make a boss one of Britain's Best, click here.