The Judges

Simon Power

Simon Power's career within the UK recruitment profession stretches over 20 years. During this time he has worked with a number of the major players either directing eve4nts internally, or more recently externally in the role of management consultant/trainer. Simon successfully floated (route AIM) his own recruitment business (Simon Power Personnel) in 1996 as part of the Abacus Recruitment Group Plc.

Outside of recruitment, Simon is co-founder of the 'Sin' clothing design group and has various other business interests from e-commerce to the music industry.

David Ramsay

David is responsible for the HR function at Bernard Matthews, a successful and progressive international operator and one of the top ten food companies employing 7,000 staff. He also facilitates the Duke of Edinburgh's Award and Outward Bound Trust for the Company.

He has extensive experience as a Director across several industries and was formerly part of a sizeable management buy-out. He also has extensive experience of mergers and acquisitions of companies and was the Chairman of large Pension Trust.

He has played an active part as a committee member of the Institute of Directors for a number of years and has been deeply involved in promoting the IoD locally in particular and is a Governor of Easton College.

He began his career as a graduate trainee with H J Heinz and served in a range of functions and became a qualified work study engineer. He later became a graduate of the CIPD and along with other key members played an initiating part in first promoting Chartered status for the Institute.

He has a wide range of interests including shooting, mountain walking and fitness programmes.

Lisa Collen

Lisa is Norfolk born and bred, albeit, a city girl through and through. Lisa is married and has two children, Zak and India, aged 12 and 10 respectfully and enjoys life to the full!

Lisa's career began on the outdated Youth Opportunities Scheme with the Norfolk & Norwich Hospital. It was here that she first awakened her morbid curiosity in people, their actions and life itself, when she accepted the position of Hatch, Match and Dispatch Clerk (dealing with the medical records of patients being born, changing there marital status and ultimately passing over into the next world)! Lisa accepted a new challenge when she began working with the Railways two years later. During her 13 years working in a tough, yet exciting, vibrant, traditional environment she soon discovered her passion for dealing with people rather than paper! Having undertaken her people management apprenticeship by working with the diverse range of people on the railway, Lisa worked towards her (MIPD) Membership of the Institute of Personnel Development post-graduate degree.

Haven taking on the HR Management for the Eastern Region and been involved in the transition from a national railway industry to a fully privatised business, Lisa then moved to Kettle Foods as their Head of HR looking after HR, H&S, Training and Development. In the manufacturing of hand-made, all natural potato chips, Lisa’s role was critical in assisting the Company to achieve 30% growth, compounded year on year, and thoroughly enjoyed the cut and thrust of a manufacturing environment.

However, when the opportunity to work within the media industry approached, Lisa had no hesitation in accepting the Head of HR role with Anglia Television. Lisa’s main focus was on developing and restructuring the business, its people, its processes and ultimately, its integration with one ITV. Her role encompassed Regional Programmes, News and Current Affairs in East Anglia and all HR and talent management matters associated with the Daytime Programmes in Norwich, London and Manchester.

The hardest decision of her career was to leave ITV but now with the BBC, Lisa is thoroughly enjoying working with professional, creative, vibrant, intelligent people who demonstrate a resilience and passion for the industry whilst combining their expertise and skills in producing high quality programmes.

Gillian Anderson-Brown

Gillian is a qualified HR professional; she began her HR career with the BBC in Norwich, and is now working as the HR and Recruitment manager for Oasis Healthcare Plc. Oasis owns and operates over 120 dental practices throughout England and Wales (offering a combination of NHS and private dental care). Oasis has approximately 1,300 employed staff and 500 self-employed dentists.

Gillian's company believes that all employees should attain the very highest level of customer service. Gillian works hard to make this a reality, and her role involves all aspects of people management. The recruitment of dentists in the UK is a very limited market, so Gillian's accomplished Recruitment Team focuses on establishing new ways to recruit and retain staff.

The structure of Oasis network of practices has recently been over-hauled, bringing changes for existing staff, and new recruitment opportunities. Gillian's team have adapted outstandingly to this, ensuring that the needs of the business are met, and that transition into the new environment is as smooth as possible for staff.

Gillian comes from Norfolk, enjoys time with her family and skiing, and is married with four sons.

Sandy Boyle

Sandy is the firm's HR Director and although based in Cambridge, he divides his time between the firm’s four offices (Norwich, Birmingham, London and Cambridge). Together with the HR team, he is responsible for the development and implementation of the firm's people strategy. He is also a member of the firm's Executive Board.

Given the competitive labour markets the business operates in, the firm strives to attract, engage, develop and retain the best people. In seeking to do this Mills & Reeve has been included in the The Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work For listing for 2004, 2005 and 2006. In last year’s EDP Business Awards the firm won both the Staff Care and Business of the Year awards.

Sandy joined the firm in 2001 having previously been HR Director and a partner of HLB Kidsons, a top ten accountancy and business advisory practice. Having initially trained and qualified as a chartered accountant, Sandy accepted an eighteen month secondment with the human resources team and enjoyed it so much he never left!

Sandy is married to Jo and has two sons aged 5 and 3. When not playing in the garden(!) he plays golf and enjoys music and photography.

Barry Dennis

Barry joined the company in February 2000 to take charge of this subsidiary of Archant Regional (formerly known as Eastern Counties Newspapers Ltd).

In this role, he oversees the management team responsible for all our newspapers, magazines and web sites produced within Norfolk, including the Eastern Daily Press, Evening News and EDP24.

He is a member of the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and a director of the Norwich Radio Group, a consortium bidding for a new radio station in the city. Barry was previously an executive with EMAP in Peterborough for many years. He was a member of the Emap Consumer Magazine Board and part of the executive team that launched the company's now substantial magazine interests in France.

His main hobbies are golf and Spain, and he combines the two whenever possible. His claim to fame is that he organised the World Cowpat Catching Championships.

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