We are delighted that the Website of the Year Awards will be supported by industry experts once again this year. The judging panel will assess entries on the quality of design, usability, content and product or service evident within each site put forward.

BRETT AKKER

Brett is currently the Founder and Chairman of LOVESPACE which provides storage by the box across the UK. He was previously the Co-Founder of Streetcar, the largest pay-as-you-go car club in the UK before it was sold to US-based Zipcar in 2010.

Follow Brett on Twitter @brettakker





MICHELLE CARVILL

Michelle Carvill is founder of Carvill Creative, a marketing, social media and web agency founded in 2002. Michelle provides strategic marketing advice to clients, covering both traditional and digital marketing. She is also Marketing Director at The Made Simple Group, providing online business solutions to start-ups and SMEs. Passionate about 'the digital future' – Michelle advises clients on creative Online Marketing Communication Strategies, Social Media Strategies and Website Effectiveness Planning. She also works with Business Training Made Simple and The Institute of Direct & Digital Marketing, the ICAEW and a range of organisations - developing and delivering training courses and strategies around Social Media, Content Marketing and Digital Marketing. Over the past two years Michelle has trained over 2000 people in social media and online marketing.

Follow on Twitter @michellecarvill and CarvillCreative

DEBBIE DJORDJEVIC

Debbie Djordjevic is a cross-platform digital expert with in-depth knowledge and activity in user engagement, creative planning and campaign execution, content and strategy. Debbie is also active in blogger and website recruitment and quality across the Handpicked Future collective and community. She started her career as an editorial fashion stylist working for a variety of magazines and launches. Debbie was Editor of Wedding and Home and then Homes & Ideas for IPC. She was also Editorial Director for high profile online launches and site management including www.handbag.com and www.allaboutyou.com. Debbie is founder/editor of The LifeEdit.

Follow Debbie on Twitter @scaredcrows

MATT GUBBA

Matt Gubba is a UK based entrepreneur with ventures spanning both the events industry and youth enterprise sectors. Currently fulfilling his primary position of CEO & Founder of BizBritain, a leading Delivery Partner for the government’s Start Up Loan scheme, Matt is working hard to support and fund young entrepreneurs who don’t have a degree, a cause which is close to his own heart having left school at an early age to peruse his own passions.

Follow Matt on Twitter @MattGubba

IZZY LAWRENCE

Izzy Lawrence is an all-round creative, a DJ, TV presenter and technology expert. Izzy is proud to be on the Tech City Advisory Board, a member of The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, a member of the expert council for Cool Brands and a consultant for Connect4Climate at The World Bank, DC.

Follow Izzy on Twitter @Izzy_Lawrence


KRISTA MADDEN

With an insider’s knowledge, Krista Madden started beauty and lifestyle website, www.beautyandthedirt.com in 2000. Combining her 20 years of experience working with beauty and fashion clients and 13 years of being online as an independent publisher, she then started ‘hand-picking’ sites that went well together and formed Handpicked Media in 2009. An early adopter of social media in the UK, with a unique understandingfrom both the client and a blogger’s perspective. Also consults for brands for their online strategy, with a growing client list including P&G, L’Oreal, D&G, and various FMCG clients.

Follow Krista on Twitter @Beautyanthedirt

DAVID MURRAY HUNDLEY

David Murray-Hundley, aka The Grumpy Entrepreneur, is co founder and CEO of L3, Adaro Red, Commerce One and Pario Ventures. Mentor for the Level 39 Fintech Accelerator and also supporter and mentor for The Bathtub to Boardroom and Young Enterprise charities. Recognised for his successes, David has achieved a number of awards not least Linkedin European Business Leader of the Year, Techworld award and Smarta 100 award.

Follow David on Twitter @TheGrumpyE

DANIEL PRIESTLEY

Daniel Priestley, the co-founder of Entrevo Ltd, is a successful entrepreneur, international speaker and author of the best selling books Become a Key Person of Influence and The Entrepreneur Revolution. Daniel is passionate about helping business owners and entrepreneurs become a key person of influence in their industry through Entrevo’s training programmes which are available in the US, UK, Singapore and Australia.

Follow Daniel on Twitter @DanielPriestley

FIONA SANDERSON

With a thorough knowledge of the television and film industry spanning some 20 years, Fiona Sanderson co-founded The Luxury Channel in 2007, working with broadcasters CNBC Europe & Asia, BBC Worldwide and Bloomberg amongst others. Fiona has built The Luxury Channel into a leading multi-media platform providing compelling high quality documentaries and videos and trend-setting online editorial. Reaching HNW consumers and the B2B sector, it provides commercial partners and sponsors with a unique multi-platform, luxury focused marketing and distribution channel through its television and on-line magazine portal.

Follow Fiona on Twitter @LuxuryChannel

RESHMA SOHONI

Reshma helped found Seedcamp in 2007, a global micro seed investment and mentoring program to provide a catalyst for the next generation of young/first-time entrepreneurs. As Partner, Reshma's investment focus is on B2B, Fashion, Gaming, Travel, and Financial Services. During her tenure, she has managed companies like Mobclix (acquired by Velti), Zemanta, and Ubervu. Reshma was also on the board of Zoombu before it was acquired by Skyscanner and advises Launch48. She is also on the Advisory Board of Credo Ventures and the European Board of All Hands a non-profit organisation that provides hands-on assistance to survivors of natural disasters around the world.

Follow Reshma on Twitter @rsohoni

DAVID SOSKIN

Co-founder of digital investment fund Howzat Partners and author of best-selling book Net Profit, David Soskin is one of the UK's best-known internet entrepreneurs. He is the former CEO of flight price comparison website Cheapflights, which he grew from an attic-based company into an international leader in travel search. He is Chairman of Cortexica and also sits on the boards of mySupermarket.co.uk, challenger bank Aldermore PLC and the Momondo Group, parent company of Cheapflights.

Follow David on Twitter @davidsoskin

VANESSA VALLELY

Vanessa Vallely is a recognised expert in person-to-person business networking, online branding and motivational speaking. She is regarded as one of the most highly networked women in and out of the City of London and is passionate about sharing her know-how and experiences with others. Vanessa’s experience stems from a 25 year career in Banking and Finance, holding senior positions such as Chief Operating Officer and Global Head of Governance and Business Management. In 2008, Vanessa started the networking website, www.wearethecity.com (WATC) as a vehicle to help other Women connect and grow personally and professionally. Today, WeAreTheCity experiences over 5 million hits per month and an average of 200,000 unique visitors.

Follow Vanessa on Twitter @Watc_Girl

DIANA VERDE NIETO

Diana Verde Nieto founded Positive Luxury in 2011, the UK'S first online consumer guide to living positively. Positive Luxury bridges the gap between CSR and marketing by giving consumers access to brands' social and environmental actions in a simple, jargonfree language at a click. Diana has helped Unilever, Coca-Cola and Nike amongst other clients with their sustainability programmes and was trained by Al Gore at the Alliance of Climate Protection. Picked for the World Economic Forum's Young Global Leader programme in 2011, Diana sits on the advisory board for the YGL/World Economic Forum community and is a member of the Global Agenda Council for Sustainable Consumption.

Follow Diana on Twitter @dianaverdenieto and @positiveluxury

IAN WALLIS

Ian Wallis is an experienced business journalist and editorial director of Crimson’s business websites Startups.co.uk, Growing Business, MyBusiness.co.uk and Is4profit.com. Previously, he created Entrepreneur TV – exclusive video interviews with more than 60 household name entrepreneurs such as Sir James Dyson, Specsavers’ Dame Mary Perkins and Kwik-Fit’s founder Sir Tom Farmer. He was recognised as a member of the Courvoisier Future 500 in 2009, has contributed to The Guardian and Daily Telegraph’s business sections, and has edited a number of business books as well as publications for the likes of Barclays, the Department of Business, Innovation & Skills, and Sony.

Follow Ian on Twitter @startupstowers

May 2014