GWG Awards Judges
The industry experts lending their support and expertise in the search for winning websites and apps.

Tenishia McSweeney
Tenishia is the founder of Escorpi, a company pairing lab grown diamonds with recycled gold to create fine jewellery. A Diamond Graduate, with a background in PR and marketing, Tenishia combines her skills and vision to build her company which aims to keep humanity and full transparency at its heart.
Best thing about my job... The power to change and adapt, When you are working for someone else, you may have great ideas but are often trying hard to be heard. Anything I want to pursue or research, I can do, and now my success is reflected by how hard I work and decisions I make. I’m a yes person, and I love the twists and turns building my brand is taking and the opportunities that arise in unexpected places.
Best piece of digital advice I've been given... Even the businesses with the biggest budgets and most proficient digital teams run into problems and don’t always get things right, so if you’re small and starting out just try your best and learn as you go along. Be willing to adapt and change.
The website or app that I wish I'd thought of and why... Citymapper. Many years ago I used to model, and I cannot tell you how lost I used to get relying on A-Zs, and how many hours I must have wasted at bus stops. I’m a person who loves efficiency and anything that makes my life easier, so I live on this app. Citymapper is something in everyone’s pocket (on their phone) getting us around with ease and preventing long waits for busses or trains.
Internet hero... Larry Page and Sergey Brin for creating Google. Whilst Google can be unhealthy for containing mistruths or unregulated information, I think it is amazing that you can connect with information from all over the globe from wherever you are. For example, it’s amazing that you can search for free essays and other learning tools even if you don’t have the flexibility to physically visit a specific library or institute or access to a book. This is especially perfect as a mother to a newborn, or during a pandemic!!
What I'm looking for in a winning site/app... A site that is beautifully curated, with a distinct personality, as well as being simple in its content and usability.

Lily Liebel
Lily is the Creative Director of Entourage Collection, a group of companies that specialise in brand building and consulting, concierge, travel, and events. With offices in London and Hong Kong, Entourage is a leading voice in the luxury world. Lily is also involved in various philanthropic endeavours, including the Old Vic and the English National Ballet.
Best thing about my job... The incredible variety of projects we get involved with and the immensely talented people we work with on a daily basis. From the legend himself Manolo Blahnik to the visionary photographer Mary McCartney, to working on a range of projects with the incomparable Chef Francis Mallmann, every project brings a new, truly phenomenal and inspiring experience and opportunity. I love working behind the scenes, watching an initial dream be transformed into a true reality, and being involved in the creation of the cultural landscape.
Best piece of digital advice I've been given... Always do browser and device testing! Make sure your website works properly across the various different browsers (Safari, Chrome etc.), and make sure a website looks good and works properly on all the various devices out there, i.e. desktop computers, androids and iPhones etc.
Internet hero... Natalie Massenet transformed the online landscape, fusing retail and luxury and how we shop and are inspired today.
What I'm looking for in a winning site/app... Beautiful and original design combined with intuitive functionality that clearly communicates both the ethos and MO of the company.

Abbie Oguntade
Abbie is CEO/Founder of Freya + Bailey Skincare and a self-confessed skincare obsessive and crusader in chief. A seasoned marketeer of 20 years plus working with global brands including Adidas, Swatch and Sonos, she is the former Northern European Vice President of Match Group and previously helped launch the Skincare division of global health care brand Philips.
Best thing about my job... Each day brings something new. Entrepreneurship is a roller coaster with some unpredictable ups and downs. It will change what you have been conditioned to believe and challenge you to grow in unexpected ways. I think that’s a great thing. A daily reminder of your potential, the brands potential. Your team’s potential. That’s inspiration right there.
In terms of my previous corporate experience, I look back with gratitude at the 20 years of Consumer Marketing experience I gained prior to launching Freya + Bailey - especially my years in skincare. I see now that all roads pointed to the one I'm on today. Sometimes, life waits to turn on the GPS.
Best piece of digital advice I've been given... As a brand we curate our messaging and delivery to ensure content is relevant and delivered in manageable chunks. No-one needs to hear from us more than their friends and loved ones you know!
The website or app that I wish I'd thought of and why... Guilty pleasure reveal - it's Tik Tok. Because no house should go a day without the obligatory Tik Tok Bedtime Boogie. Enough Said
Internet hero... OK, so it’s got to be the fearless, irreplaceable @glow_with_ola on Instagram. She’s completely unapologetic and hilarious at the same time as well with some real home truths put out there. Oh, and a gal that appreciates her skin care too????
What I'm looking for in a winning site/app... An instant wow. I want to feel something when I first look on the page. It could be the layout, the photography or indeed headline but I need an instant “Ok, what’s this?” Of course, content is king but it's about how it served up, is there a strong design lineage coming through. How does it perform? Download time, is it intuitive in its framework? Information- does it answer my questions, is the information easily found. It all needs to come together ultimately

Christina Strutt
Christina is the founder of the lifestyle brand Cabbages & Roses. Established in 2000, the company has had the environment and fairness to all suppliers and producers at the forefront of all their activities. From its conception, the company has believed in slow fashion providing collections of clothing in real time, created and stitched in England – all in small quantites with as little waste as possible. The range of furnishing fabrics, printed to order in the UK is made entirely from sustainably sourced linen. Christina is the author of five lifestyle books including ‘Green Housekeeping’ which has sold 34,000 copies world-wide and been translated into several languages.
Best thing about my job... Appreciative customers.
Best piece of digital advice I've been given... Switch if off and switch it on again.
The website or app that I wish I'd thought of and why... Airbnb
Internet hero... My daughter and boss, Kate Howells.
What I'm looking for in a winning site/app... Something that genuinely contributes to a better life providing a product or service that enhances life with as little damage to the environment as possible.

Jason Mohr
Jason is the founder and CEO of AnyJunk, the winner of GWG Website of the Year 2019. He recently founded LoveJunk, an online marketplace for waste removal and junk reuse. A former investment banker and solicitor, he loves combining technology and design to make getting rid of stuff easier and more sustainable.

Kelly Eastwood
Kelly, aka The London Chatter, is a London-based fashion and lifestyle blogger, and resident columnist at Hello! Fashion Monthly. It is Kelly's joie de vivre, chatty writing style, eclectic wardrobe and compassion that keeps her 107,000+ Insta fans enchanted.

John Mitchinson
John is the co-founder of Unbound, a revolutionary publishing house which puts the power in the hands of consumers. It does this by crowdfunding all of its projects, thus ‘liberating ideas’ that don’t quite fit the often-narrow mould of traditional publishing. He is also the co-host of the Backlisted podcast in which he and Andy Miller discuss a book as nominated by their weekly guest, as well as the wider idea of what makes certain stories endure. In his words, John is ‘the oldest of the QI elves’ – one time head of research – and co-author of the official QI series of books.

Courtney Adamo
Mother of five, Courtney ia co-founder of Babyccino Kids, a global lifestyle site for parents, with daily family blogs, useful and friendly parenting advice, child-friendly travel guides, recipes, and edits of stylish things – both for the home and to wear. Through her own website, In The Loop, she also runs courses on family lifestyle, pregnancy, birth and beyond. She has recently launched Tweens and Teens, a three-week course to help understand teens, build stronger relationships with them and make the most of these vital years. All this and a 276k-strong following on Instagram.
Best thing about my job... I love that I’m constantly learning and can apply it back to my personal life. For example, I just spent the last year researching teenagers and adolescence, which is quite handy considering I have another 15 years of parenting a teen!
Best piece of digital advice I've been given... ‘Done is better than perfect.’ I am an eldest child and a lifelong perfectionist. Sometimes this desire to do things perfectly, especially in terms of work and projects, can be quite limiting. I’ve learned I have to give things a go and relax a little bit — start where I am, do what I can, and improve where I can.
The website or app that I wish I'd thought of and why... I’m not much of an app user, apart from Instagram. So I suppose that’s the one I’m most thankful for. Imagine having thought of that one!
Internet hero... I really love Jameela Jamil (@jameelajamiloffical) for the way she stands up for things, puts herself out there, and doesn’t seem to care what anyone thinks about it.
What I'm looking for in a winning site/app... I’m a visual person, so I always like things to look pretty. I also like it when things are kept simple and straightforward. If I can’t find what I’m looking for quickly, I tend to give up and move on.

Alex Minchin
Alex is the founder & MD of Zest Digital, an award-winning digital agency focused on driving revenue growth for its ambitious clients. Zest positively influence the two most important metrics for businesses marketing online; increasing the volume and quality of traffic and conversions from digital channels.
Best thing about my job... I am constantly challenged and I learn something new each and every day. I also get to see my team grow, which is pretty awesome.
Best piece of digital advice I've been given... When all is said and done, it's still about people and offering value.
The website or app that I wish I'd thought of and why... WhatsApp, the simple no frills chat app. The reason: I can think of 21.8 billion of them!
Internet hero... Maddox - still the most original blogger out there, 20+ years on, and still absolutely hilarious.
What I'm looking for in a winning site/app... Acute attention to detail. This is what sorts the good from the great.

Alastair Hendy
Voted at once the ‘World’s Best Food Journalist’ and the ‘World’s Best Food Photographer’, Alastair darts from one sublime creative pursuit to the next. He is by turns, a retailer, a brand consultant for the likes of M&S, an art director; a cookery writer for magazines such as Australian Vogue and Sunday Times Style, a TV presenter and a designer. In 2012, after three years of painstaking renovation, Alastair opened the doors to AG Hendy & Co Home Store, a paean to the utilitarian beauty of life below stairs. Groaning with enamelware, ostrich feather dusters, the most exquisite cleaning brushes, sinks and glassware, it is almost like entering a stage set (Alastair is, after all, a master of scene setting). Follow Alastair on Instagram @alastairhendy and @a_g_hendy_co_homestore.

Craig Landale
In addition to Craig's passion and love for menswear, he is an experienced online marketing consultant, member of the British Society of Magazine Editors and qualified in Post Compulsory Education and Training. The Founder and Editor-in-Chief of MenswearStyle has previous experiences as leading the marketing department of a corporate clothing company and overseeing the digital marketing of a large menswear group. Through the rapid success of MenswearStyle Craig has been featured in Shortlist Magazine's 'Chosen Few' numerous times, interviewed for non-fiction books and has successfully collaborated with a range of brands such as Mulberry, Harrods, Jaguar and Lacoste to name a few.
Best thing about my job... The flexibility to work on my own terms and make my own decisions.
Best piece of digital advice I've been given... Don't worry too much about the competition, be different and do your own thing.
The website or app that I wish I'd thought of and why... Airbnb because I can no longer imagine life without it. Internet hero: What José Neves has done with Farfetch is remarkable.
What I'm looking for in a winning site/app... A beautiful design, engaging content and unique ideas.

Mecca Ibrahim
Mecca was formerly Head of Marketing & Social Media at Great British Chefs – the UK’s fastest growing food website and GWG Website of the Year winner. After almost eight years in that role, Mecca (who everyone calls Mex) co-founded ‘Women In The Food Industry‘ – an initiative that shines a spotlight on the work of inspiring women in the industry. Mex has also set up a freelance social media, marketing and content creation agency, is a member of the Guild of Food Writers and sits on the editorial advisory board for New Food Magazine. Her expertise includes sustainability, food entrepreneurs, equality within the food industry and ethical eating.
Related Content
Interview with Chris Baker of Creative Brand Design
The founder of the award-winning London web design company talks about the future of web design in a post pandemic world.
10 Top Skills You Need In 2022
Ten online learning courses that will give you the skills to change your career now.
Turn Your Smartphone Into A Professional Camera
Ten best apps and gadgets to turn your camera roll into a fine art gallery.
Cecilia Harvey
More than just another tech-savvy businesswoman, Cecilia is on a mission to champion diversity in tech and to support women who want to be leaders.