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NUS Awards 2011

Judges

Paul Coffey, Industry Leader at Google

Prior to joining Google in 2010, Paul studied a degree in Modern History at Oxford and started his career with 16 years agency side. Most recently Paul was the Managing Director of a digital creative agency, and before that a media strategist at MediaCom and Ogilvy. He's worked on a number of award winning advertising campaigns for a range of clients including Royal Navy, Waitrose, Universal Music and Epson.

Paul will be deciding the winners for the NUS Best Student Media Award, NUS Student Journalist of the Year Award and Endsleigh Technology and Innovation Award.

As of September 2009 Alexa listed the main U.S.-focused google.com site as the Internet's most visited website, and numerous international Google sites as being in the top hundred, as well as several other Google-owned sites such as YouTube, Blogger and Orkut.

In 2004, Google formed the not-for-profit Google.org, with a start-up fund of $1 billion. The mission of the organization is to create awareness about climate change, global public health, and global poverty.

 
Fran Williamson, Beijing Paralympics Double Medalist

In her 10 years of representing Great Britain, Fran has racked up an impressive array of medals, including 12-world championship and 6 Paralympic medals.  As the current World Champion in the 50m backstroke, Fran is looking to add to her international repertoire of titles in London 2012. 

Fran was born in Sunderland in 1985 and went to Anglia Ruskin University to study for a degree in Social Policy. She is currently working on Masters Degree in Disability studies with Leeds University, focusing on the study and development of Paralympic sport.

Fran is excited when she is able to share her unique knowledge and experiences to raise the profile of Paralympic sport, and disability issues in general. She has a great passion for trying to encourage young disabled people to take up sport and realise their potential.

Fran will be deciding the winner for the NUS Campaign of the Year and NUS Equality and Diversity Awards.

 
Chris Maples, UK Managing Director Spotify

Chris joined Spotify in 2011 and has a dual-role within the company – as the UK Managing Director he runs the Spotify office in London, and as European Sales Director he is responsible for the overall development of the sales teams, inventory and relationships with advertisers across Europe.

Prior to Spotify Chris was Commercial Director of Microsoft Advertising where he was responsible for all display, network, search ad serving and analytics business in the UK.

Chris started his career staring out over the hanger lane gyratory system – working for the first ever ITV sales house T.S.M.S. After such an illustrious start, he went on to join Channel 4 as part of the launch team when the channel became commercially independent in 1993. He has also held sales roles in non-terrestrial TV (Flextech Television), radio (Emap Advertising) and outdoor advertising (Maiden outdoor). 

Chris will be deciding the winners for the NUS Best Student Media Award, NUS Student Journalist of the Year Award and Endsleigh Technology and Innovation Award.

 
Nicola Dandridge, Chief Executive, Universities UK

Nicola has been Chief Executive of Universities UK since September 2009. Universities UK is the representative organisation for the UK’s universities. Founded in 1918, UUK now has 133 members and offices in London, Cardiff and Edinburgh. Its mission is to be the definitive voice for all universities in the UK, promoting the strength and success of UK universities nationally and internationally.

Nicola was previously Chief Executive of Equality Challenge Unit, the higher education agency which promotes equality and diversity for staff and students in higher education in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Formerly a partner and head of equality at Thompsons Solicitors, the UK’s largest firm of solicitors acting for the trade union and labour movement, Nicola qualified as a lawyer in England and initially worked in the City specialising in industrial relations, before qualifying in Scotland and working in Glasgow for 10 years. She has published numerous books and articles on equality and the law, and has also worked for the European Commission on equality initiatives in Europe.

 
David Babbs, Director at 38 Degrees

David Babbs helped found 38 Degrees in 2009. Since then the organisation has grown to 1 million members who work together both on the internet and in the real world.

38 Degrees has played a key role in some significant campaign victories including halting government plans to privatise England’s public forests, persuading Alistair Darling to introduce a bankers’ bonus tax, forcing a rethink of Andrew Lansley’s plans for the NHS, securing better protection for victims of Human Trafficking and preventing a large-scale cow factory farm being built in Lincolnshire.

Before launching 38 Degrees, David worked for Friends of the Earth, where he led the successful mobilisation to persuade the government to enact the world’s first Climate Change Act.

David grew up in Leicester, and now lives in East London. 

David will be deciding the winner for the NUS Campaign of the Year and NUS Equality and Diversity Awards.

 
Sarah Veale, Head of Equality and Employment Rights Department, TUC

Sarah Veale is Head of the Equality and Employment Rights Department at the TUC. The Department leads on employment rights, both individual and collective, employment relations and equality at work.

Before becoming Head of Equality and Employment Rights, Sarah was Senior Employment Rights Officer at the TUC, in which role she was responsible for the development of TUC policy on employment law. She co-ordinated TUC activities in relation to the introduction of the Employment Relations Act 1999 and wrote the TUC Guide to the Act. She was also responsible for various TUC submissions to the Government, and was a member of the TUC team which negotiated the national agreement with the CBI and the Government on temporary agency work.

She regularly briefs senior union officers on developments in employment and discrimination law and policy and speaks at conferences and events. She is co-author of “Your Rights at Work”, the TUC’s book on employment rights.

Sarah is a member of the Government’s Regulatory Policy Committee and the Government’s Employee Engagement Task Force and was formerly a member of the ACAS Council and the Women’s National Commission. She was awarded the CBE for services to diversity in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List in June 2006. She was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Laws by Oxford Brookes University in June 2011.

Sarah will be deciding the winner for the NUS Campaign of the Year and NUS Equality and Diversity Awards.

 
Rob Wotton, Sky Sports News Presenter

Also, President of Chester Students' union 1990/91.

Rob is one of only four original presenters still on the channel.

As part of the team that kicked Sky Sports News off way back in 1998, he has become a fixture on our screens and has presented most of, if not all, their shows at one time or another!

His most regular role though is the early Saturday evening slot, where he takes us through the Premier League talking points and Football League goals as soon as Jeff Stelling and the Soccer Saturday boys are off air.

Before beginning his 12-year service (and counting) Rob was the sports editor at Capital Radio in London, where Euro 96 and the 1998 World Cup in France were among the highlights, as well as annual broadcasts from Wimbledon.

Rob will be deciding the winners for the NUS Best Student Media Award, NUS Student Journalist of the Year Award and Endsleigh Technology and Innovation Award.

 
Terry Ryall, CEO at vInspired

Dr Terry Ryall is the founding Chief Executive of vInspired, the national youth volunteering charity set-up in May 2006.  vInspired provides 14-25 year olds with volunteering and social action opportunities to improve their life skills and employability.  vInspired has mobilised a new generation of young volunteers to act on the things they care about and change the world for the better.

She has an amazing passion for youth, reflected in her three degrees associated with the issue, and a string of roles working with young people, Director of The Prince’s Trust and Chief Executive of Girl Guiding UK amongst them.

She's undoubtedly an expert in her field. Recently she's given evidence to the Education Select Committee on youth services, has been a member of Demos’ Character Inquiry focussing on young people’s character development and published articles including her most recent review of 'No Excuses', the Centre for Social Justice report on school exclusions.

Terry will be deciding the winner for NUS Club or Society of the Year Award and NUS Community Relations Award.

 
John Gill, Editor of Times Higher Education

John Gill is editor of Times Higher Education. He has previously held roles as news editor, deputy news editor and reporter with the magazine.

The Times Higher Education (THE) is a weekly British magazine based in London reporting specifically on news and other issues related to higher education.

From its first edition in 1971, to 2008, the THE was published in newspaper format. On 10 January 2008 the publication was relaunched as a magazine which continues currently. It is published by TSL Education Ltd., which was, until October 2005, a division of News International.

John will be deciding the winners for the NUS Best Student Media Award, NUS Student Journalist of the Year Award and Endsleigh Technology and Innovation Award.

 
Martin Doel, Chief Executive, Association of Colleges

Martin Doel took up his appointment as Chief Executive of the Association of Colleges (AoC) in 2008, after a successful career in the Royal Air Force.

Martin's final appointment in his former career was as the Director of Training and Education for all 3 Armed Services, working in the Ministry of Defence; the MOD is the largest employer of apprentices in the UK.

Prior to this he filled several operational support, personnel and training posts in the RAF, including service as the equivalent of a Director of Studies at the Joint Services Command and Staff College providing post-graduate level education to officers from across the world. He has published articles on military assistance in humanitarian aid operations and strategic planning. He was appointed OBE in 1998 for his work in support of operations in the Balkans and for his contribution to Anglo-German relations. He holds a Masters Degree with Distinction from King's College, London and a First Class Honours Degree in Education from King Alfred's College Winchester.

AoC's role is to represent and support the interests of Further Education, Sixth Form and Specialist Colleges and to provide them with a range of support services.

Martin will be deciding the winners for NUS Further Education Students' Union of the Year Award, Endsleigh Student of the Year Award and Small Students' Union of the Year Award.

 
Andy Westwood, Chief Executive at GuildHE

Andy Westwood is the Chief Executive at GuildHE, one of two formal representative bodies for Higher Education in the UK. He is chair of the OECD's forum on social innovation and a visiting professor at London South Bank University and at the University of Buckingham. He came to GuildHE from Whitehall where he spent five years as a special adviser to ministers in the Treasury, Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills and the Department for Communities and Local Government.

A strong defender of the autonomy of higher and further education, he is also a passionate advocate of co-operation and collaboration between institutions, employers and the wider economy.

Andy will be deciding the winners for NUS Higher Education Students’ Union of the Year Award and will also sit on the panel to select the receiver of the Lifetime Achievement Award.

 
Gideon Feldman, Project Manager, Attitude is Everything

Gideon is the Project Manager for Attitude is Everything, the UK’s leading charity working with the music industry, audiences and artists to improve access for Deaf and disabled people to live music.

Working with venues from the biggest stadiums to your local music venue, including O2 Arena, Motorpoint Cardiff, The Roundhouse, KOKO,  O2 Academy’s, Band on The Wall and Cecil Sharp House, and festivals from Glastonbury, Reading /Leeds, Rewind to YNot, we give solutions, guidance and support.

Gideon’s role is to assist music venues and festivals to implement our Charter of Best Practice – our Charter is a practical way of making sense of the Equality Law (Disability Discrimination) and provides solutions to access barriers.  

Previous to working with Attitude is Everything, he has had 15 years experience working in the events and access industries including Graeae Theatre Company, CandoCo Dance Company, Inclusive Fitness Initiative, Doha Asian Games Torch Relay as well as working as a freelancer at festivals, venues and theatre and events.

He is really excited to be involved with the NUS Awards and thinks the Access Challenge is a fantastic tool for getting others to understand that access is for everyone is a corner stone of Student Union Provision across the UK.

 
 

SU2012