Judges

We are pleased to announce this years judging panel for the 2010 Wessex Charity Awards:

  Judith Rich OBE - Chair of Judges

 Judith Rich has worked in the charity sector for over 35 years.   Her longest appointment was the initiation and building up of Cards for Good Causes, which averaged an annual growth of some 20% in the last four years of her directorship, rising to a turnover of over £1-million per week in her final year.   During this time, she also ran the National Fundraising Convention for its first 5 years and other public appointments included serving as a member of the Charity Commission’s first External Monitoring Working Group.

Currently she is a Vice President of Diabetes UK and of REACH, a Fellow of the Institute of Fundraising, as well as Chairman of other charitable organisations and a Non-Executive Director of ClickNow. chairing its Advisory Board.   Additionally, in the City of London, she is a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Musicians and the immediate Past President of Bishopsgate Ward Club.

Now, she specialises in governance and trustee advice as well as facilitating and works widely with statutory and voluntary bodies throughout the sector, as well as umbrella and commercial organisations.

In 1993, she was awarded the O.B.E. for her work for the charity sector and in 2006 the Lifetime Award of the sector, as well as in the same year the Services to Humanity Award from the International Red Cross, and continues to be recognised for her voluntary work in the City of London by the Award in 2009 of the Silver Swan by the Worshipful Company of Musicians.

  Sir Stuart Etherington

Sir Stuart Etherington is currently the Chief Executive of NCVO and has held this position since 1994.  NCVO is a membership organisation that represents the interests of charities and voluntary bodies and has around 6,000 members.
Throughout his career Stuart has been involved in the leadership of voluntary organisations including RNID where he was CEO. As such he has become a leading commentator on civil society.  

Stuart cares passionately about voluntary and community sector organisations and he sees one of his principal roles as championing the sector in its relationship with government. His recent Government appointments include the Treasury’s Standing Committee on Euro Preparations and the Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit. He has also served on the Cabinet Office Performance and Innovation Unit’s Advisory Board on theVoluntary Sector and HM Treasury’s Cross Cutting Review on the role of the Voluntary Sector.

Stuart is dedicated advocate of the role that the voluntary sector can play in partnership with business and he is currently Chair of Guidestar International. He has also been a trustee of Business in the Community, the Chair of the BBC Appeals Advisory Committee, a member of the Community and Social Affairs Committee of Barclays Bank and Chair of Guidestar UK.

Staurt has four degrees: BA in Politics, MA in Social Planning, MBA from the London Business School and a MA in International Relations and Diplomacy.  He has been awarded an honorary doctorate from Brunel University, and is an Honorary Visiting Professor at South Bank University and City University London.

Stuart lives in Greenwich and has recently been appointed as Chair of Greenwich University. In his spare time Stuart enjoys reading political biographies, going to the theatre, opera and film, watching Surrey County Cricket Club and his beloved Charlton Athletic.   
 

  Martin Edwards

Martin is CEO of Julia’s House, the Dorset Children’s Hospice, and current Wessex Charity Awards Chief Executive of the Year.

Julia’s House is ranked in the UK top 20 of the Sunday Times Best Companies, and won Best Employer at the national Third Sector Awards, with a management style that the judges described as ‘exceptional … astonishing … determined to go the extra mile towards every employer’s dream – a contented, highly motivated workforce.’

Martin is passionate about charities and people and has been a voluntary sector specialist for 20 years. He produces the leadership skills website trustedleader.org and has been invited to contribute to a recent Whitehall report on Transformational Leadership.

  Virginia Lovell

Educated in England and the United States Virginia worked in London before moving to Hampshire in 1987.  She has been involved in many charities over the years both on committees and as Chairman and Patron.  She was County President of St John Ambulance for Hampshire for six years and is now Chief President of St John Ambulance responsible for England and the Islands.  Virginia is Patron of Meon Valley HomeStart and Cist’ers, a charity helping survivors of Incest.  As Vice Chair of Meon Valley Heartstart Virginia is involved in a more minor way in other charities.  She has organised five open air operas in the ruins at Bishop’s Waltham for 800 people each time, in aid of different charities and has raised over £150,000.

Virginia has been a Magistrate on the Southampton Bench for nearly 20 years and was also a Deputy Chairman of the Bench between 2001-2004.  She became a Deputy Lieutenant in 2002 and fulfils her duties when asked to do so by Dame Mary Fagan.
She is also involved with our local Church and has led the Welcome Team for many years.

Virginia is married with two children and her husband, Alan, is going to be High Sheriff of Hampshire in 2010/11 which will be an interesting and rewarding year for them both.

  Stephen Pidgeon

Stephen Pidgeon is chairman and founder of the seventeen year old marketing agency Tangible (previously Target Direct) with its many charity clients, among them Royal British Legion, Oxfam, Shelter, Christian Aid and Irish Cancer Society.   A current practitioner in individuals fundraising, he has a special interest in stewardship and legacy marketing but gets excited at the way charities mistreat their supporters.

He has recently set up a fundraising training consultancy with Adrian Sargeant, Professor of Fundraising at Indiana University to teach the UK Institute’s Certificate in Fundraising throughout Europe.

Stephen has worked in a number of agencies, starting his career in marketing at Observer Offers and setting up the fundraising unit at Brann.  He speaks widely in Europe and the Americas and writes frequently, and usually controversially, for the fundraising press!  He is both a Trustee and a Fellow of the Institute of Fundraising and chairs the Standards Committee that creates the UK’s Codes of Fundraising Practice.