The judging panel will come together to go through Top 10 submissions and decide on the winner. We have chosen a judging panel of business leaders who are invested in their workplace and also the wider LGBT community. The Judging Panel will judge corporate categories only. Celebrity and consumer categories will be brought before a public vote.
Categories are:
- LGBT+ Future Leader
- Corporate Ally
- LGBT+ Network Group or ERG
- Diversity Hero
- LGBT+ Inspirational Leader
- Inclusive Employer or Company
Please enquire if you would like to receive more information on judging criteria or the nomination process. In 2020, the Outstanding Contribution to LGBT+ Life category will also return before a judging panel. Scroll down to find out more about our judges.
BARRY DAVIES
HEAD OF SUPPLY CHAIN – TESCO IRELAND
CHAIR OF OUT AT TESCO
Barry has worked at Tesco for 31 years. He started in stores in Wales, working his way through several senior management positions and stores before moving to London 22 years ago to join the Head Office operation in a number of operational and project management roles in Supply Chain. For the last three and half years has been Head of Supply Chain for Tesco Ireland.
He has been involved in Out At Tesco since its inception in 2005. In January 2019 Barry became Chair of the Network, which is one of the largest in Europe with over 3,000 members. 2019 was a huge year, with support for 43 Pride Events across the UK and Ireland, celebrating and supporting Pride with Tesco colleagues and customers in communities up and down the country.
His hobbies in his spare time (when he gets some) revolve mainly around travel and visiting different places around the world with his family and friends. He is also an avid theatre and cinema goer.
“Our Network is active year round to support an inclusive culture at Tesco where everyone’s welcome. These Awards celebrate all that is good in and around the LGBT+ community and I’m extremely proud to represent Tesco as a judge.”
BABAK ERFANI MBE
SENIOR SPONSOR, SIGNALLING & DIGITAL RAILWAY
NETWORK RAIL
Babak joined Network Rail in 2009, and has spent his career working on the development, design and construction of major infrastructure projects. He led the design and construction of part of London’s Crossrail network, before moving on to head up Network Rail’s major investment programme in signalling and digital railway projects across the South West of the UK.
In 2013 Babak established Archway, the company’s LGBT+ employee network. Over the past six years it’s grown to become the largest LGBT+ network in the rail industry and in 2017 it won the British LGBT Awards’ employee network award. Since 2016 it has hosted a major industry annual conference on LGBT+ inclusion, along with a huge variety of events all over Great Britain, along with a ground-breaking training programme for allies. This year it joined the umbrella group for LGBT+ employee networks in rail across Europe, developing international links and sharing best practice across the continent.
In 2017 Babak was awarded an MBE for his work at Archway in recognition of the support it has provided for LGBT+ colleagues throughout Britain’s railways.
BRIAN ASHMEAD-SIERS
PARTNER
PwC
Brian has been at PwC for about two years now, and during that time he’s made quite an impact. As a Partner, he leads a team of Global Mobility (“One GM”) tax specialists in Birmingham, but is also equally focused on creating digital solutions for the national One GM practice. He is developing a major new proposition and is also leading the charge for enhancing PwC’s One GM technology globally.
Despite his busy workload, Brian has quickly established himself as the new Partner Sponsor for GLEE (PwC’s LGBT+ network). He is an openly gay Partner, not afraid to stand up and advocate all LGBT+ issues, acting as a new key role model for PwC. Brian is particularly passionate about advocating those issues regionally and is cofounder of The Alliance Network – a professional LGBT+ network in Birmingham. This is growing from strength to strength currently with over 400 members, regularly hosting key events to promote LGBT equality in the workplace, particularly with a focus on key regional issues where there is often less critical mass in relation to “out” LGBT+ individuals.
In addition, Brian is also leading the charge in reaching out to the rest of PwC’s Partner and Director team to attract more leadership ambassadors, as well as then consulting with The Alliance Network membership to promote best practice in attracting more “straight allies” regionally. Brian is also a mentor and sounding board for many of the more junior LGBT+ team members and also LGBT personnel at other corporations.
Brian has been with his partner Nick for 18 years and they enjoy life in the Worcestershire countryside. They also like to travel extensively and have just embarked on a new project in Spain where hopefully they will get time to relax (once it is built!).