About the judges
Our judging panel brings together a wealth of expertise and experience across a range of trades and industries. Each judge has made a significant contribution to commerce in Royal Greenwich.
There are 9 judges on the 2026 panel. Find out more about them by reading their profiles.
Meet the judges in person
Come and meet the judges in person at our ‘Meet the judges’ event on 19 November 2025, 6.30pm to 8.30pm, Victoria Hall in the Town Hall, Woolwich.
We'll open registration for 'Meet the judges' soon.
The judges
Christofi Christou
Economic Inclusion Manager, Peabody and President of the South East London Chamber of Commerce.
Christofi is an experienced manager leading Peabody's strategic approach to economic inclusion and social value. Overseeing teams, creating pathways and implementing systems to deliver impactful programmes in enterprise, employment, training and skills development. Building partnerships across sectors is key to enhancing access to services, informing national policies and driving socio-economic improvements through large-scale projects and community initiatives.
As President of the South East London Chamber of Commerce, I spearhead one of London's most influential business networks, representing thousands of small and medium sized enterprises and major employers across London boroughs of Lewisham, Bexley, Bromley, Croydon and Royal Greenwich. I'm a visionary leader dedicated to fostering economic growth and prosperity within the region.
Christofi says:
"I'm excited to take on the tough task of judging this year's nominations. Royal Greenwich has a proud legacy of thriving businesses, and this year's entries promise to be just as competitive. Successful entries will showcase creativity, resourcefulness and community impact. Best of luck to all applicants!"
Councillor Jackie Smith
Cabinet Member for Inclusive Economy, Business, Greenwich Supports and Environmental Services.
Head judge, Councillor Jackie Smith is one of the ward councillors for Woolwich Arsenal ward in Royal Greenwich. She’s been an elected member since 2002.
Jackie was previously a board member of Tramshed, Woolwich Works, Greenwich Leisure Limited and Chair of Trust Thamesmead. Prior to this, she was a social worker for over 20 years.
Jackie says:
“The business awards shine a light on the important work of our business community and their contributions to the borough. We want to hear from businesses that go above and beyond, whether that’s by providing excellent customer service, enriching the local community or offering fantastic training and development for their staff.”
Councillor Sandra Bauer
Cabinet Member for Equality, Culture and Communities.
Councillor Sandra Bauer was appointed as the Cabinet Member for Equality, Culture and Communities in January 2025.
First elected in 2021 following a by-election in Glyndon, Councillor Bauer was re-elected in 2022 as ward councillor for Kidbrooke Village and Sutcliffe.
Sandra has a PR and Marketing background and owned her own business for a number of years. She now works in the charity sector as Deputy Chief Executive and Head of Policy, Partnerships and Projects at Neighbourhood Watch.
Hetty (Wenxian) Sun
Associate Professor and Associate Head of the Executive Business Centre.
As well as her role at the Executive Business Centre, Dr Hetty (Wenxian) Sun is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (HEA).
Hetty is passionate about diversity recognition and social value. As an academic entrepreneur, she innovates her portfolio by integrating real-life projects to promote small and medium sized enterprises and make useful contributions to society.
Hetty has played a leading role in several pioneering initiatives, including securing multi-million-pound funding from the European Commission. Before joining academia, she worked in the UK FinTech business and contributed to government-funded projects in China, obtaining a government reward for remarkable success.
Hetty says:
"I'll be looking for entries that tell a powerful story - capturing the environment a business operates in, the key strategic and operational decisions made, and the impact created. I'm particularly interested in how businesses balance commercial success with meaningful social value, demonstrating innovative and smart business ideas throughout their journey."
Lawrence Lartey
Director of Innovation Industry and Enterprise at Ravensbourne University London.
Lawrence is a communicator and educator who has been recognised by various organisations as an influencer in the world of education, creativity and creative practice.
Joining Ravensbourne University London from University of the Arts London in 2019, Lawrence initially headed up the Creative Lab as the Creative Director. He now holds the post of Director of Innovation, Industry and Enterprise.
Lawrence's work centres around facilitating an intersection between education, technology and the creative industries. He maintains his creative and research practice, and has produced documentaries for the BBC, Channel 4, Channel 5 and YouTube.
In 2011 Lawrence was recognised by The Lloyds Banking Group and Thomson Reuters in their annual ‘Power List’ as one of the most influential black creatives in Britain.
Lawrence says:
"I'm really looking forward to the Royal Greenwich Business Awards. I'm really honoured to be on the judging panel. I'll be looking out for innovative ideas, creative ideas, and how ideas intersect between creativity, business and technology."
Loretta Awuah
Strategic Business Support Manager at GLL.
Loretta oversees the planning and delivery of economic development initiatives to support the growth of aspiring entrepreneurs, start-ups and more established businesses. She covers 3 London local authorities (including Royal Greenwich) and West Kent.
With a deep passion for nurturing businesses, Loretta has spent many years working closely with start-ups in particular, helping them grow and thrive.
Honoured to join this year's panel of judges, she will be paying particular attention to the impact and innovation reported by this year's award entrants. She is also excited to read the entries for the new award categories and celebrate the remarkable achievements of local businesses in the the borough.
Tony Goldstein
Managing Director of South East Enterprise.
Tony has been with South East Enterprise (SEE) developing enterprise programmes and delivering business support to SMEs for over 20 years.
Prior to joining the company, Tony owned and operated a successful stainless steel stockholding company and a retail supermarket franchise.
In 2014, Tony developed the E-business programme that was initially delivered in Royal Greenwich. It’s now delivered across London through the Business for London consortium founded by SEE. The programme enables business owners and their staff to become more digitally aware and use technology, including AI, in a practical way to benefit their business and the borough.
Tulasi Parmar
Founder and Creative Director of TULASI.
TULASI is a luxury womenswear label that specialises in digital fashion, creating garments to wear in real life and digital twins to wear in virtual environments, such as gaming. She is inspired by her Kenyan-Gujarati heritage, and what it means to be 'British'.
Since winning the Under-30 Entrepreneur category and nominated as finalist for 2 categories, she has since gone on to win Metaverse Fashion Week 2025, backed by The King’s Trust and JP Morgan Chase, and feature in British Vogue.