IT is time to meet the judges who have chosen this year’s shortlist for the Fenland Enterprise Business Awards – and choose the eventual winners. In the coming weeks, the judges will visit our shortlisted companies before choosing the cream of this year’s crop.

STEPHEN BIRCH

Vice Chairman, Federation of Small Businesses Huntingdon Branch

STEPHEN Birch has a strong engineering background. He has been a company director for about eight years.

He worked for a number of large corporations in the UK and abroad, before starting his small business four years ago.

ROGER HETHERINGTON

Local Adviser Manager, Business Link

ROGER Hetherington has worked for Business Link for the last 15 years. During this time, he has helped and advised a considerable number of people and businesses. Prior to that, he worked in the food and drink industry for 14 years, in technical and commercial position. He worked for companies such as Mars Confectionery.

MALCOLM LYONS

Chairman, Federation of Small Businesses Huntingdon Branch

MALCOLM Lyons comes from a strong agricultural background. For the last 17 years, he has run a business that purchases combinable crops and seeds.

Before that, he worked at a number of national agricultural merchanting and food companies.

JULIE PAULEY

General Business Adviser (Fenland Area), Business Link

JULIE Pauley started off in retail, before working for Her Majesty’s Customs and Excise VAT Office. That was soon followed by roles at Westminster Press and at Access Credit Cards.

Julie joined Business Link as business services representative for Fenland. She has also served the Greater Peterborough Chamber, which provided support for Fenland businesses.

PETER WATTS

Membership Development Officer, Cambridgeshire Chambers of Commerce

PETER Watts has spent most of his working life in the industrial labelling and printing fields. He also ran his own business as a distributor in the UK until the early 2000s.

His work with the Chamber involves networking activities, seminars and recruitment of new members.

TIM CRANE

Hugh Crane (Cleaning Equipment) Ltd

TIM Crane has worked for the family business for just over three years, after graduating from Loughborough University in management and business science. He has played a role in the company, owned by his dad Philip, since he was a teenager.

ANDREW BAND

Whiting and Partners, March

ANDREW Band is one of the partners in Whiting & Partners, chartered accountants and business advisors. He has been based in their March office for more than 16 years and is responsible for advising many businesses.

HELEN JONES

Director of Marketing, Larkfleet Group

HELEN Jones went into retail management after leaving university as a graduate trainee. In 1984 she entered the new homes sector and has remained in the industry, having worked for several companies.

Helen briefly ran her own company associated with new homes, offering services to small and medium-sized businesses.

She also worked for Allison Homes and Persimmon Homes before joining Larkfleet.

CLIVE GIBBON

Economic Development Manager, Fenland District Council

CLIVE Gibbon joined Fenland District Council in 2006 from Aylesbury Vale District Council in Buckinghamshire, where he was business relationship manager.

Prior to that Clive had a stint with the Department of Trade and Industry and was European operations manager for Christie’s Auction Houses.

DAWN TERRY

Sales and Marketing Leader, Local Generation

DAWN Terry will manage the people area, environmental systems and quality systems at Local Generation, which is building an anaerobic digestion plant at sister company Fenmarc Produce’s factory in March. She has qualifications in Food Science and Human Resources and acts as a business mentor for the Prince’s Trust.