As the Prolific North Champions Awards gear up to return this May, we can now reveal more on some of the industry experts joining the judging panel this year.
Renowned as Prolific North’s biggest flagship awards event, the Champions Awards continues to shine a spotlight on all the talented individuals, teams and organisations across the creative, digital, marketing, and tech sectors in the North of England and Scotland.
Entries are now officially open until 6 March and by entering, it can help raise your profile, receive industry recognition, and even catch the attention of new clients, talent or develop collaborations. With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the judges for 2025 who will take part in an independent, fair process to decide the shortlist and, ultimately, the winners.
Arafa Heneghan, Director of Brand, AO Retail
Arafa Heneghan is director of brand and has been with AO for over eight years, where she is responsible for the brand marketing function of the group, which includes brand strategy, insight, sponsorship, media and social. She has nearly 20 years’ experience in brand and marketing, working at the likes of Nestle, The Co-op and Yorkshire Building Society.
Simon Lloyd, former Chief Marketing Officer, Aldermore Bank
Simon Lloyd has over 25 years’ experience working with some of the world’s most iconic brands including Nokia, Kellogg’s and AXA. He was recently the chief marketing officer for Aldermore Bank, leading its marketing and customer transformation and is now advising start-ups and established businesses. He was formerly the chief marketing officer of Virgin Atlantic and director of media engagement, marketing and audiences at the BBC.
Professor Kirsty Fairclough, SODA Head of Research and Innovation, Manchester Metropolitan University
Professor Kirsty Fairclough is head of research and innovation at the School of Digital Arts (SODA) at Manchester Metropolitan University and a passionate advocate for Manchester and its world leading cultural output. She is the current chair of Manchester Jazz Festival, Manchester’s longest running music festival.
Fabian Bohan-Taghian, Development Executive/Series Producer at MultiStory Media, ITV Studios
Fabian is a freelance development executive and series producer, with over a decade of experience working for some of the North’s biggest TV production companies. Fabian also sits on the committee for the Royal Television Society North West and is a co-founder of the talent network Northern TV Developers.
Stephen Kenwright, Director of Strategy and Digital Marketing, Ride Shotgun
Stephen is director of strategy and digital marketing at creative content agency Ride Shotgun. He founded and exited search-first creative agency Rise at Seven; is a former in-house head of digital at the UK’s largest automotive retailer Pendragon PLC; and founded SearchLeeds, a digital marketing conference that pulled 2,000 people into Leeds’ first direct arena in its most recent edition.
Gill Riley, Marketing Director, Quorn Foods UK
Gill was appointed to the role of marketing director at Quorn Foods in May 2020 and is responsible for overseeing all marketing communications and innovation in the UK and Europe. She also has ownership of the overall brand positioning, strategy and design, globally. Gill previously worked as Quorn’s international marketing & innovation director for three years and prior to her career at Quorn Foods, Gill held senior marketing positions at Merlin Entertainments and Kellogg’s.
Jennie Bearmen, Marketing Lead – Social and Digital Media, Warburtons
Jennie is the marketing lead at Warburtons for social and digital media, though is currently the interim senior lead across all advertising, media and brand marketing activity. She has been at Warburtons since 2016 and part of the team who have brought to life some of the nation’s most loved campaigns across multiple channels.
Prior to Warburtons, Jennie was at several creative agencies, heading up client servicing teams across multiple industries – specialising in residential and commercial property and financial services.
We’ll be revealing more of the judges soon. Make sure you enter here before the final entry deadline on 6 March. Good luck!