Claire Darley is a transformational leader. Through her 30+ years in Tech, Claire has demonstrated the ability to drive big-scale change through collaboration, pragmatism and creating true "followship".

She drove Adobe's Digital Transformation in EMEA, taking its Creative Cloud offering from an off-the-shelf product to a subscription model, and grew the number of routes to market to support the customer segments from Channel, through Telesales, Digital and Enterprise. In that time the EMEA business grew from ~$500M to ~$5Bn.

She's just back from a 2.5 year tour of duty in Adobe's headquarters in San Jose, California, where as Senior Vice President she ran Global Field Sales for Adobe's Digital Media business (all customer segments, all routes to market, ~$5.5Bn), in addition to leading the worldwide Customer Support team who handle millions of calls and chats per year.

Now back in the UK, Claire is leading the biggest bet we have in Adobe, to build a brand-new business aimed at helping Solopreneurs and Small Businesses who need to create content quickly and easily. This is a huge opportunity, and she is leading on all aspects from product, PLG, pricing, branding, positioning, and sales channels.

She is a passionate champion for Inclusion & Diversity in the workforce, being an active mentor, coach and sponsor. She is a public speaker and active member of the Women at Adobe senior leader council.

Claire's Zen: Build world class teams to drive outstanding business outcomes. As a leading woman in technology, Claire hopes her career journey encourages anyone - especially girls growing up in small working-class towns - to put their hand up, not to stay in their lane and challenge the status quo.

Andrew Goodacre has been the CEO of Bira since 2018 and is passionate about working with the high street and supporting small businesses.

Mr Goodacre has a strong background in retail and hospitality, and since taking up the role, has been integral in pushing forward independent retailers and showcasing their importance of them being at the very heart of every good high street throughout the UK and a vital part of life and the economy within local communities.

Sarah has a long history in the Chamber Movement and is a great advocate for the power of business for good. Sarah became Chair of the British Chambers of Commerce in 2019, is a Past President of Suffolk Chamber and sat on the board of the London Chamber. In challenging times for business, she has supported the BCC and international network's growth and is working with her teams to ensure they support the growth and prosperity of their members.

She co-chairs the BCC's Workplace Equity Commission and sits on the Steering Board of HM Government's Lilac Review into Disabled Entrepreneurship.

She has a particular interest in skills development and bringing more diversity into the Boardroom and works closely with Neurodiversity in Business. She was awarded the MBE in 2015 for her work on skills development for young people.

With a background in management consultancy, Sarah has worked for high profile organisations including JP Morgan and KPMG. She works with a couple of British tech startups looking at international markets.

She is also the Chair of Abbeycroft Leisure, a large not for profit Leisure Trust and is a Governor of the Eastern Education Group.

Kerensa is an award-winning tech leader and bestselling fiction author who helps business leaders navigate change in an AI world. She spent the first two decades of her career as a TV producer, before qualifying as an executive coach, and working for a few years as CEO of a social enterprise at Buckingham Palace.

Previously the BBC's Head of Strategic Delivery, these days Kerensa balances a portfolio life including writing, coaching, NED positions in the charitable and private sectors; and co-hosting special AI series of The Tech Leaders podcast. Kerensa has spent more than a decade helping small businesses unlock their potential and is CEO of Inglenook Global Ltd.

Marsha Powell Founder of BelEve UK, a London based Girls Charity, that equips girls and young women with the support network, skills, and confidence to make informed choices about their future and become the next generation of female leader.

Committed to the development and social mobility of young women, this HR professional uses all her transferable skills, knowledge and experience from her 15-year career in the city and her Masters in Personnel Development to develop and sustain a platform that contributes to the female empowerment and gender equality narrative in the UK.

BelEve gives girls and young women support, guidance, education, confidence, self-esteem, opportunities, positive solutions, and role models.

Martyn Sibley, a passionate advocate for disability inclusion, is the co-founder and CEO of Purple Goat, a leading disability marketing agency working with global brands to unlock the value of the disabled community. With a lifelong commitment to driving positive change, Martyn is also an entrepreneur, author, and leading podcast host, where he spotlights changemakers and shares insights on creating a more inclusive world.

Martyn's personal experience living with spinal muscular atrophy has shaped his career, inspiring his work to empower disabled people and demonstrate the economic and social benefits of inclusion. He also co-founded community magazine Disability Horizons, and Acommable, a pioneering accessible travel platform that was successfully acquired by Airbnb in 2017.

Martyn has been recognised multiple times in the Disability Power 100 list of the most influential disabled people, and featured in LinkedIn's national TV advert to raise awareness of the need for more disabled leaders.

Chris Sims is Chief Commercial Officer for BT Business, helping the full breadth of UK businesses connect and digitise. Prior to that he ran BT's Small and Medium business division and continues to play an active role supporting these customers.

His career boasts a wealth of experience, spanning the mobile industry and traversing the globe, where he honed his expertise with industry leaders like EE and Orange.

Beyond his leadership role, Chris actively invests in the future by serving as a passionate coach and mentor for BT's next generation of leaders through the early careers programme. He recognises the importance of mental well-being, championing its awareness within the organisation.

Chris' dedication extends beyond the immediate sphere, as he serves as a vocal advocate and active ally for the broader small business community - supporting disabled entrepreneurs, and minority-led businesses. Ensuring their voices are heard and needs are met.

Dr Lauren Tuckerman is a lecturer at the Adam Smith Business School, University of Glasgow. She is passionate about working collaboratively with industry and policy actors both in her research and teaching. Her specialisms lie in sustainability for small business, social innovation and economic policy. Lauren has led projects exploring the intersection of policy and small business innovation, with a particular focus on fostering sustainable economic growth. Her work combines rigorous academic research with practitioner-focused insights, bridging the gap between policy development and real-world impact. Lauren is an advisory committee member of the Willow Review into the financial benefits of sustainability for small businesses.

Lauren has collaborated with government bodies, industry experts, and academic partners to develop strategies for supporting entrepreneurs in navigating challenges such as sustainability, regulatory change, and transnational governance. Her research has been widely published and recognised for its contributions to understanding the role of small businesses in driving sustainability.

Lauren brings a wealth of expertise and a deep commitment to celebrating the achievements of small businesses to the awards this year.

Nick is Global Head of Sustainability Engagement and Head of Sustainability & Social Purpose for Barclays UK. He is responsible for developing the Sustainable Finance strategy and embedding sustainable finance into every business across Barclays, enabling us to support, guide and advise individuals and small business owners in their transition to a low-carbon future.

Nick has extensive experience across financial services, regulation, consumer groups, and charities. He is the Chair of the Prison Reform Trust, founder of three youth-based charities and advisor to Rewired Earth. Nick was formerly CEO of The Prince's Trust, a board member of the FCA and CEO of consumer businesses including Saga and Choice (Which? of Australia).

He continues to challenge societal barriers and encourage others to embrace diversity for the benefit of all.

Alex is responsible for leading Xero's operations across the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. He has more than 25 years' of senior leadership experience, having led teams across Europe and Latin America in ecommerce, payments, telecommunications, FMCG and consultancy.

Prior to Xero, Alex led the European operations for small business payments technology company SumUp, and before that held senior leadership positions at Electrocomponents and eBay, where he gained exposure to a large constituency of merchant sellers.

Alex holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, International Business from Georgetown University, and a Master of Business Administration from INSEAD.

Joseph Williams is the LGBTQ and disabled Co-Founder & CEO of AI company Clu. A former Activist in Residence at Kings College, he has spent the last 20 years campaigning for social and economic inclusion. He is a cited expert on the future of work, and the skills economy with specialism in developing technology and services that promote inclusive economic growth.

Professor Tom Williamson is Assistant Principal of ARU Peterborough, responsible for the Faculty of Business, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and the Faculty of Creative and Digital Arts and Sciences. Tom's research explores the role of Universities in providing support to Start-Ups, SMEs, and Entrepreneurs.

As a practitioner Tom has previously sat on, and Chaired, the Board of EEUK and is currently a management board member of the Small Business Charter. He is a small business owner and has been involved in many start-ups further highlighting his interest and commitment in the enhancement of Education by closely engaging with Industry and Entrepreneurs.