Judges

Tom has been working in a combination of business strategy and sustainability for more than 20 years.

He leads the Sustainable Business agenda at Farfetch – a cross-functional program of work designed to help the company succeed commercially whilst also delivering tangible positive social and environmental impact. The work includes driving innovation in new circular business models; enabling customers to buy better products; and improving the company carbon footprint while saving cost and engaging consumers.

Based on his experience in consumer retail, fashion, technology, and circular innovation, he also acts as a strategic advisor to a number of businesses and organisations trying to have a positive impact in, or through, those sectors.

Tom has also held senior corporate sustainability roles at Kimberly Clark and Innocent Drinks and led industry programs for Forum for the Future (in the UK) and The Institute for Sustainable Futures (in Australia) both non-profit organisations providing strategic sustainability advice to business. He started his career as a management consultant at Gemini Consulting – a global strategy consultancy based in London.

Nudea was founded by sustainability trailblazer and fashion enthusiast Priya Downes, whose passion for environmental and ethical responsibility began long before the brand was born.

Prior to her years of working in luxury fashion, Priya was part of a pioneering sustainability movement within The World Bank where she developed several initiatives to champion projects on environmental responsibility and fair trade fashion around the world. Her dedication to encouraging a more conscious approach to fashion did not go unnoticed with The Washington Post penning her as a key change maker in the world of fashion at the age of 25.

Having grown up in Kenya, where she witnessed poverty first hand, Priya has always been focused and determined to make positive changes to the world where possible but her interest in sustainable underwear came following the birth of her second child. Having worked for several luxury fashion houses including Burberry and Chanel, Priya put a lot of time and thought into styling her wardrobe but found that she rarely put thought into the layers closest to her skin.

This was, in part, because whenever she shopped for underwear she was often left feeling uninformed and unsupported. After asking several friends about where to turn for reliable everyday pieces, she found that there weren’t many options at all and even less which were also kind to the planet.

This sparked Priya’s motivation to create her own line of bras and briefs designed with purpose and the perfect fit in mind, to create a brand with sustainable and ethical business practices at its core, only working with factories and suppliers who share this ethos and responsible outlook. To provide a solution to everyday underwear that is comfortable, easy to wear and supportive.

Priya’s love for the planet goes beyond her interest in driving change within the fashion industry as an avid beekeeper who also finds joy spending time in nature with her husband and three children.

Angela joined N Brown in 2016 as Head of Sourcing before becoming the Group Director of Sourcing, Sustainability, Quality and Fit in October 2020. Angela is responsible for the Group’s sourcing strategy and delivering N Brown’s sustainability plan, #sustain.

Prior to joining N Brown, Angela was Head of Sourcing and Continuous Improvement at Boohoo and has over 25 years' experience within the retail/supply chain sector.

Angela is also a member of the UN Global Compact Advisory Board – UK. N Brown is a digital fashion and homeware retailer, whose strategic brands are JD Williams, Simply Be, Jacamo, Ambrose Wilson and Home Essentials.

Kate Hardcastle MBE, a.k.a. The Customer Whisperer is a global expert on consumer insight supporting some of the world’s biggest brands on consumer insight and evolving vision into value She appears daily in the media as the go-to business expert providing commentary and presenting documentaries for BBC, ITV, Sky News, CNBC, Reuters and NHK and is also a respected thought leader writing for Forbes magazine. Kate was recognised for her entrepreneurial success with over 25 awards including a MBE from HRH Queen Elizabeth II. She is a respected speaker and presenter at global business summits and conferences including World Congress, Financial Times Live and Seamless and is the host of the podcast - Rock n Roll.

Simon Platts set up Simon Platts Consulting  in March 2023, an independent consultancy focused on supporting retailers, educators, and the fashion industry at large to deliver better ways of buying and sourcing to improve quality, profitability, agility, and proposition, reduce negative impacts on people and planet, and deliver on environmental, social, and legal commitments.

Simon has also recently taken the role of CEO Co-Founder of Recomme, a company focused on supplying tools and support to retailers and brands that enable the recovery of old items of clothing and footwear. And then send off for upcycle, recycle and turn them into new products.  

Up until March 2023 Simon was with ASOS.com for 10 years. In his role as Responsible Sourcing and Commercial ESG Director Simon oversaw the company’s own-brand sourcing, packaging, ethical trade, product sustainability programme and 3rd-party branded engagement functions. He also led the team which developed, and delivered, Asos’ ‘Fashion with Integrity’ initiative.

Cat joined WRAP in 2020, playing a key role in the launch of Textiles 2030, WRAP’s ground breaking initiative to accelerate the UK’s fashion and textile industry towards a circular economy and Net Zero. Cat is a specialist in sustainable and circular textiles and leads the technical strategy for Textile 2030, as well as collaborative working groups, bringing together businesses from across the sector with academia and knowledge partners to catalyse change. In her role at WRAP, Cat has led the co-development of key industry publications and guidance, including the Textiles 2030 Circualrity Roadmap and Textiles 2030 Circular Design Toolkit.

Previous to WRAP, Cat worked as a fashion designer for over 10 years for some of the UK most well-known highstreet brands, and is passionate about using her experience within the sector to support the industry to take practical & evidence-based action to reduce its impacts on people and planet.

Today, as a highly respected industry advisor, Helen Williamson is dedicated to assisting start-ups and SMEs in achieving sustainable growth. Her focus is on crafting circular solutions that guide the industry away from unchecked consumption and towards a more conscientious approach to consumerism.

Drawing on her 30 years of experience, Helen started her professional journey at M&S as a young commercial management trainee and discovered her talent for merchandising during Topshop's boom years under the guidance of mentors Jane Shepherdson and Mary Homer. In a pivotal career move in 2006, she joined Ted Baker, where Helen played a crucial role as Global Buying and Merchandising Director facilitating 6 years of hypergrowth. Helen continued her career journey by transitioning to Hobbs and later Whistles, where she served as Commercial, Brand and Managing Director. Collaborating with Ben Barnett, Helen successfully transitioned Whistles to TFG ownership, executed a successful business turnaround, expanded Whistles' appeal to a wider customer demographic and introduced an agenda for sustainable change.