Our judging panel is made up of independent experts with significant industry experience as lead judges who are supported by a panel of operational Contact Centre Experts as support judges.
Get to Know the Judges
Head Judge
Sarah Hunt
Head Judge
Sarah enjoyed over 25 years working in the contact centre industry. During that time she has worked in leadership roles across Retail, Banking, Insurance, Funeral care and Outsourced Operations. She has worked in operational roles as well as change roles in business and customer transformation projects – but her real passion is working with people and helping them to develop skills and knowledge that make our industry a great place to work.
Sarah Hunt
Head Judge
Sarah enjoyed over 25 years working in the contact centre industry. During that time she has worked in leadership roles across Retail, Banking, Insurance, Funeral care and Outsourced Operations. She has worked in operational roles as well as change roles in business and customer transformation projects – but her real passion is working with people and helping them to develop skills and knowledge that make our industry a great place to work.
Her role as Membership Director at the CCMA and Lead Judge for the UK National Contact Centre and the European Contact Centre and Customer Service awards (ECCCSA) enabled her to draw on years of experience to support Contact Centre members, suppliers and sponsors share best practice and help to raise the standards across the industry.
Lead Category Judges
Julie Mordue
Head of Marketing & Partnerships NRG & Greenbean
Julie is a well-respected figure in the UK contact centre industry, having judged for various awards programmes over the years.
Becky Wardlow
Global CS Training Team Lead JustEat Takeaway.com
With over a decade of contact centre experience, Becky leads a diverse, eight-country team, driving learning initiatives to enhance customer service.
Dan Britton
Associate Director of Operations, NHS BSA
Dan has been in the customer service and contact centre industry for over 18 years in a variety of roles, including Frontline Agent, Team Manager and Head of Contact Centre.
Nicola Simpson
Senior Customer Relations Manager, Student Loan Company
Nicola is an experienced senior leader who is passionate about the recognition and development of others and comes with 20 years’ experience working in a large contact centre for a major high street bank.
Garry Gormley
CEO & Founder of the Fab
Garry is an experienced Contact centre professional with nearly 20 years in the Contact centre industry, having spent a lot of time in the operation he understands the dynamics and moving parts of the contact centre and what impacts customer experience first hand.
JULIE MORDUE
Head of Marketing & Partnerships
NRG & Greenbean
Julie is a well-respected figure in the UK contact centre industry, having judged for various awards programmes over the years. Her expertise and deep knowledge in the sector have enabled her to build authentic and strong relationships at all levels and facilitate contact centre networking and best practice activities that support the continued professional development of those working in the sector.
Julie leads a team of experts to create and deliver highly effective recruitment marketing campaigns for contact centre clients and promote the industry as a career of choice.
n addition to her infectious enthusiasm for the contact centre industry, she is also hugely passionate about promoting equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging (EDI&B). She is a strong advocate for creating inclusive workplaces where everyone can thrive.
Outside of her role at work, Julie has a busy personal life, and she recently became a Glam-ma and is incredibly proud of her new title. Julie’s hilarious tales of navigating the challenges of modern grandparenting with her signature lack of filter never fail to entertain!
Becky Wardlow
Justeat Takeaway.com
With over a decade of contact centre experience, Becky leads a diverse, eight-country team, driving learning initiatives to enhance customer service.
Her work is centred on advisor empowerment and experience to align with the company’s strategic goals. Her team do this by creating a consistent, high-quality learning journey for all advisors, support roles and BPO teams across more than 12 markets to contribute to JET’s growth.
I am so proud of my team for winning Support Team of the Year in 2023. As a first-time entrant, the experience was second to none. We were especially impressed by how welcoming and kind the judges were throughout the process.
In 2024, it was an honor to be asked to serve as a judge. Hearing about all the impressive work happening in contact centers so close to home was incredible, and I’m proud to be part of the process. I know how nerve-wracking the experience can be, and having been in those shoes myself, I’m passionate about ensuring every entrant feels as welcome and supported as my team did.
DAN BRITTON
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS
NHS BSA
Dan has been in the customer service and contact centre industry for over 18 years in a variety of roles, including frontline agent and Team Manager before working through various senior leadership roles including Head of Contact Centre and Head of Customer Operations for the NHSBSA before being successful recently in the Associate Director of Operations position.
Dan has held a judging position for CCA Global for 5 years and NECCA for the last 2 years, joining the Senior Judging Team in 2022. Since 2020 his team have won 15 regional, national and European customer service and contact centre awards including European Contact Centre of the Year gold in 2020, UK National Contact Centre of the Year Silver in 2021 and NECCA Large Contact Centre of the Year in 2021. Outside of work he is a qualified FA Coach for kids football and manages his son’s U9 team in the county RFYL league.
NICOLA SIMPSON
SENIOR CUSTOMER RELATIONS MANAGER
Students Loan Company
Nicola is an experienced Senior Leader who is passionate about the development and recognition of others and comes with 20 years experience, working in a large contact centre for a major high street bank.
A previous winner in these prestigious awards as both a nominee and also as an author for the North East Contact Centre of the Year Award, Large Contact Centre of the year for 3 successive years she understands what these awards mean to the people, their organisation and their community.
Garry Gormley
CEO & Founder of
The Fab
Having spent most of his working career in the contact centres industry, supporting and leading the delivery of key projects around, Quality Assurance, regulatory change, Sales transformation and people development, Garry took this experience and set up FAB Solutions and more recently grown the proposition to include FAB outsourced Solutions
As a contact centre Enthusiast Garry has featured on many Podcasts and speaker events evangelising about how operational leaders need help to spin all the plates they have to manage, to this end he also hosts his own thought leadership events through The Contact Centre Network a regular monthly event which brings the contact centre community together to tackle some of the key issues and topics impact operational leaders.
Helen Wilson
Chief Operating Officer, Atom Bank
Helen has over 29 years in Financial Services, predominantly in operational roles and contact centres at Northern Rock, and also for Deloitte.
Neil Ackinclose
Director of Operations, Firstsource Solutions
With over 20 years experience in sales, customer service and operational excellence, Neil has contact centres spanning across England, Wales and Northern Ireland
Nichola Hall
Customer Success Director, Arctic Wolf
Nichola has worked in contact centres for over 25 years, starting as a sales adviser progressing her career all the way up to her current role as a Customer Success Director for Arctic Wolf.
Stuart Overend
Head of Customer Support and Operational Transformation, Shawbrook
Stuart has nearly 30 years’ experience in customer services, much of this working across multiple positions in contact centres and operations in the North East.
Chris Rainsforth
Director, The Forum
Chris is an award‑winning contact centre leader who’s been in the game for over 25 years, working everywhere from the frontline to the boardroom
HELEN WILSON
CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER
Atom Bank
Helen has over 29 years in Financial Services, predominantly in operational roles and contact centres at Northern Rock, and also for Deloitte.
She joined Atom Bank, as a start up, in August 2014 as Head of Customer Service where she built and led the contact centre and front office operational capability. Atom Bank developed a reputation for outstanding customer service, winning awards at the NECCA’s, and also winning the Best Small Customer Service Team in Europe at the ECCCSA’s in 2019. She has been involved in judging in both the NECCA’s and the ECCCSA’s for several years so has a great understanding of what is needed to be an award winning contact centre.
NEIL ACKINCLOSE
DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS
Firstsource Solutions
With over 20 years experience in sales, customer service and operational excellence, Neil has contact centres spanning across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. With a passion for delivering operational performance excellence through developing others to achieve outstanding results.
Neil has a wealth of experience in the Contact Centre industry, leading a number of operations within the financial services and education sectors, both B2B and B2C. With a strong belief that people are key to the success of any operation, Neil focuses his teams on developing others to reach their personal goals, delivering outstanding customer service and business growth.
Neil has been a judge with the NECCA Team for 3 years and has previously won Contact Centre of the Year before joining the judging panel and therefore is well versed on what a differentiates a winner!
NICHOLA HALL
CUSTOMER SUCCESS DIRECTOR Arctic Wolf
Nichola has worked in contact centres for over 25 years, starting as a sales adviser progressing her career all the way to her current role as a Customer Success Director for Arctic Wolf, a US based cyber security company who have chosen Newcastle as their EMEA HQ.
Nichola won the NECCA Inspirational Leader award in 2020, as well as having several teams as finalists and past winners, so she not only has experience of how it feels to go through the process, but also has a great understanding of the robust judging process, having been a support judge for NECCA in 2021.
STUART OVEREND
HEAD OF CUSTOMER SERVICE AND OPERATIONAL SUPPORT
Shawbrook Bank
Stuart has nearly 30 years’ experience in customer services, much of this working across multiple positions in contact centres and operations in the North East. Stuart has held several senior leadership positions within contact centres and operations across the UK and Globally, specialising in the Financial Services and Outsourcing sectors. This will be Stuarts sixth year as a NECCA judge, and third as a Lead Judge, so knows what we are looking for from our winners!
Stuart is someone who is deeply passionate about the delivery of great customer service, and is inspired by the talent we have within the North East across all aspects of the Contact Centre world. In his own words ‘With every nomination I read, business or function I meet, I still learn something new. For that, I thank you all. Keep pushing the boundaries and improving service excellence!’
CHRIS RAINSFORTH
DIRECTOR
The Forum
Chris is an award‑winning contact centre leader who’s been in the game for over 25 years, working everywhere from the frontline to the boardroom.
He’s passionate about making life better for both customers and the people who serve them, and has helped organisations around the world raise their game. As Director at The Forum, Chris works with a vibrant community of professionals to share ideas, swap best practice, and build skills in Resource Planning, Insight, Quality and Customer Experience.
Whether he’s on stage inspiring an audience or judging industry awards, Chris brings energy, straight‑talking insights, and a genuine love for seeing people and businesses thrive.
Sharon Oley
Customer Service Director, Sage
Sharon 27 years of experience in contact centres, I started my career working in insurance in a telesales role, moving into Resource Planning roles, Senior Operational roles leading frontline support teams, recruitment and onboarding, early careers with apprentices and coaching. I then progressed into my current role as a Director of Customer Services.
Andy Preacher
Corporate Affairs Director AND-E
With a senior HR career spanning nearly 20 years within the retail, financial services and media sectors, Andy has taken his experience.
Sharon Oley
Customer Service Director
Sage
27 years of experience in contact centres, I started my career working in insurance in a telesales role, moving into Resource Planning roles, Senior Operational roles leading frontline support teams, recruitment and onboarding, early careers with apprentices and coaching. I then progressed into my current role as a Director of Customer Services.
My teams have been shortlisted as finalists and won the gold award at the NECCA’s for Contact Centre of the Year (large) in 2020. Silver winners at the NCCA awards for Contact Centre of the year in 2021. Highly recommended award for the Contact Centre of the Year in 2022 at the NECCA’s. We won silver awards in 2021 and in 2022 at the ECCCSA for Innovative Customer Service partnering with Limitless and Customer Experience re-design. We won a further gold award in 2022 at NCCA for Digital Team of the Year.
We certainly know how it feels to be on the other side of the judging, I understand just how important winning awards is to our people, so I am looking forward to being part of the judging panel at the NECCA’s in 2023.
Andy Preacher
Aioi Nissay Dowa UK
With a senior HR career spanning nearly 20 years within the retail, financial services and media sectors, Andy has taken his experience of culture change, organisational psychology and creative collaboration to change direction – recently entering the world of communication and public relations as the Director of Corporate Affairs and Public Relations EAR for Aioi Nissay Dowa Europe (AND-E).
As a firm believer in the power of people and storytelling, Andy’s motivation is to inspire pride, purpose and belonging by building connections that are a catalyst for progress, and to search out the best ways to help AND-E leave the world a better place.
A passionate advocate for change and growth, he is also a CIPD Mentor, Executive Coach, Chartered Fellow of the CIPD and keenly involved as a Trustee for the North East based charity, Coping With Cancer and as a kids football coach.
THE JUDGING TIMETABLE
JUDGING CRITERIA
Our judges will be looking to make an assessment of each nomination based on the category criteria, available in our ‘NECCA 2025 Categories & Criteria’ document.