Meet the expert panel judging the Marie Claire Sustainability Awards 2023

The time has come for us to introduce our incredible panel of Sustainability Awards judges. Ready to learn which leading experts will be judging our third annual awards?

Here at Marie Claire UK, we're proud to celebrate the leading brands, organisations and products championing sustainability and doing their bit for the planet. Sustainability has long been at the core of what we do. From advising you on the best sustainable fashion brands to sharing simple sustainable living tips, we're always encouraging you, our readers, to take the small steps necessary to build a better tomorrow.

We even won a British Society of Magazine Editors award last year for our dedication to the planet. 

But back to the judging panel, comprised of over 50 of the leading experts in the sustainability sphere. Alongside the Marie Claire UK Editors, plant-based chefs, B Corp business owners and eco-charity CEOs will all be looking over your entry (no pressure). 

Sustainable living has never been more important, and as the latest IPCC report showed, it's time to act - before it's too late.

Keep scrolling to find out more about all the highly qualified experts that will be judging this year's Marie Claire UK Sustainability Awards.

(Brand making a difference? There's still time to enter here).

Meet the judges for the 2023 Marie Claire Sustainability Awards

Andrea Thompson

Editor-in-Chief, Marie Claire UK

Andrea Thompson is Editor in Chief at Marie Claire UK, which has a combined audience of over 7 million women a month across its channels. She has overseen the brand’s journey to a digital-first publication since 2019 and was recently named by We Are The City as one of the UK's top 100 trailblazers for her work highlighting the impact of Covid on gender equality.

Andrea has worked as a journalist for a range of publications over her 20 year career including The Sunday Times, The Guardian, The Daily Mail, Channel 4, Glamour and Grazia and currently sits on the committee of The British Society of Magazine Editors where she looks after Diversity and Inclusion.

At Marie Claire, Andrea oversees content, brand partnerships and campaigns and regularly speaks at events on topics such as sustainability, women's empowerment and diversity. She is passionate about telling the stories of those often marginalised by the mainstream media and oversaw a feature for the title about rape in the Congo that won the title an Amnesty Media Award.

Ally Head

Health, Sustainability & Relationships Editor, Marie Claire UK

Ally is a leading editor with over five years of industry experience and has worked for the likes of Women's Health, Stylist, Glamour, Grazia, Cosmopolitan, Refinery 29 and more. Day-to-day she writes news and features, advises on campaigns, SEO, and social strategy, and is always first to volunteer to sweat-test the newest fitness trend or share a measured, expert-led take on current sustainability topics. She’s also a keen presenter, hosting her Decoded Instagram live franchise with some of the biggest names in wellness. 

She is always the first to know of the best b-corp brands and can spot greenwashing almost instantly. Her career highlights? Winning the ‘Spirit of Hearst’ award while working at Women’s Health, and being asked to re-visit City University each year to give insight to current postgrads.

Abbie Synan

Freelance writer, sustainable travel blogger & Editorial Co-Director for Impact Travel Social Club

Abbie began her travel career in 2010 with a personal blog, which over the years evolved to a full-fledged career as a sustainable writer. Abbie has spent the last decade prioritising slow travel and writing for numerous publications. Passionate about creating discourse around ethical tourism practices through education, Abbie is a sustainable travel expert for Wanderful, a global travel community.

In addition to her writing, Abbie is the Editorial Co-Director for Impact Travel Social Club, a nonprofit collective which encourages travellers to explore the world while making a more positive impact. She is committed to showing that more mindful travel practices can be incorporated into all types of travel and prioritising people, place and planet is the future of tourism.

Aditi Mayer

Climate Activist, Photojournalist & Sustainable Fashion Thought Leader

Aditi Mayer is a visual storyteller, sustainability activist, and frequent speaker on topics of social and environmental justice. Her work explores the intersections of style, sustainability, and social justice. She has become a voice in the larger sustainability movement, approaching her work from multiple domains: from grassroots organizing in Downtown LA’s garment district to educating folks on the importance of diverse perspectives. 

In 2020, Aditi was named a Fulbright x National Geographic Digital Storytelling Fellow and spent 2022 in India documenting the intersections of agriculture and artisan culture in relation to fashion. Her work has been celebrated in the likes of Vogue, National Geographic, The UN, The Guardian, Harper's Bazaar, ELLE, and more.

Amarjit Sahota

Founder & President, Ecovia Intelligence

Amarjit is the founder of Ecovia Intelligence, a London-based research & consulting firm that has been encouraging sustainable development since its formation in 2001. 

He is an expert on global sustainable product industries. For almost 30 years, Amarjit has been undertaking research, analysis and consulting on natural cosmetics, organic foods, and sustainable products. So he certainly knows a sustainable winner when he sees one. 

Amy Bourbeau

Co-founder & Chief Impact Officer, Seismic

Amy Bourbeau is the co-founder and Chief Impact Officer at Seismic, a sustainability advisory that helps businesses to change society and fix our planet by being a force for good. Amy specialises in B Corp and how its framework can help organisations improve their impact and meet the high standards required for certification. 

She started working as the UK’s first B Corp Consultant in 2015, and has been committed to helping the movement grow ever since. Amy has supported hundreds of organisations on their sustainability journeys, with clients including innocent drinks, Avon, Lily’s Kitchen, Gousto, The White Company, Finistere and PZ Cussons.

Alex Layton

Brand strategy consultant & writer

Alex has 15 years of extensive experience in the wine industry, starting his journey in retail at Majestic Wine. Throughout his career, he has successfully spearheaded marketing and communications campaigns for renowned global wine brands and wine regions. Most recently, he was Head of Marketing at Decanter, where he oversaw all aspects of the brand, including the highly esteemed Decanter World Wine Awards and the global events programme.

Driven by a deep commitment to true sustainability in the industry, Alex currently lends his expertise as a brand strategy consultant to drinks brands. Recognising the significant work that still lies ahead, he passionately advocates for true sustainability within the wine industry. Alex's pursuit of knowledge led him to pursue a Senior Leader MBA at the University of Exeter, focusing his work on sustainability, diversity, and inclusion across the global wine industry.

Alexandra Dawe

Director, Corporate Affairs at the Rainforest Alliance

As Director, Corporate Affairs, Alexandra leads a global team that is responsible for the Rainforest Alliance’s external and international communications, media relations, and corporate reputation management. She brings over 20 years of experience in journalism, and as a strategic communications advisor and trainer of CSOs, NGOs and companies. She has devoted her career to social and environmental transformation towards a sustainable world. Alexandra also serves as the Vice Chair of Bank Track Board, sits on the Advisory board of the Profundo Foundation, and is a member of the Advisory Council Social Sciences at the University of Amsterdam. Alexandra earned her post graduate in Journalism from the University of the Arts London, and a Masters in International Relations at the University of Amsterdam.

The Rainforest Alliance is an international non-profit organization working in 70 countries to mitigate climate change, protect forests and biodiversity, promote human rights, and improve rural livelihoods. They bring farmers, forest communities, companies, and consumers together to change the way the world produces, sources, and consumes, with an integrated approach involving landscape management, certification, supply chain services, and advocacy. 

Amy Nelson-Bennett

Co-CEO, Positive Luxury

Amy is the Managing Director of Positive Luxury, who provide the luxury industry’s leading independent sustainability certification with The Butterfly Mark, alongside data benchmarking, expert advice, and industry-leading reports. Born and educated in the USA, Amy brings 25 years of global experience to Positive Luxury across Brand Strategy, Marketing Communications and Business Transformation gained across media, retail and luxury goods - most recently as CEO of Molton Brown and then the Clive Christian Group.

By championing the alignment of the core principles of luxury and sustainability, she aims to accelerate the actions of the luxury industry and the positive impact they can make as a collective to shape a better society.

Amy Tsang

Acting Head of Europe, The Mills Fabrica

Amy Tsang manages The Mills Fabrica’s UK business and operations, supporting innovators across the textiles/apparel and agrifood tech industries, and building impactful partnerships while growing their community of brands, corporates, VCs, academic institutions and NGOs. Amy also oversees the company’s co-working space in London and curates flagship industry events gathering key ecosystem players and shining the spotlight on startups’ ground-breaking innovations.

Having been with The Mills Fabrica for over 5 years, Amy started out as one of the key members in the Hong Kong founding team. Since 2019, she helped expand the business to the UK by setting up the operations, growing the team and network to drive innovations and support the industry in Europe.

Amy Powney

Creative Director, Mother of Pearl

Amy Powney is a UK-based fashion designer living in London. In 2002, Amy left her home in the north of the county to study Fashion Design at Kingston University. On completing her degree she started working at Mother of Pearl in 2006 as an assistant who swept the cutting room floor. She is now co-owner of the Mother of Pearl business.

In 2017 she won the BFC / Vogue Designer Fashion Fund which enabled her to launch No Frills in 2018. A core collection made from organic and natural materials, with a transparent supply chain, putting social responsibility, respect to animals and low-environmental impact first and foremost. The development of this collection and Amy’s trailblazing mission to create a sustainable collection from field to finished garment and transform the way we engage with fashion forms the subject of Fashion Reimagined, an award-nominated independent documentary released in cinemas and across streaming services globally in 2023.

Everything Amy learnt in creating the No Frills collection is now applied across the entire Mother of Pearl brand making it the most traceable and transparent label in the UK. Amy’s sustainable collections have been shown at London Fashion Week and Copenhagen Fashion Week and are stocked by prestigious global retailers including Net-a-Porter, Harrods, Neiman Marcus and Goop. Through Mother of Pearl, Amy has also embarked on a number of collaborations. To celebrate the 10th anniversary of The Campaign for Wool, Amy was asked by his then Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, now King Charles III, to design a limited edition wool scarf to showcase the sustainable benefits of wool.

Annick Ireland

Founder & CEO, Immaculate Vegan

Annick founded premium vegan fashion marketplace Immaculate Vegan in 2019, after becoming vegan and searching far and wide for style-led ethical & sustainable fashion options. Immaculate Vegan's mission is to make an ethical lifestyle beautifully simple, and they do the hard work of identifying the most ethical, sustainable and beautiful options available, offering 3000+ products from 100+ brands, across Shoes, Bags, Accessories, Clothing, Beauty & Homeware.

She has also worked as a Marketing & Strategy consultant, helping SMEs build their marketing, content and commercial functions. She has spoken at many events and on BBC News, as a spokesperson for vegan and sustainable fashion.

Barbeline Lusandu

Creative Director, Barbeline London

Barbeline is the print designer of Barbeline London. Back in 2014 she started making eco-friendly wallpaper and organic home accessories, which quickly grew to slow fashion, sports and casual wear. She has been using recycled materials to make clothing and accessories, and has now also expanded her brand to Africa. 

She is currently teaching communities in Congo Kinshasa and Lubumbashi  about organic and sustainable lifestyles, which she tells us is such a grace and people are so willing to learn. She teaches the importance of recycling clothing, plastics and other materials.

Bettina Campolucci Bordi

Director, Bettina's Kitchen

Bettina is a Plant Based and Sustainable Chef and author of three successful cookbooks. She is also the Founder of Bettina´s Kitchen and Bettina´s Kitchen Academy where she shares plant-based recipes and teaches others how to become a plant based chef. Bettina also hosts a weekly What The Focaccia podcast talking everything food and how to make more sustainable food choices. 

Bryna Chrsmas

Founder & CEO, Ran By Nature

Dr Bryna Chrismas is an Associate Professor in Exercise Science. Her research focuses on the impact of the climate on health and exercise performance in women. She is also the founder and CEO of Ran By Nature, activewear made in the UK which is both sustainable and inclusive. Ran By Nature is more than clothing – it’s activism. Bryna is passionate about breaking down clothing barriers and gender stereotypes in sports and exercise.

Caroline Rush CBE

Chief Executive, British Fashion Council

Caroline Rush CBE is the Chief Executive of the British Fashion Council (BFC). Since her appointment in April 2009, Rush has focused on strengthening the BFC’s network and platforms to connect businesses with global audiences, both trade and consumer. During this time London Fashion Week has become a globally recognised platform for creative and innovative fashion talent. London Fashion Week Men’s was launched in 2012 and more recently due to the global pandemic London Fashion Week merged womenswear and menswear and pivoted to a digital-first event. The Fashion Awards has become the global award ceremony for the fashion industry and raised millions for the BFC Foundation and its charitable projects. 

In 2020, Rush spearheaded the launch of The Institute of Positive Fashion as an engine room for change, galvanising the industry to address how it can more positively impact the environment, the people and communities. As part of this work, Rush and the BFC launched the first ever Diversity & Inclusion Steering Committee made up of industry representatives to address key challenges facing minority communities in gaining fair representation within the fashion industry.

Rush is Chair of the UK’s Creative Industry Trade and Investment Board and is also the co-founder of LOCA, a digital platform and global community that allows brands and talent to connect and collaborate more efficiently. Rush is a member of the Conde Nast College Advisory Council and is also Chair of the Advisory Board of Everywoman.

Charity Wakefield

Actress and Producer

Charity Wakefield is an Actress and Producer best known for her role as ‘Georgina Dymova’ in The Great. She's also known for playing ‘Marianne Dashwood’ in the BBC adaptation of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility, and the BAFTA-winning Wolf Hall. 

She made history as the first woman to play Shakespeare at The Globe in an all-female production of Emilia. When it comes to sustainability, Charity is hugely passionate about environmental issues and is an ambassador for The Woodland Trust, the UK's largest woodland conservation charity.

Charlotte Keesing

Director, Walpole

Charlotte Keesing is a Director at Walpole, the UK's association of British luxury brands. With 15 years of experience in the UK luxury sector, she leads Walpole's international work, corporate affairs and partnerships. Most recently she led Walpole's sustainability strategy and the creation of Walpole British Luxury Sustainability Manifesto.

Charlotte Horler

Founder, Nula; Pathway Lead, WONDR

Charlotte is passionate about the role of behaviour change and imagination in shifting the emphasis from sustainable intention to action. As the founder of Nula, a sustainability engagement agency, she works with teams to help them measure employee engagement in sustainability as well as knowledge levels and confidence in that knowledge to create bespoke action plans.

In addition to Nula, Charlotte is the Pathway Lead at WONDR, a social learning platform for impact founders. At WONDR Charlotte is working to connect these entrepreneurs to sustainable experts and mentors to help accelerate their businesses.

Dave Coleman

Co-founder & Managing Director, The Carbon Literacy Project

After a career in business, IT, and management training and consultancy, Dave co-founded and is now Managing Director of the award-winning, low-carbon culture-change charity The Carbon Literacy Project.

After graduating with a degree in Biochemistry, Dave began his career with accountants Deloitte, spent 12 years at an award-winning UK IT company, then founded and spent ten years as a management trainer and coach in his own practice in the commercial sector. As a former trustee and non-executive director of Friends of the Earth in the UK, in 2011 he co-funded and now leads low-carbon culture-change charity The Carbon Literacy Project, and speaks and advocates on climate change issues.

Ele Ward

CMO, Ctrl Alt & Sustainability Expert

Ele Ward is passionate about the role of tech in providing pragmatic solutions to create meaningful change for both people and the planet. Currently CMO of alternative investing platform Ctrl Alt, Ele is focused on bringing exciting sustainability investment opportunities and more to the platform.

Prior to Ctrl Alt, she headed up marketing at leading sustainability solutions provider Cogo and has consulted with numerous climate startups from fashion to carbon tracking.

Emma Slade Edmondson

Sustainability & Behaviour Change Consultant, ESE Consultancy

Emma Slade Edmondson is a Sustainability and Behaviour Change Consultant, Writer and Host. She writes on sustainability and fashion, 'race', Identity and social justice.

Emma has worked with some of the UK’s biggest brands and charities and is the brain behind many of the campaigns that have brought second-hand fashion into the public consciousness. These include Charity Fashion Live, the first show to bring charity shop fashion to LFW - recreating London Fashion Week looks in real-time, using charity shop clothing to highlight the relevance and value of existing textiles. Plus Love Not Landfill, a space created to facilitate 16-24-year-olds consuming fashion more consciously.

A thought leader working across circular fashion and retail, sustainability, marketing and branding, Emma founded ESE Consultancy, a creative strategic marketing agency working to elevate brands, initiatives and organisations who are purpose-driven towards social and environmental good.

Due to her combination of knowledge around the conscious consumer and the inner workings of business driven by ethics and A TEDx Speaker, Emma has been named a Forbes 100 Environmentalist.

Erin Baker

Editorial Director, Auto Trader

Erin is an award-winning motoring journalist and broadcaster. She is currently the editorial director of Auto Trader and covers all things cars for Marie Claire and Vogue. She specialises in the relationship between the female consumer and the automotive industry. Most recently working with Marie Claire's Sustainability Editor Ally Head, on why women are less likely to buy an electric car. 

Eshita Kabra-Davies

Founder, By Rotation

Passionate about changing the way we consume fashion, Eshita Kabra-Davies founded By Rotation, a peer-to-peer social rental app in 2019. Now with over 200,000 users from all over the UK, By Rotation is enabling fashion lovers to lend and rent out other people’s wardrobes, helping save money and the planet at the same time. It's a win-win. It's one of our favourite places to find an online rental dress.

Georgina Wilson-Powell

Sustainable living author, journalist & speaker

A consumer focused sustainability expert, entrepreneur and author with 20 years in the media industry, overseeing global brands’ titles and launching her own media businesses. Georgina is on a mission to make sustainable choices the norm for humans at every level.

She founded pebble, the UK’s leading sustainable living magazine, launched her own eco festival and created a purpose lead online community between 2016-2022 and now is focusing on consultancy, speaking and her own books. The author of 365 Ways To Save The Planet and Is it Really Green? Eco Dilemmas Answered, Georgina sure knows her stuff when it comes to judging sustainability. 

Giles Gibbons

Founder, Good Business

Giles founded Good Business 25 years ago. He advises brands, start-ups, foundations, voluntary organisations and social enterprises on strategy, purpose and reputation. He’s worked with organisations as diverse as The Coca-Cola Company, UNICEF, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Aesop and WWF, making sure that they keep up with the changing times, and move with the tide rather than against it. He also chairs the Sustainable Restaurant Association, the restaurant world’s Michelin stars for sustainability; he chairs the Paraorchestra, an elite disabled orchestra; and Shift, A service design agency for the charity sector and Talking Taboos, a charity focused on raising issues hidden by society.

Hannah Reiss

Head of Communications, B Lab UK

Hannah is Head of Communications at B Lab UK, the home of the B Corporation Movement in the UK. B Lab supports a growing community of companies that are using business as a force for good. Before joining B Lab, Hannah worked in the fashion industry as a stylist and consultant, working with individuals and organisations to promote and progress the sustainable fashion agenda.

Hannah Cox

Founder, The Better Business Network

Hannah runs betternotstop, a sustainable impact agency planning to change the world by helping other purpose-driven businesses to create clear sustainability strategies, Using B Corp certification and Global Reporting Standards to create Impact Strategies. Hannah also helped create  the Carbon Literacy for Professionals course for the Carbon Literacy Project. 

As well as being the Founder of The Better Business Network. It is the only purpose-led business community that is focused on helping connect ethical businesses together and increase their positive social and environmental impact. They have access to events, tools, resources and workshops to help them on their journey to having a greater positive impact.

Harriet Vocking

CEO, Eco-Age

Harriet Vocking, CEO of Eco-age, an integrated strategy consultancy creating systemic solutions in line with science, in harmony with nature and in solidarity with human rights. Harriet, formerly Chief Strategy Officer has been integral to the success and growth of Eco-age over the last 10 years. Harriet has extensive experience in developing and delivering brand communication strategies for global businesses. 

A leader in her field, she helps address the sustainability and ESG issues and opportunities that companies face today with strategic corporate and creative communications, developing global communications or reporting programmes that drive genuine change.

Hasna Kourda

Founder & CEO, Save Your Wardrobe

Hasna Kourda is the CEO and co-founder of Save Your Wardrobe, a circular platform that offers users access to a curated eco-system of on-demand aftercare services, including alterations, repairs, eco-cleaning, customisation and up-cycling, thereby extending the life of garments. Its user-facing app uses artificial intelligence to allow garments to be easily scanned, identified and stored in users’ virtual wardrobes, which helps reduce unnecessary repeat purchases.

Kourda was born and raised in Tunisia with strong values of circularity and zero waste. After witnessing how people in the UK are disconnected from the clothes in their wardrobes and the resulting waste driven by such behaviour, Kourda’s idea for Save Your Wardrobe was born. Save Your Wardrobe’s B2B arm supports brands in reaching sustainability and circularity targets through a personalised standalone platform offering an ecosystem of aftercare services. The digitally enabled aftercare solution also grants unprecedented visibility on the full spectrum of consumer behaviours, interactions and wardrobe composition.

Ilona Alcock

Director, Elevate

Ilona is the co-founder of Elevate, the world’s first Carbon Literate business development organisation. With a passion for sustainability, she sits on the Greater Manchester Green City Comms Board, is a trustee of animal welfare charity Feathers Together and is running the first Northern Sustainability Summit.

Through Elevate, Ilona runs a variety of corporate events, from roundtables to large conferences and delivers public speaking and leadership training, facilitates introductions between businesses and has trained over 600 people in Carbon Literacy. Elevate is behind the Northern Gamechangers awards celebrating good business champions from all sectors and has recently launched Elevate The Conversation to identify and promote diverse speakers.

Ingrid Newkirk

Founder, PETA

Ingrid Newkirk is the founder of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) a globally recognised organisation known for its dedication to establishing and protecting the rights of all animals to live free from oppression and abuse.

Since founding PETA, Newkirk has grown the organisation into the world’s largest animal rights group. Her passion for making the world a better place has seen her speak internationally on animal rights issues and pen over ten books on animal care and how small actions can make a difference.  

Jenny Proudfoot

Features Editor, Marie Claire UK

Jenny is an award-winning journalist, specialising in lifestyle, entertainment, feminism, careers and politics. Jenny started at Marie Claire seven years ago as an intern and has since risen to Features Editor. 

She is now the most published Marie Claire UK writer of all time, having personally written 10% of all articles in the website's 22-year history. She was announced a a 30 under 30 award-winner in 2021 and named a rising star in journalism by the Professional Publishers Association.

Jo Swift

Managing Director, Greenhouse Communications

Jo Smith is an experienced agency leader in the communications industry, driving forward the sustainability agenda. The Managing Director for the thriving, mission-led team at Greenhouse Communications in London and Bristol, working on campaigns with environmental and social change at their heart for government, business, NGOs and youth organisations.

Swift's areas of expertise include narrative and messaging, behaviour change, communications strategy, creative campaign development, integrated marketing, media and stakeholder relations, team structure and organisational design.

TAs a trusted advisor to national and global business figures. Swift is proud to be selected to be part of the Reclaiming Agency 2020 cohort, a leadership programme from Purpose Disruptors creating positive change in the marketing industry.

Josephine Watson

Managing Editor - Lifestyle, Tech Radar

Josephine Watson is TechRadar's Managing Editor and also oversees the Lifestyle vertical/ Josephine has previously written on a variety of topics, from pop culture to gaming and even the energy industry, joining TechRadar to support general site management.

Sustainability has always been a point of interest for Josephine, especially after her time working adjacent to the energy industry, with a focus on energy transformation. Now, she hopes to see the consumer technology industry transform to be more sustainable and eco-friendly.

Josephine Philips

Founder & CEO, SOJO

Josephine Philips is the founder & CEO of SOJO, a startup re-inventing the clothing repair and tailoring industry. Having launched the UK’s first clothing alterations and repairs app in 2021, SOJO has gone on to raise $2.4m in funding and now works with eCom fashion brands, such as GANNI, to help them reduce returns and increase circularity through an integrated and scalable repair & alteration service.

Kate Hinton

External Relations Lead, Material Focus

Kate Hinton is an award-winning Public Affairs and PR consultant. She is the External Relations lead for Material Focus who most recently raised the issue of disposable vapes and their environmental impact. This is alongside their work on addressing the fastest-growing waste stream – electrical waste. Kate has also led on the award-winning PR for Clean Air Day. 

Starting out as a journalist she has spent the bulk of her career in senior communication roles across a variety of organisations including the Environment Agency, Energy Saving Trust, Greenergy and London First. As a consultant she has a number of clients including managing the public affairs work for Zipcar. And in her spare time she has worked on a number of local projects including: traffic calming campaigns; Chair of Resources for a Children’s Centre; and organises her local annual street party. Prior to this she was a Trustee at Global Action Plan.

Katie Tillard Sharp

Head of Development, Seismic

Katie is the Head of Development at Seismic, a sustainability advisory that helps businesses to change society and fix our planet by being a force for good. Her career began in the beauty cosmetics industry, where she worked with more than 500 beauty brands over a 12-year period. 

In 2020 she became a B Leader - her sole focus now is to support brands and businesses transition to become a force for good. Katie has supported a number of organisations on their sustainability journeys, with clients including Walgreens Boots Alliance, Estée Lauder Companies, LVMH, L'Oreal, Elemis, L'Occitane, Soho House, The White Company, Bamford, Pai Skincare, Neom and Aromatherapy Associates.

Layla Sargent

Founder & CEO, The Seam

Care & repair platform The Seam was founded in 2020 by Layla Sargent in honour of her grandmother, Patricia, a skilled dressmaker for over 60 years who had tailored all of Layla’s clothes when growing up. Layla’s frustration with finding a local tailor after moving to London led her to create The Seam.

The Seam was recently announced as the winner of eBay’s first circular fashion innovator’s fund and secured a partnership with the YNAP Group as its official care and repair partner. Layla believes that keeping clothes in use for longer is crucial in reducing waste and lowering emissions in the fashion industry. The Seam’s mission is to promote a more sustainable and responsible approach to fashion by encouraging people to own and wear their clothes for longer.

Lena Staafgard

Chief Operating Officer, Better Cotton

Lena always wanted a career with purpose. As Chief Operating Officer at Better Cotton, Lena loves that she works for an organisation with a single mission and clear focus that directly benefits smallholder cotton farmers around the world. Lena has a background in sustainability and holds degrees in Politics and Geography, and Environment and Development. She is inspired by commitment and by people who follow their values and passions, even if it means taking the road less travelled.

Better Cotton brings together cotton farmer and producer organisations; textile retailers and brands; spinners, mills, gins and other companies in the cotton supply chain; and representatives of civil society, alongside governments and public authorities to help cotton production become sustainable – and so better for the environment, better for the people who depend on it and better for the sector.

Lisa Oxenham

Beauty & Style Director, Marie Claire UK

An award-winning journalist and creative director, Lisa is one of the world's top beauty editors. A well-respected stylist and art director, she shoots with the highest calibre of photographers, make-up artists, hair stylists, influencers and celebrities, creating timeless images and film. With 20 years of editorial experience in beauty, health and wellbeing Lisa is also a popular brand strategist, influencer, entrepreneur and public speaker, most recently talking for Cognition X.

Mandeep Soor

Founder & CEO, Bendi.ai

Mandeep is co-founder of Bendi, which uses ai technology to help textile and apparel companies to monitor environmental and social risks in their supply chains. 

Mandeep has 13 years’ leadership in commercial, consulting and technology startups and £bn+ companies.

Mary Fellowes

Creative director, stylist, editor & sustainability expert

Mary Fellowes is a seasoned professional in the fashion industry - having held prestigious roles such as Vogue Fashion Director and Editor, A-list celebrity stylist and Features Writer. A visionary force within the fashion industry, leveraging her vast experience to create impactful and sustainable change.

Mary made history by launching the first Vogue magazine in a Muslim country and served as the only style editor at The Economist. Her key achievements include dressing Olivia Colman in the first Oscars gown made from sustainable materials, a remarkable collaboration between Prada and Stella McCartney. Mary has also partnered with Livia Firth and Eco-Age, working on editorial projects and the Green Carpet Challenge. Demonstrating her commitment to sustainability, Mary has consulted for The Waterbear Network, the world's first interactive video-on-demand platform dedicated to saving the planet. She further honed her expertise through the Cambridge University CISL program, earning a distinction in Sustainable Business Leadership.

Additionally, Mary Fellowes has demonstrated her expertise beyond the realms of fashion through her diverse ventures. She hosted and executively produced "Sex And Sustainability" for Soho House's The Ned, where she brought together influential figures from the sustainable fashion world. 

Mary has played a pivotal role in driving sustainability initiatives and discussions at a broader level. She spearheaded and moderated an ESG/Fashion Policy workshop in collaboration with the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee, alongside industry leaders from manufacturing, textiles, and fashion. This workshop aimed to address the intersection of environmental, social, and governance factors within the fashion industry. Furthermore, she moderated a seminar on sustainability and technology for 150 leaders from the luxury and fashion sectors, organized by the British Fashion Council. Mary Fellowes consistently showcases her dedication to creating a more sustainable and responsible fashion industry through her various engagements and thought leadership.

Millie Kendall OBE

CEO, British Beauty Council

CEO of the British Beauty Council, retail maven and brand creator, Millie Kendall has been instrumental in the success of cult brands including Shu Uemura, Aveda, Tweezerman, L’Occitane and Ruby & Millie. Having worked with the UK’s leading retailers, Millie has been creating and marketing beauty brands for the past 30 year's. Millie was awarded an MBE in 2007 for her services to the cosmetic industry, and an OBE in 2022 for services to the hair and beauty industry.

Olivia Hill

Head of Sustainability Communications, Seismic

Olivia is Head of Sustainability Communications at Seismic, a sustainability advisory that helps businesses to change society and fix our planet by being a force for good. She has over 20 years of communications experience, specialising in communicating impact with authenticity for consumer goods, retail and B2B companies. Olivia has delivered global B Corp, social value and sustainability communications projects for clients including JDE Peet’s, Danone, Airbus, Ordnance Survey, Duchy Originals, Sipsmith Gin and Woman of the Year. Purpose-driven storytelling sits at the heart of all her communications.

Paige Tracey

Business Development Manager, Beauty, Wellbeing & Textiles, Soil Association Certification

Paige is the Business Development Manager for Non-Food at Soil Association Certification, leading on the communications for the organisation’s Beauty, Wellbeing and Textiles Organic certification schemes. She has been recognised for her strong impact to date in the world of organic and natural cosmetics, being named one of Natural Product News’s “30 under Thirty” finalists and also their 2022 Rising Star in “Who’s Who in Natural Beauty”. 

A regular speaker on important panels with beauty industry experts like Millie Kendall OBE of the British Beauty Council, Paige is always raising the profile of certified organic beauty and wellbeing and the important role it plays in securing a more sustainable future.

Prof. Myriam Sidibe

Chief Mission Officer, Brands on a Mission

Myriam Sidibe is the Chief Mission Officer and Founder of Brands on a Mission, an aspiring B-Corp aiming to get brands to drive impact in health and well-being through their business models. She’s also the woman behind the multi-award winning and UN recognized Global Handwashing Day now celebrated in over 100 countries. 

In addition, Myriam is a research fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School and an honorary Professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. She’s the author of the best-selling book Brands on a Mission: How to Achieve Social Impact and Business Growth through Purpose and her TED talk The Simple Power of Handwashing has been viewed over 1 million times.

Rob Green

COO & Co-founder, COAT Paints

Rob makes up half of the founding team behind luxury eco paint brand COAT, the UK's first and only Carbon Neutral paint company. Rob has a passion for innovation that delivers a more conscious product or service, challenging the norm and setting new industry precedents. Rob’s on a mission to make decorating an enjoyable and environmentally friendly way to create spaces that people love.

Ruby Raut

CEO & Co-Founder, WUKA

Ruby Raut is a Nepalese entrepreneur and co-founder of WUKA, a sustainable period-wear brand with the mission to make periods better. As an environmental scientist, Ruby was inspired to create WUKA after realising the negative environmental impact of disposable menstrual products and her own experience of menstrual inequity growing up in Nepal. Under her leadership, WUKA has grown into a leading brand in the menstrual health category available in over 30 countries, with customers collectively preventing more than 200 million disposables from going to landfill through the sustainable switch to WUKA.

She has been recognised for her work with numerous awards, including the Queen's Award for Sustainability 2022 and the Starling Great British Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2022 for Sustainability and her period underwear designs have gained hundreds of design and lifestyle awards.

Sandra Capponi

Co-founder, Good On You

Sandra Capponi is the co-founder of Good On You, fashion's leading source of sustainability ratings. Since 2015, she's led the team to rate over 5,000 brands for their impact and partner with global retailers–from Microsoft to FARFETCH–to empower millions of consumers to buy better. With years of experience in corporate social responsibility, Sandra has long been concerned with supply chain issues in big business. She started Good On You because she sees a huge potential in using consumer power to drive industry change.

Sara Simmonds

CEO, The Conscious Innovator

Sara has had an illustrious career as an international buyer and pioneer of conscious product innovation. By the age of 25 Sara was a buyer for Harvey Nichols and seeing the waste in what we consume, at the age of 28 Sara became an award-winning impact entrepreneur pioneering the first hand-made sustainable jeans brand Sharkah Chakra winning Grazia Magazine for Impact entrepreneur of the year, and being shortlisted by Walpole emerging luxury brands. After selling the technology behind the denim brand, by 32 Sara was running a £100 Million buying department for UK retailer River Island, enabling the retailer to cut waste whilst doubling their sales through sharing Sara’s “Hero Product” roadmap. 

The success of her method of cutting waste in the corporate world, saw Sara launch the conscious innovator mastermind method for business owners and entrepreneurs who want to skyrocket their profitability, engage the conscious consumer and build impact. In the last 18 months, the conscious innovator roadmap has already helped 50 business owners build over $10 million in additional revenue and positively impact over 15 000 people with jobs and conscious products.

Shannon Lawlor

Acting Senior Beauty Editor, Marie Claire UK

Shannon Lawlor is a renowned beauty journalist and Marie Claire's Acting Senior Beauty Editor. As a leading editorial expert and brand consultant, she has over eight years of experience working for some of the industry’s most esteemed titles, including Who What Wear, Glamour UK, Stylist, Refinery29, and Fabulous. 

Having also worked behind the scenes with some of the industry’s biggest brands and retailers, Shannon has a unique insight into what people really want from their beauty routines. Understanding that beauty lovers seek honest, open and responsible advice, she has it made her mission to demystify the intimidating world of beauty, taking a no-frills approach to the most relatable topics.

Shannon always considers the sustainability credentials of the latest beauty launces, so you will never see her recommending a sheet mask, instead, she is more likely to be finding new brands making refillable beauty products.

Smruti Sriram

CEO, Bags of Ethics & Supreme Creations

Smruti is Chief Executive of Bags of Ethics/Supreme Creations. As a second-generation entrepreneur, her family business has become the go-to supplier to world-class brands and retailers from Selfridges, London Fashion Week, Boots, John Lewis and more. Supreme Creations is an award-winning manufacturer of reusable merchandise and sustainable packaging and has been at the forefront of reducing single-use plastic bags, and packaging for supermarkets, beauty brands, fashion and retail. 

The 100%-owned supply chain starts in Pondicherry, India, in which 80%+ of the workforce are female, and several sustainability initiatives like water treatment, tree planting and conservation. Supreme has received awards from HM King Charles III and is the COP 26 Business Ambassador. Smruti has led many collaboration projects for charity including for British Fashion Council, Fashion Trust Arabia, Queen’s Green Canopy. She is a BBC 100 Women, Veuve Clicquot Young Woman of the Year finalist and a scholar from London Business School and Oxford University.

Sujata Burman

Editor, London Design Festival & London Design Biennale

Sujata Burman is a writer and editor based in London, specialising in design and culture. She was Digital Design Editor at Wallpaper* Magazine before moving to her current role of Editor at the London Design Festival and London Design Biennale where she is expanding the content offering of the showcases. 

Over the past decade, Sujata has written for global design and culture publications, and has been a speaker, moderator and judge for institutions and brands including RIBA, Design Museum and Design Miami. In 2019, she co-authored her first book, An Opinionated Guide to London Architecture, which was driven by her aim to make the fields of design and architecture accessible to wider audiences.

Sunil Makan

Editor, Marie Claire UK

With over 12 years of publishing experience, working on print publications and their digital counterparts, national newspapers and digital pure plays; Sunil is an Editor, Strategist, Content Producer and Art Director that specialises in Fashion, Beauty and Grooming, Lifestyle and Culture.

Tessa Clarke

Co-founder & CEO, Olio

Tessa is Co-Founder & CEO of Olio, an app tackling the climate crisis by solving the problem of waste in the home & local community. Olio does this by connecting people with their local community so they can give, get, buy, sell, lend and borrow pre-loved items, as well as give away surplus food. With over 85,000 trained volunteers who collect unsold food from local businesses and redistribute it to the community via the Olio app. Olio has grown to over 7 million users in 63 countries and its impact has been widely recognised, most notably by the United Nations who highlighted Olio as a "beacon” for the world.

Victoria McKenzie-Gould

Corporate Affairs Director, Marks & Spencer

Victoria McKenzie-Gould has been a part of Marks & Spencer’s leadership team as Corporate Affairs Director since 2019, heading-up Colleague Communications, External Communications, Public Affairs and Sustainability. She is also the Executive Sponsor for Inclusion & Diversity across the business.

Victoria worked for Rt Hon Sir Tony Blair for seven years; initially as a Special Advisor at 10 Downing Street and then as a Senior Advisor after standing down as Prime Minister. Following this, she served as Group Government Affairs Director at Tesco and Corporate Affairs Director at Britvic.

Victoria is also a Non-Executive Director for Allwyn UK and a member of the Advisory Board for her alma mater, University of Liverpool Management School.

Zoe Anastasiou

Fashion Editor, Marie Claire UK

Zoe Anastasiou is a Fashion Editor with over eight years of experience working across digital publications in New York, London and Australia. In her time, she has covered everything from runway to trends, sustainability and celebrity fashion news. She has contributed to publications including Harper’s BAZAAR and ELLE Australia, as well as Vogue Runway, and was the Fashion and Social Media Editor at Who What Wear UK before joining Marie Claire.

Now that is an impressive line-up. They are ready to judge, now all you have to do is enter to achieve their approval, and a Marie Claire Sustainability Award crown (Reminder: there's no actual crown - that would *not* be environmentally friendly). 

You can enter easily via our website here.