Our Judges
Our judges are all independent and will judge all of the applications according to the criteria set out on the categories page. We want this to be as transparent and non-biased as possible. The people we have chosen to be our judges are just that. Non-biased and transparent.
Their word is final.
Dave Mutton
Dave is an accomplished Business Coach and Portfolio Director with over 25 years of
experience in enhancing the growth and success of SMEs in sectors like FinTech, Travel,
Gaming, Healthcare, Mobile, Science, and Education. His deep expertise in business
management and dedication to driving organizations to reach their potential are the
cornerstones of his career.
He excels in developing businesses with groundbreaking and innovative approaches,
having served in numerous executive roles, including spearheading the Business
Development and Marketing team that launched Amazon.co.uk in 1998. His work
primarily involves leveraging digital transformation to forge new business models and
opportunities.
Dave is the Chief Operating Officer at London South East, a premier UK
financial information portal for individual stock market investors. He manages the
operations, marketing, product development, and analytics, and recently introduced a
new digital investor relations service, focusIR.
An active networker, Dave is involved with the BNI City Wall Chapter and the local
Entrepreneurs Circle group. He also mentors a select group of students from the Exeter
University Entrepreneurs Society, helping them start new ventures.
Recently appointed as a Trustee and Board Member for Age UK Exeter in April 2024,
Dave supports senior management in providing services and engaging activities for the
elderly, their families, and caregivers, aligning with Age UK’s mission to enhance the
lives of older adults under all circumstances.
Outside of work, Dave cherishes time with his partner Theresa and their blended family,
which includes five children, three grandchildren, and two step-grandchildren. His
personal interests include supporting Liverpool Football Club, landscape photography,
reading, watching movies, and traveling.
Jane Rayner
Jane Rayner is the founder of Lulu Consulting, a company that helps sustainable and purpose-driven businesses create a world where everyone can thrive.
She’s always earned her living through writing starting in journalism and becoming editor of a weekly environmental magazine, Materials Recycling Week. During this time she helped to run the National Recycling Awards, recognising excellence in the resource management industry.
Over the years she’s interviewed hundreds of people including Environment Secretaries, Alan Sugar and Fat Boy Slim (when he was Norman from The Housemartins!).
As part of a small environmental communications company, she won the Best New Business category in the South London Business Awards for Sauce Consultancy. This included creating marketing materials to engage residents in recycling campaigns and a project to test an on-the-go recycling collection process at Excel London prior to the 2012 Olympic Games.
Since leaving the world of magazine publishing Jane has worked as a freelance content writer for FTSE100 companies, small businesses, organisations, and associations. She is passionate about sustainability and works with purpose-driven businesses across a variety of industries including hospitality, cyber security, and publishing.
Jane focuses on creating SEO-optimised content for her clients including writing long-form blogs and ebooks.
As a Fellow of the RSA (Royal Society of Arts) she is setting up an Exeter group designed to raise awareness of sustainability issues across the city. The aim is to share knowledge and give people the opportunity to take action to tackle climate change.
In her spare time, she writes fiction, including a novel set in the 1920s in West Dorset, and screenplays. She is currently working on a contemporary thriller screenplay for an independent executive producer.
Mark Harris
Mark Harris, a distinguished Chartered Engineer (CEng), Member of the Institution of Structural Engineers (MIStructE), and Director at structureHaus, brings a wealth of expertise and visionary leadership to the company. With a career spanning over two decades, Mark’s commitment to engineering excellence and innovative design has significantly contributed to the firm’s growth and reputation.
Mark joined structureHaus in 2020, adding his extensive experience and strategic insight to the dynamic leadership team. His role as Director is pivotal in steering the company towards new heights, ensuring that every project, regardless of scale, is executed with precision, creativity, and an unwavering dedication to quality. Mark’s leadership is characterized by his ability to inspire and mentor emerging talent, fostering a culture of continuous learning and collaboration.
Throughout his career, Mark has been instrumental in delivering a diverse portfolio of projects, ranging from small-scale residential developments to large-scale commercial infrastructures. His technical acumen and project management skills have earned him recognition for successfully navigating complex engineering challenges and delivering solutions that are both sustainable and innovative.
Mark’s approach to engineering is deeply rooted in a holistic understanding of structural integrity, aesthetics, and functionality. He advocates for integrating cutting-edge technology and sustainable practices in all phases of project development, ensuring that structureHaus remains at the forefront of industry advancements.
Beyond his technical expertise, Mark is known for his commitment to professional development within the engineering community. He actively participates in industry forums, contributes to scholarly publications, and mentors the next generation of engineers. His leadership style is inclusive, empowering his team to explore new ideas and achieve their full potential.
Under Mark’s direction, structureHaus continues to thrive, expanding its footprint and enhancing its reputation as a leader in civil and structural engineering. His vision and dedication are integral to the company’s mission of delivering excellence in engineering and fostering innovation in every project undertaken.
In his spare time Mark enjoys spending his time in the water whiling the hours away surfing the English coast and spending time with his partner and 3 children.
Emily Hayes
Emily is an experienced Sales & Events Manager who recently stepped into her role at Boom Battle Bar Exeter. She leads the Exeter team in delivering a wide range of events and is responsible for cultivating all corporate relationships.
It is no secret that Emily is deeply passionate about fostering a sense of community and takes great pride in hosting fun and forward-thinking events that bring people together. Whether it’s a corporate party, a team-building activity, or intimate networking event, she will create experiences that both leave a lasting impression on the attendees and also have the ability to strengthen ties between guests and business alike (all whilst having some fun too!)
Emily has always found the Exeter business community to be supportive and welcoming and is thrilled to be part of the inaugural Twelve Network Awards.
Andrea Hodges
Andrea has extensive experience working across further and higher education and now oversees the University of Exeter’s internship schemes, graduate recruitment programme, funding initiatives, and career mentoring.
Andrea has a strong commitment to supporting events and initiatives that promote engagement in challenging areas, as well as a passion for connecting students with skills development, networking, and employment opportunities so they can thrive.
Andrea and her team work with employers throughout the southwest region and beyond connecting them with the future workforce through employment, projects, and mentoring.
Ben Law
Ben lives on the edge of Dartmoor with his wife, Jennifer; two dogs, chickens, and Jennifer’s horses. They built their dream home during the covid lockdowns and it being a small holding, relishes the list of never-ending jobs and desire to connect with nature. Ben’s free time is filled as an entrepreneur. He is a co-founder of the Property Business & Networking (PBN) event in Exeter, which has been growing successfully over the last 2 years and where he had the pleasure of meeting Vic. He and Jennifer are directors of Montem, through which they have managed several holiday lets, created an online course to educate people how to build their own house and invest in Joint Venture property deals. Ben has a growing interest in trading Stocks & Shares, Crypto, and precious metals, and together, they are working to grow their own property portfolio.
To fund this, Ben has had two main careers. His current employment is as a Change Management Consultant for AtkinsRéalis, where for 1.5 years has worked on two large projects for Network Rail and Heathrow. Prior to this, he served as a Royal Marines Officer for 12 years. Deploying around the globe on operations, he has served in both Afghanistan and on a Counter-ISIS mission in the Middle East, as well training deployments to both Norway and Oman. His last posting was as the Officer in Charge of the Board and Search School, teaching service personnel how to board foreign ships at sea in search of weapons, drugs and illicit cargo. This role took him overseas to help upskill foreign militaries in both Uganda and Ukraine. Ben still maintains his military links through his continued service in the Army Reserves in Exeter, as 6 Rifles’ Operations Officer.
Ben has a keen interest in why people do what they do, and prior to leaving the Royal Marines, Ben qualified Coach & Mentor to help those struggling to adapt to military training; he subsequently qualified as Tony Robbins Life Coach. Ben loves adventure, whether it’s travelling in the campervan, mountain biking or kayaking. His last military deployment was on an expedition to climb Broad Peak, an 8000m mountain in Pakistan located next to K2. He will now often be found running on Dartmoor with Patrick (his black Labrador) training for his next long-distance race.
Clare Palmer
Clare Palmer, Clare has extensive experience gained from over 25 years working in BT as a senior leader in the legal, regulatory and compliance area.
Clare won BT Group’s best coach which led her to increase her experience and knowledge of coaching and human psychology.
Clare has been running her coaching business, based in Exeter for over 3 years, her clients have include Breast Cancer Now, BT, The Forces Transition Group, Csquared and the Business and Intellectual Property Centre (BIPC) and More Positive Me (CIC)
Through her work with BIPC Devon, Clare has supported many fledgling businesses to begin to fly.
Clare’s nonsense objective approach will help bring positive challenge to our judging process and her compliance and ethics background will make sure we are unbiased in the decision-making process.
Clare is a member of the International Compliance Association, an Accredited Executive Coach, a Certified Menopause Coach, a Certified PRISM Practitioner, and is the provider of the best hugs.