NAILCOMPETITION

A LEADING LINEUP

Get to know the industry experts that have decided the fates of this year’s finalists in the 10 business & specialist categories

The countdown is on to The Scratch Stars Party , at which the winners of this year’s UK&I nail industry awards will be unveiled. In last month’s edition of Scratch , we served up a glimpse behind-the-scenes of the practical judging day, where finalists in the nine technical and artistic categories showcased their nail skills and immersed in interviews with esteemed educators and past award winners.

This issue, we introduce the individuals who judged the business and specialist categories. From training moguls to marketing masterminds and industry aficionados, each judge assessed two categories, depending on their expertise. They pored over judging materials including mystery shop reports, personal statements, testimonials and education materials and scored on a number of criteria. The points were then totalled – ready for the announcement of the winners.

CATEGORIES JUDGED:

• Nail Salon of the Year

• Nail & Beauty Salon of the Year

• Home Nail Salon of the Year

• Mobile Nailist of the Year

• Social Media Star of the Year

• Educator of the Year

• Online Educator of the Year

• Nail Team of the Year

• The Shooting Star Award

• Services to the Nail Industry

KIM FORD

@kimfordexpert Founder of Beauty Enterprise Solutions: a global technical and strategic beauty business, education consultancy & training company.

EMMA SARGENT

@sargenttraining Owner of beauty course provider, Sargent Training, which offers the CIBTAC Level 3 Award in Education and Training.

SALLY CONCHIE

representing sponsor: @sally_timely & @timely UK marketing specialist for Timely Salon Software.

KATIE GODFREY

@kg_katiegodfrey Award-winning business strategist, international speaker, podcast host & author, specialising in the hair, beauty and aesthetics sectors.

JACQUI O’SULLIVAN

@jacqui0s Award-winning nail tutor, judge, competition director & recipient of the Scratch Stars Services to the Nail Industry award 2015.

STEVEY POWELL

@stevey.coBusiness strategy, mindset & manifestation coach for hair and beauty professionals.

ZOYA MAC

@zoya_mac Nail content creator, educator & provider of one-to-one training and content workshops.

IAN ARCHBOLD

@ian_archbold Beauty industry trade show director, B2B growth specialist, sales expert & business consultant.

ZAARA KING

@zaaraking Beauty business growth coach for service-based women & founder of podcast, Real with Zaara King.

SEAN O’SULLIVAN

@sean_patrick_o Nail competition director & administrator, plus education expert & assessor.

SAMANTHA SWEET

representing sponsor:

@samanthasweet & @sweetsquared.nails Co-founder of product & education provider, Sweet Squared, communications expert & recipient of the Scratch Stars Services to the Nail Industry award 2023, alongside husband, Samuel.

HAZEL DIXON

@hazeldixon & @hdpronails Most decorated Scratch Stars Awards winner, product developer & owner of HD Professional Nail Systems, academy founder & nail product distributor.

JOJO WICKENS

representing sponsor:

@jojowickens & @lightelegance.uk Award-winning nail tech, Light Elegance dean of students & co-founder of LePhine Pro, plus LE UK co-owner & head of education.

POALA TAYLOR-RIDDICK

representing sponsor:

@vodexbeautyextraction Owner & director of dust and fume extraction company, Vodex Ltd & former business coach.

SHARON SANDHU

representing sponsor:

@gelishofficialuk Head of commercial at Nail Alliance UK, with experience in hair and beauty product development, marketing and commercial activity.

DENISE WRIGHT

@denisewrightnails International judge, competition director, award-winning salon owner & educator, as well as former examiner & recipient of the Scratch Stars Services to the Nail Industry award 2019.

RICHARD MCCABE

@lifestyle_salon_coach Salon owner turned coach & founder of consultancy, Lifestyle Salon Coach, plus Scratch columnist & founder of SAAM: the Salon AI Automation Management Machine.

SUE DAVIES

@_sue_davies Client journey strategist, former award-winning salon owner, founder of Salonpreneur magazine & recipient of the Scratch Stars Services to the Nail Industry award 2017.

ELLA FIGGITT

representing sponsor:

@abtinsurance Marketing executive at ABT – part of Howden, beauty insurance and membership provider.

CHARLI JEPSON

representing sponsor:

@charlijepson Former head of education at Glitterbels, international judge & Scratch Stars Educator of the Year 2018.

MARIAN NEWMAN BEM

@mariannewman Esteemed nail expert, consultant, educator & former session nail stylist, plus author of multiple industry textbooks, including

JESSICA CRANE

@jessicacranesiss Business mentor, wealth strategist & CEO/founder of SheEO Collective® , a company that empowers individuals – including salon owners

CLARE WOODCOCK

@thenailclublondon Scratch Stars Ultimate Mobile Nailist & founder of The Nail Club, a mobile nail business

www.scratchmagazine.co.uk/scratchstars #SCRATCHSTARS