Our 2024 Judges
Who’s Who
Every year, the top talents in the industry are nominated for awards and honourable mentions at our ceremony. We believe that these exceptional individuals deserve to be recognised and celebrated and we ask some of the most influential faces in the industry to join us on our judging panel to help us make the difficult decision of choosing our winners. Our incredible 2024 judging panel are listed below.
Kiki Medelian
Founder and CEO
Kiki is an International Awarding Winning Product Developer bringing a range of incredible products to the market including Zx10 , Liquid Lipo, Blepharonat and many more. Her product range has over 1000 trained practitioners using them across the globe, with over 20,000 case studies showing amazing results in fat-loss, pain management and anti-ageing.
Kiki is and Inspiration Speaker using her own life experiences and health issues to become a driving force to bring faster acting solutions with stronger results to the market. Read more about her story here https://www.wirralglobe.co.uk/.../23695926.wirral.../
As our headline sponsor it is a pleasure to bring Kiki's wealth of knowledge onboard.
Francesca Manzi
Centre Support Manager
Francesca is the Centre Support Manager for Qualifi Hair, Beauty, Wellness and Aesthetics qualifications. Her role is to guide centres through the application and approval process and then support them whilst they are offering Qualifi qualifications.
Prior to joining Qualifi, Francesca worked with VTCT and ITEC for 9 years as a Business Development Manager. Before she joined VTCT full time, she was an EQA for them whilst also working for an FE college for many years as Curriculum Leader for Service Industries. After leaving college, Francesca ran her own beauty therapy business for several years whilst teaching part-time. Francesca holds a variety of qualifications in Beauty Therapy, Hairdressing, Wellness, Teaching and Education, Management and Mentoring. She strongly believes in lifelong learning and enjoys gaining new qualifications.
Victoria Walker
Founder/CEO
Victoria is a multi Award Winning, International Practitioner and Educator in the Aesthetics World. Aesthetics is her biggest love... From facial reconstruction to turning back the clock for ageing skin, she thrives on pushing the boundaries of achievability and refuses to set limitations.
“Over the last 16 years, this industry has seen me grow and develop not just in my skill set, but in confidence too. I have spent years learning from some of the most prestigious companies and educators around the world, 6 years later I was then given the opportunity to share the passion that fuelled my career with the rest of the country. I knew that, with my ambition and determination, I could inspire others to love what they do as much as I love what I do. Teaching is, without question, one of the most rewarding parts of the work I do, which lead to the birth of, The Mentorship Collective… the Aesthetics Hub which allows me to support other practitioners 24/7”
Victoria hasn’t finished yet… she has so many more aspirations and ideas to support the industry, providing a safer and more inclusive place for practitioners to work, watch this space!
Sarah Tipple
Sarah is a highly experienced professional with over 25 years in the hair and beauty industry. Starting at just 14, working in a range of salons before opening her own at 19 years old. Sarah is deeply committed to empowering others and helping them reach their full potential. As a mentor, and a freelance quality assure, Sarah provides guidance and support to aspiring educators, quality assures and regulatory bodies equipping them with the knowledge and skills and insights needed to create, deliver and IQA exceptional education programs. Alongside running her academy and being a support to many in the industry Sarah also excels in her role as an External Quality Assurer with Qualifi HBWA- a leading hair, beauty and aesthetics awarding body. (Also a sponsor of the SOS Beauty Awards)
Sarah's passion for education is rooted in her belief that knowledge is power. She understands the transformative impact that education can have on individuals and the industry as a whole. Through her work, Sarah strives to elevate the standards of education in the hair and beauty industry, ensuring that future professionals receive the best possible training to support industry compliance requirements.
Karolina Grzelewska
Master Craftsman Karolina Grzelewska, salon owner: Hair-Life Professional, academy owner: Art Trends Hair Academy, founder Association of Hairdressers in Great Britain FHOPHA, Official UK Amazon Keratin Distributor, founder: Advertising Magazine, director of the Ministry of Hairdressing EU. Karolina Grzelewska is a hairdressing educator and trainer. A celebrity hairdresser, stylist and designer, cosmetics manufacturer. From 1996 official face of the L'Oreal Professionnel brand. Master stylist with passion in his own professional projects helping others. Supporting workshops in the enterprise, since 2013, it conducts proprietary and professional training, teaches students and cooperates with many other hair educators. UK Government site, is listed as an Educational Service Provider. (UK Learning Provider and apprenticeships). Member of: Hair-Council, British Beauty Council, FHA, NHBF, BABTAC, Habia and others. Since 2008, in Great Britain, it has been supporting others, training hairdressers and student education, as well as integrating the investor community. Life motto: Creative freedom and passion are ART that we create for the LIFE and happiness of others
Mark Grzelewska
Mark Grzelewski, has been the Hair-Life Professional Salon and Academy brand manager since 2006. He is an experienced designer, mentor and business educator, organiser of events, courses and image-ID business photo sessions. For the past 15 years, he has been supporting small businesses internationally by designing marketing plans and loyalty packages, Mainly working with salons offering Hair, Beauty and Massage services. He helps businesses to create exclusive Trade Marked projects and enforces brand regulations whilst integrating specialists relevant to the project and industry.
Mark is passionate about supporting new businesses and brand creators, he offers workshops for start-up businesses not only in the hair and beauty sector but also in the wider business community. He introduces new brands to the market and works with them to prepare their strategy, ensuring they have a successful launch. He works with many salons, brand creators, designers, magazines, celebrities etc on an international basis.
Lumpai Kummoo
Born in Thailand and educated in the UK Lumpai is an experienced Thai Massage Therapist and Teacher/Trainer who speaks Thai, English and Lao. Lumpai was blessed to have inherited traditional Thai Massage techniques from her grandfather from a young age. Her passion is to make a difference to peoples lives and to share her skills and knowledge. In her 15 years of experience she has worked for many traditional Thai education centres in Thailand but also has a nursing background in the UK and worked in many wards and departments at Addenbrook’s hospital specialising in working with people with eating disorders and cancer. She has completed beauty, holistic, international massage diplomas and PMU Level 4 and continuously improves her knowledge by taking part in CPD. She currently works with one of the best top Hilton Hotel SPA’s in the UK.
Rebecca Williams
Rebecca is an Aesthetics Nurse Prescriber, she started her nursing career in 2011. Previously having worked in several medical settings over the years she now currently works solely in Aesthetics in her own clinic in Nottingham, where she also runs her training academy.
Rebecca's main obsession in Aesthetics is making sure treatments are ethical, natural and person appropriate and is an advocate for safety and constant education. Not only is Rebecca going to make an excellent addition to our judging panel she is also one of the founders of the Midlands Aesthetics and Beauty Awards
Terri Tibbles
Terri holds 29 national awards to date in the fields of Beauty Therapy, Aesthetics, Microblading, Permanent Makeup, Scalp Micropigmentation (SMP), Medical Tattooing/Micropigmentation, Laser, Body Contouring, Education Excellence and Lifetime Achievement finalist. She has multiple regulated qualifications, including OFQUAL Level 5 & 7 and holds over 200 qualifications, as well as being fully accredited to teach, invigilate, assess and IQA, with over 20 years’ experience in the industry.
Terri has trained worldwide and is an expert in her field and founder of the multi award winning Bella Mai Academy which offers a whole range of CPD & OFQUAL regulated training courses, based in Essex.
Denise Spragg
Denise started her professional life as a criminal and family law solicitor. In 2007 in partnership with her husband she started running tai chi and meditation retreats, and trained in massage and reflexology and continued learning manicure and pedicure in 2011. They opened their full-time wellbeing centre in Somerset in 2016, and during lockdown trained with an American tutor, Lori Halloway, to bring advanced pedicure, a cross between cosmetic pedicure and podiatry, to the UK. She is one of only four practitioners in the UK to offer this service, and is working with Habia to introduce a new level 4 pedicure qualification so this knowledge can be made available to more practitioners.
She is the legal and financial director of the Federation of Nail Professionals, which aims to raise the standards of the nail industry, and in 2023 she was lucky enough to win the Footcare Practitioner of the Year award at the SOS Beauty Awards.
Vicki Barnes
The remarkable force behind Classic Cosmetics , a multi-award-winning aesthetics training academy that was opened in 2022. Vicki has been in beauty since 18 & 5 years now in aesthetics currently doing her level 7. With a deep passion for all things aesthetics, Vicki brings a wealth of expertise and experience to her clients & students alike.
Above all, Vicki’s mission is to create a human-centered approach, caring deeply for her clients and their desires. She strives to empower individuals by enhancing their natural beauty, building trust, and delivering extraordinary results. When you choose Vicki and Classic Cosmetics, you’re partnering with an award-winning professional who is dedicated to providing exceptional services while maintaining the highest standards of care. Experience the transformative power of Vicki’s expertise and witness the remarkable work of Classic Cosmetics.
Discover your true radiance with Vicki and Classic Cosmetics. Welcome to a world where beauty, aesthetics and innovation collide.