Mary Campbell (Judging Panel Chairman)
Managing Director
Blas Limited

Mary Campbell is a Corporate Financier with over 20 years' experience in the industry and is the Managing Director and founder of Blās Limited. Since setting up Blās in January 2003 she has completed a number of assignments which include funding the largest start-up in recent Scottish history; advising FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 companies, advising high growth companies and undertaking extensive share valuation assignments.

Mary is a non-executive director of the Dunfermline Building Society and a member of the Board of the UHI Millennium Institute. She recently completed a 7 year term as a member of the Council of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland (ICAS) having also Chaired its Corporate Governance Working Party and served on both its Executive Board and Examining Board.

Mary was awarded an OBE in the 2004 honours list for her contribution to economic development in the Highlands and Islands.

Murray Cromar
Client Management Director
Aon Limited – Scotland

Murray is 42 years old and has been with Aon for 6 years. Prior to this Murray worked for a Global Insurer for 13 years as well as being a past President of the Dumbartonshire Chartered Insurance Institute.

Murray is currently the Client Management Director for Aon in Scotland, covering offices in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen. He is responsible for the delivery of risk management solutions to middle market and PLC companies alike.

Murray is married with 2 children and lives in Glasgow. His main interests are sport related, particularly coaching football to kids.

Vivien Kyles
Chief Executive
Hamilton Park Racecourse

Vivien Kyles is the Chief Executive of Hamilton Park Racecourse, where she took up appointment in June 2008. Her objectives in the role include promoting Hamilton Park as more than just a racecourse, incorporating the first class hospitality facilities available all year round. Vivien is also a director of Livingston Football Club where she was previously Chief Executive for four years, initially steering the club out of Administration. She sits on the Scottish Football League Management Committee where she is the first female to hold such an appointment in its over 100 year existence.

Qualifying as a chartered accountant with Ernst & Young, Vivien worked in London, Australia and Glasgow including a period advising technology start ups in Hillington Innovation Centre, before joining telecoms business Damovo. Starting as Director of Strategy she was responsible for the integration of the group’s 18 countries’ sales force before becoming head of Global Sales & Solutions.

Gio Benedetti
Chairman
Wallace Cameron

Giovanni Benedetti came to Scotland from Italy at the age of 10 and worked in his Uncle’s café during his spare time.

At the age of 19 Giovanni purchased a small Dry Cleaning Shop which expanded within 8 years to 16 shops servicing Ayrshire and the Glasgow area.

In 1981 a new company “ICS” was formed occupying a purpose built unit, 70k sq ft Laundry in Kilwinning to exploit a New and Innovative process development by Giovanni for Reclaiming Industrial Gloves and the rental of Work Wear.

Over the next 7 years ICS grew organically from £500k turnover to £12m and servicing over 3,000 customers in the UK from its base in Kilwinning. Major customers included Ford Motor Co, Vauxhall, Rover, Nissan, Lucas, GKN and Tesco. The company was sold to BET in 1989 for £15m.

In 1987 Giovanni became a Director of Silcock Express, which was a £4m Management buy-out from Sears Group. The company’s revenue grew from £36m to £120m over 6 years and was sold in 1993 for £52m.

In 1996 Giovanni purchased a small £2m turnover paper converting Company. This grew with innovation to £32m over 6 years and was sold to SCA in 2002 for £10m.

Wrapfilm, a small £2m turnover Cling Film and Foil converting company was purchased in 2000. This company grew to £36m with the launch of several new and innovative products capturing 85% of the UK’s catering and foil market. This Company was sold to Management at the end of 2007 for £21m with Giovanni remaining a Director and retaining a major shareholding in the Company,

Today, Giovanni is Chairman of Benedetti International, consisting of Wallace Cameron, UK leading First Aid and First Aid Training Company, exporting to 32 countries worldwide and Benedetti design division. This division not only invents and innovates products for internal companies but also design and develops products on a contractual basis for other large and medium Companies as well as ideas from single inventors.

The Group’s strategy and philosophy is to change all sectors of the markets by being the most innovative supplier of products and dispensing systems.

John Anderson
Chief Executive
Entrepreneurial Exchange

A well known specialist in entrepreneurship and new venture creation in Scotland, John brings considerable experience of emerging and high growth companies to his role as Chief Executive of The Entrepreneurial Exchange.

A founder member of The Entrepreneurial Exchange, John was a shareholding director of a young venture backed technology company engaged in the design, manufacture and distribution of laboratory equipment. He co-founded a company that provided pre-hospital emergency care and healthcare industry training and also a new media business. As CA in professional practice he worked with many of Scotland’s most exciting growth companies after returning to Scotland from Chicago in 1989.

John is a regular contributor to the media on issues facing emerging and high growth companies and was instrumental in setting up the Scottish Enterprise "Local Heroes" project, based in part on his own MBA thesis "Local Heroes - Scotland's Entrepreneurial Role Models".

An experienced non-executive chairman and director in growing businesses, currently with three appointments, John is also an Honorary Senior Lecturer at the Hunter Centre for Entrepreneurship at the University of Strathclyde, a founding GlobalScot member and sits on the boards of PSYBT and Stirling University Innovation Park.