Great British Brands Awards 2025: Introducing The Judges

For our Great British Brands Awards this year, we are delighted to welcome five judges, each with a keen interest in the innovation, excellence, expertise, creativity and health of our British luxury and creative industries.

Sponsored by Rathbones.

Great British Brands Awards 2025: All The Judges

Caroline Rush

Chief Executive Officer of the British Fashion Council (BFC)

Caroline Rush is the Chief Executive Officer of the British Fashion Council (BFC), a position she has held since 2009, although she is stepping down later this year. Under her leadership, the BFC has strengthened its global reputation, promoting British fashion as a driving force of creativity, innovation, and sustainability. Caroline has been instrumental in evolving London Fashion Week into one of the “Big Four” fashion weeks, showcasing emerging talent and established designers while championing diversity and inclusivity.

She has spearheaded initiatives like the BFC/GQ Designer Menswear Fund and the BFC/Vogue Designer Fashion Fund, supporting the growth of the UK’s creative industries. Passionate about sustainability, Caroline has placed environmental responsibility at the heart of British fashion, launching the Institute of Positive Fashion to drive systemic change.

In addition to her work at the BFC, Caroline advocates for education and mentorship, ensuring the next generation of designers has access to tools and opportunities to thrive globally.

Busola Evans

Advisory board member and interiors journalist

Busola Evans is a freelance interiors journalist who writes for a number of leading titles including Architectural Digest, The Telegraph, Sunday Times Style, The Financial Times and House & Garden. Prior to this, she was the executive editor at The World of Interiors and editor of its highly-regarded online directory, The Interiors Index. 

A journalist for more than 20 years, she has written for a number of newspapers and magazines including The Guardian, The Sunday Times Magazine, The Sunday Telegraph and Grazia, and was an interiors columnist for the London Evening Standard‘s ES Magazine. Before joining The World of Interiors, she was deputy editor at Livingetc magazine, where she also edited its kitchen and bathroom supplements and wrote a monthly column. This followed her role as associate editor at both Livingetc and Homes & Gardens magazines. 

Busola is on the advisory board of Women In Journalism, the UK’s leading organisation for female journalists, and regularly chairs panels and discussions covering issues within the industry which affect its members. She is also on the steering committee of United In Design, a charity formed to tackle the lack of diversity in the UK’s interiors industry. 

Simonetta Riga

Chief Client Office, Rathbones

Simonetta is Rathbones’ Chief Client Officer, an executive-level role to lead client and adviser proposition development, marketing and client experience.

Simonetta joined Rathbones in 2024 from Evelyn Partners, where she was Group Chief Marketing Officer as well as the architect and commercial owner of the redesigned Best Invest. With 25 years’ experience in financial services, Simonetta started her career at McKinsey & Company and has since held a variety of roles at American Express, Bupa International, Western Union and Tesco Bank. She has served on the board of Brewin Dolphin and was a member of the Surrey Business School Advisory Board from 2016-2024, and chair for the last two years. Simonetta has an MBA from INSEAD.

Sian Westerman

Non-executive director, various

Sian Westerman is a seasoned non-executive director with a wealth of experience in retail, fashion and beauty. She is Chair of Strathberry, the fast-growing, founder-led Scottish handbag brand, and Fenwick, the iconic family-owned department store business. Her portfolio of roles includes positions with Augustinus Bader, Lyma Life, FaceGym, and Lane Crawford Joyce Group in Hong Kong, among others.

A Senior Adviser at Rothschild & Co in London, Sian has built her career at the intersection of finance and creativity, following her early legal training at Slaughter and May. She also serves on the European Advisory Board of Brown Advisory.

Beyond business, Sian is deeply engaged in the arts. She is a Non-Executive Director of the British Fashion Council, a Trustee of The Barbican Centre Trust, and a member of the Royal Academy of Arts’ Corporate Advisory Group, with previous roles spanning the English National Ballet and the Royal Court Theatre.

Jamila Saidi

Head of Digital Commerce, Culture & Lifestyle, UK Department for Business & Trade

Jamila Saidi heads the Digital Commerce division at the UK’s Department for Business & Trade (DBT), where she champions British brands on the global stage. With a focus on culture and lifestyle sectors – spanning creative industries, retail, and luxury – Jamila drives initiatives to support UK businesses in expanding internationally while attracting major global players to invest in the UK. Her mission is clear: to position the UK as the ultimate hub for growth and innovation.

With over 20 years’ experience in marketing and business development, Jamila has honed her expertise at leading financial and professional institutions like Lloyds Bank Private Banking, Merrill Lynch, and Grant Thornton. A passionate advocate for digital trade, she believes it’s a game-changer for SMEs and women-led businesses seeking global reach.

Jamila holds a degree in Marketing and Business IT, a Postgraduate Diploma in Integrated Marketing Communications, and serves on the World Media Group’s Brand Advisory Board.