Xero Awards – Meet our judges

This year’s panel is made up of Xero leadership, as well as guest judges from the Xero community, including previous Xero Award-winners and industry leaders.

Meet our guest judges

Della Hudson

Accounding firm founder, author and coach for accountants

Della is a chartered accountant with 30+ years of experience running and founding accountancy firms. A true entrepreneur, she set up Hudson Business Accountants and later founded Minerva Accountants during the pandemic. Della’s the author of award-winning book, ‘The Numbers Business’, and has won a number of accolades, including ‘top 50 women in finance’ and ‘top 50 women in accounting’.

Della is our guest judge for Sole Practitioner of the Year 2023

Pam Phillips

Managing Director, de Jong Phillips

Pam is a true Xero advocate, flying the flag for how Xero and cloud software can transform business operations. She runs a slick operation at DJP and is living proof that the future of the accountancy industry can be flexible and inclusive, while still ensuring that excellent client service remains at the core. de Jong Phillips was a Xero Award winner for Small Firm of the Year in 2022, and Pam was also awarded Xero MVP. She is an industry leader and an inspiration to many.

Pam Phillips is our guest judge for the Small Firm of the Year category .

Nigel and Nikki Adams

Founders, Ad Valorem

Nigel and Nikki are accounting industry legends, crowned the 2021 practice pioneers at the Accounting Excellence Awards. They are also the founders of multi-award winning accountancy firm, Ad Valorem. The pair are strong advocates for the use of technology within the accounting space and take a pioneering approach to the profession and how they run their business.

Nikki and Nigel Adams are our guest judges for the Mid-Size Firm of the Year category.

Jo Wood

Director, The 6 Figure Bookkeeper & Jo Wood Virtual FD Ltd

Jo is a champion of the bookkeeping industry, having co-founded The 6 Figure Bookkeeper community as well as her own award-winning bookkeeping firm Jo Wood Virtual FD Ltd. Since 2019, she has built a six figure practice from scratch and has rapidly grown her business to a team of 12 in less than two years. Jo knows what it takes to run an award-winning firm.

Jo is our guest judge for Bookkeeping Partner of the Year 2023.

Lauren Harvey

Founding Director, Full Stop

As founder and director of award-winning firm Full Stop, and a long-time Xero partner, advocate and contributor to XPAC, product testing and beyond, Lauren is a true leader in accountancy. She has fully harnessed the power of cloud technology within her firm and was a worthy winner of the Total Xero Award in 2022. Lauren’s in-depth knowledge and experience within the industry makes her a real asset to this year's judging panel.

Lauren is our guest judge for the Total Xero category for 2023.

Sian Kelly

Managing Director, Inform Accounting

Sian is a passionate Chartered Management Accountant with over 20 years experience in the industry. She’s Managing Director of Inform Accounting, winner of Mid-sized Firm of the Year at the Xero Awards for 2022, where she and her team help businesses grow from start-ups to well-established companies. A valued member of XPAC and an industry leader, we’re thrilled to have Sian on this year’s judging panel.

Sian is our guest judge for the 2023 Large Firm of the Year category.

Yota Trom

Founder, Together in Tech

Yota is a leadership coach, specialising in building high-performing teams and developing emerging tech leaders. As the founder of Together in Tech, a London-based not-for-profit organisation, she brings 13+ years of leadership experience, having held a variety of senior roles within high-profile companies such as Amazon and Yahoo. She has a deep understanding of the tech industry and a passion for new technologies.

Yota Trom is our guest judge for the Community Impact Award.

Matt Flanagan

Co-Founder, Appacus & Managing Director, BlueHub

A long-time Xero Award judge and partner of Xero, Matt is an expert on apps and technology, with a wealth of experience advising accounting firms and businesses on what to implement and how. Digital transformation is at the heart of everything Matt does, and he has spent years learning about the best of the best in tech that helps businesses take their offering to the next level.

Matt Flanagan is our guest judge for the 2023 UK app awards.

Meet our Xero judges