The Judges
An introduction to our industry leading panel, who will select our finalists and winners.
The Judging Team7
1
Sandy Burgess
Head Judge
Sandy has been actively involved in the UK motor industry for over 50 years.
He has gained experience at every level across repairing, and retailing cars and commercial vehicles, in addition he has operated daily rental fleets, filling station and retail stores.
He has also gained experience with Ford Motor Company, he was Chief Executive of the Scottish Motor Trade Association until December 2024 and prior to that spend seven years working with the Institute of the Motor Industry where is now a Vice President.
As last year’s Head Judge Sandy was keen to expand the judging panel for this year and also to introduce some refinements and changes to the process.
This has been achieved and he is delighted to now have six judges in total on the panel and a three stage judging process.
2
Vic Covey
Vic started Covey Advertising in 1975 and has been running his own agency ever since founding Covey in 2010.
He is a Fellow of The Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA) and has been chair of the Scottish IPA where he was instrumental in setting up The Scottish Advertising Effectiveness Awards.
A former director of The Scottish Motor Racing Club he was responsible for running The Scottish Mini Cooper Cup.
He also had a distinguished motor racing career and was Scottish FF1600 Champion in both 1981 and 1982.
3
Sue Robinson
Sue Robinson is Chief Executive of the National Franchised Dealers Association (NFDA), which represents franchised car and commercial vehicle retailers in the UK. She also has responsibility for all Government, policy, and media strategy.
Sue was named as number 10 in 2008 AM Power list, top 100 influential people and was given the Automotive Management Industry Personality of the Year Award 2010 for raising awareness of franchised dealer issues. In 2010, Sue won also the Motor Trader Outstanding Achievement Award. Sue has been named in the Motor Trader’s top 50 ‘Movers & Shakers’ of the motor retailing industry every year since 2013. In 2019, she was named number 31 and was the only woman mentioned.
Following a degree in Sociology and a PhD in Social Science from Birmingham University Sue started a career in magazine journalism moving into PR & Communications for the building services industry.
Sue joined the RMI as Press Officer, moving on to Public Relations and Policy Manager, and then Director of External Affairs. In 2006 she was appointed Director of the NFDA. Sue was responsible for raising the profile of the NFDA making it one of the most significant bodies in the sector.
Sue was recently awarded the Sue Brownson Award for Outstanding Leadership in the automotive industry.
Sue sits on a number of trade and government bodies representing the industry.
4
Martin Hutchinson
Martin has almost five decades of experience in the Northern Ireland retail motor industry. He started as a Technician Apprentice in the early 70s, before moving to a manufacturer representative role which covered the entire province. Martin then worked in the College training delivery sector before being appointed Sector Skills representative for the Northern Ireland Retail Motor Industry.
Martin retired as CEO of Transport Training Services in 2020 but maintains a keen interest in the Industry which has given him a rewarding career.
From this wide range of roles over the years he has gained unparalleled unique insight into the needs of Northern Ireland retail motor employers, their staff, customers and training provision.
5
Maggie Barry
Maggie is an award winning motoring journalist who has travelled the world testing and reviewing the latest cars.
She has written for numerous major national newspapers in Scotland as well as contributing to several important automotive and lifestyle websites.
Maggie is a jury member in the Women’s Worldwide Car of the Year Awards and along with fellow judges from across the globe, she also gets to drive and score numerous cars for the shortlist from which the panel choose a Supreme Winner every year.
Maggie is often asked by broadcasters to comment on topical automotive matters especially since the dawn of electric cars.
6
Mark Styles
Mark Styles is an experienced technology and business leader with a proven track record in delivering complex software and systems solutions, particularly within the automotive sector.
With over two decades of experience, Mark has held senior roles spanning product development, systems integration and commercial leadership.
Throughout his career, he has played a pivotal role in modernising operations and introducing scalable, data-driven platforms that improve eficiency and performance across a wide range of businesses.
Mark’s core strengths lie in strategic planning, cross-functional team leadership and aligning technology solutions with commercial goals.
Known for his analytical mindset and collaborative approach, he excels at translating complex requirements into practical outcomes.
Whether leading development teams, managing key client relationships or driving innovation, Mark brings a rare blend of technical depth and business acumen that consistently delivers value.
7
Rachel Clift
Rachel joined automotive industry charity, Ben, in September 2018 and has over 22 years of expertise working within health and wellbeing.
Rachel was appointed to the role of Chief Executive Oficer on 1st November 2024, after previously holding the role of Health & Wellbeing Director at the charity.
Since joining Ben, Rachel has been responsible for leading the charity’s Health & Wellbeing services which provide life-changing support to those who work, or have worked, in the automotive industry and their family dependents.
Rachel has led a signifcant programme of transformation, during a time when the charity has also experienced substantial growth in service demand and charitable impact.
Rachel has a signifcant track record as a subject matter expert in health, work and wellbeing.
She previously led integrated employability and workplace health and wellbeing programmes for two large welfare-to-work provider organisations, in her roles as Head of Health & Wellbeing Services at Ingeus and Health Director for PeoplePlus.
A University of Birmingham Physiotherapy graduate, starting her career working within the NHS, Rachel went on to gain automotive industry experience as the onsite Physiotherapist for Peugeot at their Tile Hill plant in Coventry.
Rachel has also had a successful sporting career as a former Olympian (Beijing, 2008) with over 140 international appearances for Great Britain & England women’s hockey teams.
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