2010 Judging Panel

George Elliott (Judging Panel Chairman)
Chairman

George Elliott (57) has a proven track record in growing businesses in the IT industry. He is currently non-executive chairman of Craneware (CRW) and EasyDate (EZD), which are both listed on AIM and Corsair Components Inc, which is based in California. He is also a non-executive director of Summit Corporation (SUMM), which is listed on AIM, Oxonica, which until recently was listed on AIM and Scotcloth.

From 2000 to 2007 he was CFO at Wolfson Microelectronics. Prior to that he was CFO at Calluna and Business Development Director at McQueen International (now Sykes). Prior to 1990 he was a partner at Grant Thornton. He is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland and is a graduate of Heriot–Watt University. He lives in the Scottish Borders.

Marco Truffelli
Chief Operating Officer
Balhousie Care Group

Marco Truffelli brings to Balhousie Care Group extensive experience at the luxury end of the hospitality industry. He has a reputation for consistently delivering care and genuine hospitality for discerning customers, enlightened employees and demanding investors.

Marco joined Balhousie Care Group to enable the management and staff to deliver a consistently refreshing and genuinely enjoyable experience for Balhousie residents and their families. The Balhousie Care Group team benefits from Marco's extensive expertise as an hospitality professional, from his hands on experience at individual properties to strategic and leading roles at multiple businesses and a national body.

Marco's career spanned from senior management posts in London with Trusthouse Forte, to The Caribbean, with Premier Resorts & Hotels, and more recently in Edinburgh with The Town House Company, to Managing Director of the latter and Chief Executive of VisitScotland.com.

His accolades range from the 2006 Knight of the Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity (in recognition of his contribution to cultural relations between Scotland and Italy), to the Scottish Thistle Award as Manager of the Year in 1997. Marco is an MBA graduate of University of Edinburgh Business School and a graduate of Cornell University School of Hotel Administration, Ithaca- New York.

As Trustee of the Hospitality Industry Trust, a Scotland based charity, which raises funds to support and encourage excellence in the Hospitality Industry, Marco's nurtures vital close links within care and hospitality.

Donald Kerr
Commercial Banking Director
Bank of Scotland

Donald has responsibility for leading the combined Bank of Scotland and Lloyds TSB Commercial business in Scotland, serving the SME community. Immediately prior to that, he had responsibility for the Bank of Scotland Corporate and Commercial teams in Scotland. This involved leading the team of 340 professionals that service the full spectrum of businesses north of the border. The business had gained market leading positions in a number of areas.

Leadership roles in London and East of Scotland in Bank of Scotland Commercial immediately preceded the wider Scotland mandate. Prior to those roles Donald ran transactional teams where he led a variety of deals covering acquisitions, public to privates and securitisation.

In his time in Bank of Scotland he has also undertaken roles in risk, credit sanctioning and relationship management.

Donald joined the bank after graduating from the University of Glasgow. He is also a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers in Scotland.

George Watt
Chief Financial Officer

Appointed to the Board in February 2001 as Group Finance Director. George joined the Company in 1998 as Group Financial Controller and Treasurer. Prior to joining STV Group plc, George worked with KPMG's audit and assurance services practice in the UK and also in the US. George is a Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Scotland and an Executive Committee Member of the Scottish Council for Development and Industry.