Womenin Wales Awards: Meet the judges!

Subscribe to the Businessin Wales daily newsletter for FREE here.

Businessin Wales and Sportin Wales are delighted to announce the judging panel for the inaugural Womenin Wales Awards.

The awards, which will take place on March 19th at the Marriott Hotel in Cardiff, are a celebration of the women who have made extraordinary contributions to sport or business, either individually or as part of a team.

The judges met for the first time at the official judging day, hosted by the Park Plaza in Cardiff, where they picked the winners from shortlists whittled down from hundreds of nominations.

The finalists will be announced tomorrow (13th February) at 08:30. Subscribe to the Businessin Wales daily newsletter to be the first to see the announcement!

Meet the judges:

Carol Hall

Carol is the Co-Investment Network Manager at the Development Bank of Wales, where she supports Angels Invest Wales in growing their co-investor network. She has more than 20 years’ experience as a business development manager across the travel and accountancy sectors and specialises in securing investment opportunities in South Wales.

Emma Waddingham

Emma is the Editor and Founder of Legal News Wales, an independent platform championing the people, business and transformation of the legal sector in Wales. She is also a Businessin Wales columnist and was appointed President of Cardiff & District Law Society, becoming the first non-lawyer and the ninth female leader in the Society’s 140-year history.

James Robinson

James is the Managing Director of Hello Starling, an award-winning media planning and buying agency focused on delivering maximum attention and measurable results. Pulling on more than 20 years of experience in marketing, he also writes a regular column for Businessin Wales. Hello Starling is the headline sponsor of the Women in Wales Awards 2026.

Princess Onyeanusi

Princess is the Founder and Chief Executive of Safe Online Space Cymru. She is also a Non-Executive Board Director at Green Voices CIC and Chair of the Board of Trustees for Youth4Change Wales. In addition, she sits on the Board of Trustees for Cymru Women’s Sport, helping shape the charity’s strategic direction and focus.

Ria Burrage-Male

A former international athlete, Ria earned 33 caps representing Wales in hockey, played football for Cardiff City Women, and won the WCKA Club Kickboxing Championship. She is an accomplished multi-business founder and leadership coach, best known as the Founder of KIBO and Co-Founder of Captain’s Clubhouse. She is also the owner of Aberdare Feet and Co-Founder of The Re:Set Board, a collective of seasoned consultants offering a cross-functional non-executive board for businesses.

Sarah Jones

Sarah is the Chief Executive Officer of Fintech Wales, having been appointed to the role last year after serving as Head of Marketing from 2022. Alongside her award-winning marketing career across multiple sectors, Sarah sits on the Advisory Panel for Mastering Diversity, reflecting her passion for creating empowering opportunities within the community.