Richard has been Worldwide Deputy Chairman Of Saatchi & Saatchi since 2007, where he works with Saatchi & Saatchi's people and clients to use their creativity to create and capture value for their businesses.

He was appointed an Executive Fellow at London Business School in 2007 and made an Adjunct Associate Professor in 2011. He teaches MBAs, Executive MBAs and Executives on the School's Open Enrolment and Custom Programmes courses.

Richard is also chairman of Planting Promise, a sustainable educational enterprise in Sierra Leone; a trustee of the Business Bridge Initiative which provides business education to those around the world otherwise unable to afford it; and Trustee of the British Heart Foundation where he chairs its £50 million Mending Broken Hearts Appeal.

As a global traveller he has strong views about hotels and hospitality, and brings significant industry experience to the Boutique Hotel Awards Panel.

Stephen Albert is Vice President with WATG Hawaii, a hospitality design firm that has designed more hotels worldwide than any other design practice. Stephen has been instrumental in setting up the boutique division of WATG and the group themselves have won numerous design awards, including the Radical Innovation in Hospitality award, the Sustainable Suite design winner and the Hotel of Tomorrow winner on which Stephen lead the design team.

Stephen's creative flair started early with the making of animated cartoon movies. His films won accolades and were broadcast on the BBC by the age of 16. His love of the creative process led to a career in architecture that has taken him around the world numerous times. Stephen has designed hotels and resorts in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and the Pacific … from nearby Knightsbridge to far-flung Fiji.

A trained lawyer, Chantelle embarked upon her passion for cookery and began working in the kitchen under the two Michelin-starred chef Marcus Wareing at The Savoy Grill in 2004. Having gained experience in all areas of the kitchen she moved to Pétrus to work directly with Marcus as Sous chef. At Pétrus she ran the Pastry department whilst also becoming the co-author of two cookery books before becoming the Senior Sous Chef.

In 2008 Chantelle moved to The Berkley, taking the additional role of Operations Manager whilst continuing on as Senior Sous chef. Whilst there The Berkley was voted London's top restaurant in The Sunday Times Food List 2010. 2011 saw Chantelle open The Gilbert Scott, St Pancras, where she has written and developed its menus and where she currently works as General Manager.

Joshua joined the Boutique Hotel Awards at its inception in 2010, working within its marketing and public relations team. He is the Marketing Director, working closely with the Awards' media partners and collaborators to gain exposure and publicity. Before joining the Awards, Joshua worked as an associate for the leading business strategy and marketing firm in London, L E K Consulting, where he advised a range of corporate clients in the hospitality, travel and leisure sectors.

Hilary Lancaster has over 20 years of design expertise, after graduating in Sydney in 1992 and starting her career in Singapore. In the UK as Head of Design for Dexter Moren she designed hotels for IHG in Dubai, then established Fusion Interiors Group (FIG) in 2007 working with the 5 Star Somerset Ascott brand in Shanghai. She continues to work with Ascott on boutique lobbies and guestroom concepts for their Citadines Prestige brand in France, and Barcelona. Hilary and her team have also designed a 5 Star private jet lounge in the UK and a luxury spa resort in Qatar. With offices in Jeddah, Doha and Sydney Hilary is expanding hospitality projects globally as well as launching her own range of hotel furniture and carpets.

Nathan is a freelance journalist based in the UK. He has written extensively for the Financial Times in London, and Art Basel Magazine in Miami, Florida. Nathan has covered topics including the Salone Internazionale del Mobile in Milan and the state of the property market in New York City for the House and Home section of FT Weekend.

Before becoming a freelance journalist, Nathan travelled widely, spending time teaching English in Hong Kong and Guangdong, China.

Having reported for The Times, Telegraph and the Financial Times, Cally now works for Insider, The Quintessentially Group's editorial magazine, where she reviews the best restaurants, luxury hotels and spas that London has to offer.

A graduate of Jesus College, Cambridge, Cally initially worked in corporate law before making the switch to journalism in 2010.

An entrepreneur based in London, Edward entered the Awards at their inception in 2010, working on its brand development and public relations. Edward is a Director at the company, working within its participant selection team to build upon its fine collection of hotels. Edward graduated from the University of Cambridge with a Master's degree in nanoscience. He has travelled widely, with a particular interest in South America and the Middle East.

In addition to producing the annual Boutique Hotel Awards ceremony, Tim works as a Producer for the Olivier Awards - Britain's leading theatre awards - since its highly successful re-launch in 2011. He brings top-level award ceremony experience to producing and directing the annual Boutique Hotel Awards ceremony. Having previously spent time living in South Africa and Nepal, Tim travels widely.