Meet the Judges

I’m Amanda King, Area Development Manager for the Devon area in the Wales and the South West region.

I joined mydentist as an ADM over 10 years ago and throughout my time the people I have worked alongside are outstanding. The commitment I see every day is exceptional and that's why I really enjoy being part of the Excellence Awards and reading all of the nominations that recognise and celebrate the achievements of individuals who I might not necessarily cross paths with.

Every year, the stories I read in the nominations really do amaze me and I’m honoured to be able to be involved in the process and return as a judge again this year. 

I’m Andrew, Head of Facilities at mydentist and I’ve worked at mydentist for 15 years. I’m driven by a desire to keep things moving forward, rather than doing things simply because they’ve always been done that way and I’m always looking for ways to innovate within the Facilities team. I’ve been judging the awards for around five years now and I love to read about the incredible work happening across mydentist through peer‑to‑peer recognition. It’s so challenging to score all of the nominations with so many incredible ones coming through – and getting better each year. The nominations really do showcase so many selfless colleagues who go above and beyond, help the nation smile and act as true brand ambassadors for mydentist and it’s brilliant to be a part of it.

I am Danielle and I have been with mydentist now for 10 years working as an associate, clinical development advisor and now as a clinical director. As a winner of the award in 2020 I know how much it means to get the recognition not only winning, but simply being nominated and knowing that someone has taken the time to acknowledge your impact.

I have been involved in the judging panel for a couple of years and love reading  about the incredible care, teamwork, and dedication shown across practices and the wider organisation. Not one judge has the deciding vote and even until the night we don’t know who is going to win, it’s a surprise and exciting on the night.

I would encourage you to nominate anyone, from personal experience seeing and reading the kind words and appreciation it can truly make their day and sometime much more than that.

As a trained journalist, I’m always on the lookout for a great story to share across both the press and mydentist’s social media channels. With over 10 years’ experience in PR and Communications, I’ve worked with brands including Craghoppers, Patagonia, AO.com, Aldi, Bupa, Numark pharmacies and United Utilities, supporting brands, influencers, athletes and ambassadors to reach their audiences through top-tier media outlets.

My work spans everything from TV placements like penguins visiting a care home and brand activations at London Fashion Week, through to campaigns featuring Sir David Attenborough and Bear Grylls. I lead the PR & Social Media team, which has grown mydentist’s press coverage by more than 500% since 2023 and boosted our followers by 16% last year, reaching over 3.5 million people through organic social media activity.

I'm always very happy to hear from practices, clinicians and colleagues and am looking forward celebrating this year's Excellence Awards nominees! 

I’ve spent over 16 years growing my career with mydentist, starting out in practice and developing through various roles into field leadership, before moving into my current position as an Operational Lead within the Central Ops team. My journey has given me a deep, first-hand understanding of how our practices operate day to day, as well as the opportunities and challenges faced by the teams delivering care to our patients day to day. 

I’m a strong advocate for embracing digital tools and innovation to make life easier for our practice teams by improving efficiency and ultimately enhancing the experience for both colleagues and patients.

Alongside my role, I’ve also had the privilege of judging the Excellence Awards for the past few years. This is something I genuinely love to do, as it gives me the chance to take a step back from my role and read about all of the fantastic things people are doing across mydentist. It’s always inspiring to see the dedication, creativity and commitment of our teams and it helps me stay closely connected to the people who make such a difference every day.

Hi, I am Kaushik Paul and I'm the Clinical Director for 130 practices across the North West, Central, and Northern Ireland region. I'm also a practicing dentist with over 20 years’ experience in the profession.

I’m committed to driving clinical excellence, supporting teams and ensuring consistently high standards of patient care. I’m passionate about developing clinicians and creating environments where people can thrive.

Serving as a judge for the mydentist Excellence Awards is a genuine privilege that allows me to celebrate outstanding talent, recognise innovation and shine a spotlight on the individuals and teams who elevate our profession and live the mydentist values each day.

Hi, I’m Lisa Jelly, Head of Central Operations at mydentist. I’ve been with mydentist for two years now and during that time I’ve loved seeing the breadth of incredible work taking place across our practices and support teams. It’s inspiring to witness the passion and dedication colleagues bring every single day to deliver high quality dentistry and making a real difference to patients’ lives.

In my role, I have the privilege of working closely with teams across mydentist to ensure we are delivering consistent, high-quality outcomes. I’m particularly passionate about patient care and making sure that every patient has a positive, safe and high-quality experience and that our teams feel empowered, supported, and equipped to deliver exceptional standards. I firmly believe that recognising and celebrating excellence is key to driving engagement, innovation and continuous improvement, which is why being part of the Excellence Awards is such a rewarding experience.

As a judge, I’m really looking forward to seeing the stories, achievements and examples of best practice from across the organisation. It’s a fantastic opportunity to shine a spotlight on the individuals and teams who go above and beyond and who truly embody the mydentist values and purpose.

When I’m not working, I like to spend as much time outdoors as possible. Whether it’s hiking, camping, paddleboarding, or travelling to off-the-beaten-track locations, I’m always up for an adventure. More often than not, I’ll be dragging my partner and his two kids along with me!

I’m Lorna and I’m Head of Business Architecture and Change at mydentist, where I focus on improving how we work by simplifying processes, using technology, and helping the organisation adapt to change effectively. I’m passionate about continuous improvement and enjoy getting to the root of challenges to find solutions that make a real difference.

Outside of work, I’m a busy mum to two young children, so much of my time is spent keeping up with their energy and activities. I love to read and learn, and I’m currently attempting to reignite my GCSE French as part of a long‑standing goal to become fluent in another language.

I’m really honoured and excited to be part of the judging panel for the Excellence Awards. Since I started at mydentist in February I’ve already seen just how much talent, dedication, and hard work exists here. There is an incredible amount of knowledge, dedication and hard work going on throughout mydentist and being able to help recognise those individuals and teams who so richly deserve it is an absolute privilege.

I joined mydentist as the first permanent Director of myorthodontist, the specialist orthodontic division of mydentist, back in 2019. I bring over 30 years of experience across retail, hospitality and healthcare, which means I’ve seen a lot of different ways of working and I like to think that mix of perspectives helps shape how we approach care across our specialist orthodontic practices today.

I joined the business seven years ago, and since then I’ve also been a regular member of the judging panel. It’s something I genuinely look forward to each time. I love reading through all the nominations, not just because of the volume of great work, but because of the way colleagues take the time to recognise and champion each other. There’s something really special about seeing people call out first-class service and dedication in their teammates.

For me, there’s no better recognition than being nominated by the people you work alongside every day. Those are the people who really see what goes on behind the scenes, the effort, the consistency and the moments that don’t always get noticed more widely. Being part of that process is a privilege and it’s a great reminder of the impact our practice and clinical teams have every single day.

I am a Clinical Development Advisor working both centrally and across two areas in the North East. With a career rooted in general practice, I bring extensive experience in supporting project delivery, service improvement and clinician and practice team development within mydentist.

With a strong track record of working with multidisciplinary teams to design and implement initiatives that enhance patient outcomes and operational effectiveness. I am particularly passionate about supporting innovation and recognising excellence across both clinical and non-clinical teams, with a focus on practical and sustainable improvements.

I am especially motivated by recognising the people and teams who respect each other, grow together and achieve as one to make a meaningful difference to patients every day.

I’m Nicola, Head of Patient Services at mydentist, where I lead our Patient Support and Patient Services teams, as well as the Reception team at the Support Centre. I’ve been with mydentist for 13 years now, and before that I built up a career in customer service and complaint handling within healthcare. It’s given me a real appreciation for the importance of listening, resolving issues properly and making sure patients feel heard and supported.

I’ve been a judge for the Excellence Awards for a few years now and I’m always glad to be involved. It’s a great opportunity to step outside my day job and see the wider picture, different teams, different roles and what great looks like across the business. I always come away with new ideas - and a growing list of people I wish I could give an extra award to!

Outside of work, I’m usually spending time with my family, or planning my next trip (depending on how far I can stretch the budget!). I’m also making a very determined effort to become a regular at the gym…

As Data Protection Officer and Caldicott Guardian at mydentist, I am responsible for safeguarding the information entrusted to us by patients and colleagues alike. It is a role built on trust, integrity, and a deep respect for the people we serve, values that sit at the very heart of our organisation.

Every day, I see colleagues across our organisation demonstrating real dedication, not for recognition, but out of a genuine commitment to the people around them and the work they do together. These awards are a wonderful opportunity to bring those contributions into the light.

I am honoured to serve as a judge and to help recognise those who truly live our values, who treat one another with respect, who invest in growing together and who understand that our greatest achievements are always shared ones.

I'm Ros Bowen, I have just started in the new role of Head of People Experience at mydentist having been most recently responsible for our Resourcing function and our HR Business Partner team.

In my new role I bring together responsibility for our HR business partners, employee relations and people services teams, leading the design, implementation and maintenance of our people proposition, helping to make mydentist the best place to work and practise in UK dentistry whilst working with the team to optimise our service for our colleagues. I have been working in the people function at mydentist for the last 12 years.

I thoroughly enjoy reading the Excellence Award nominations as a judge, there are so many inspiring stories and great examples of how colleagues are demonstrating our People Values. The Excellence Awards night is a true celebration of what makes mydentist special, which is our people. Good luck to everyone nominated.

After joining mydentist in 2020 as an Orthodontic Development Manager, supporting practices in the East and North Orthodontic areas, I now work in the Central Operations team as an Operational Lead.

This means I work as part of the transformation programme across various workstreams such as Workday and IFS and act as an operational voice contributing to the decision-making process. I consult colleagues across practices and the field to ensure fit for purpose ways of working and most importantly, leading the training, communication and engagement strategy of these programmes out into the operation to support successful implementation.

I’m Susy Madrugo, Clinical Director for Wales and the South West at mydentist. I joined the business in 2008 as an Associate Dentist and have since held a number of clinical leadership and mentoring roles, now supporting clinicians across 155 practices in Wales and the South West of England.

I’m passionate about recognising great dentistry and the people behind it, and in living our values of respecting each other, growing together and achieving as one.

I really enjoy judging the Excellence Awards, as they celebrate the outstanding commitment, teamwork and professionalism shown by colleagues across mydentist.