Judging Panel 2025

Barbara Lange is a distinguished entrepreneur, executive business leader, and industry speaker with a proven track record in global not-for-profit professional associations. She has served as Executive Director and CEO, earning a reputation for strategic leadership, innovation, and driving organizational success. Known for her ability to collaborate effectively with Boards, Barbara excels in optimizing performance and ensuring long-term growth. Her career includes executive leadership roles at the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) and the Hollywood Professional Association (HPA), two of the media tech industry's most influential organizations. Additionally, she has held key positions in business development and product management at IEEE, further solidifying her expertise in advancing technology-driven industries. In 2022, she founded Kibo121, a consultancy committed to guiding industry towards sustainable solutions, encompassing environmental, social, and governance (ESG) considerations. In 2023, together with Dovetail Creative, Kibo121co-founded the Media Tech Sustainability Series (MTSS), a non-commercial program to aid the media tech industry on sustainability issues through webinars, training, and industry events. A certified Sustainability Excellence Associate (SAE), Barbara is deeply engaged in sustainability initiatives. She serves on the board and chairs a working group for the Greening of Streaming industry initiative, sits on sustainability committees for SMPTE and ATSC, and advises the TV NewsCheck Women in Technology Awards committee. She is also a leadership council member for GalsNGear and contributes to the White Plains City Sustainability Committee. Additionally, she is an active member of the International Society of Sustainability Professionals (ISSP), SMPTE, and HPA.

Sarah Walkley is Senior Sustainability Writer at sustainability strategy and communications agency Context Europe. She has over 25 years of professional writing and editing experience across multiple formats and has written for a broad range of audiences from business and government to academics and consumers. She is a former member of the Executive Leadership team at Autovista Group where she headed up development of the group’s sustainability strategy. Sarah is an expert on reporting frameworks and requirements, including CSRD. You can read her recent overview of the 2023 sustainability landscape, covering CSRD and more, here. She holds a Master’s with Distinction in Sustainability Leadership from the Cambridge Institute of Sustainability Leadership, part of the University of Cambridge.

Laura Thommen is an experienced leader in technology sales and business management. She has worked with several AI software companies and has worked extensively with Apple, Avid, Adobe, Litton Data Systems (now Northrop Grumman), and DDN Storage. Thommen is CEO/Cofounder of Eurora Labs and is cofounder and principal consultant at LLC Thommen, LLC, a global consulting firm founded in 2020. Harnessing the power of AI software, hardware, and cloud technology to provide groundbreaking solutions, Thommen has a proven track record of turning company goals into measurable results through strategic planning, diligence, and continuous evolution with the international market and technologies. Thommen is an active member of Hollywood Professional Alliance (HPA) and co-created HPA’s Young Entertainment Professional’s program. Thommen is a SMPTE Hollywood Member, part of the chapter’s Educational Committee and a SMPTE Ambassador. Thommen holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a focus in Finance from USC and an MBA from Pepperdine University.

Renard T. Jenkins is the President and CEO of I2A2 Technologies, Studios, and Labs. A software development and consulting firm as well as content creation studio specializing in the creation of ethically responsible tools, solutions, and experiences for the M&E, Marketing & Research, Education, and Healthcare industries, utilizing both emerging and traditional technologies. Jenkins is an experienced executive in the Technology, Film, Television, and Radio industries. Jenkins sits on a number of corporate boards and also currently serves as Vice President of the Hollywood Professionals Association, Immediate Past President of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers, and sits on the board of Exceptional Minds. He is also an active member of the Television Academy and The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. He has held Executive roles across the Technology, Media, and Entertainment industry. Jenkins previously held Senior Executive roles at Warner Bros., PBS, TV One, Discovery, ESPN, NBA Ent., MLB, NFL, and Turner Broadcasting. Jenkins is a recipient of numerous awards, including two national Emmys, a Peabody, two Headliners, and a 2020 Broadcasting and Cable Technology Leadership award. In 2017, Jenkins was recognized as an Innovator of the Year award recipient. Additionally, he holds certifications as a sound engineer, AI/ML engineer, and application designer, among others. Jenkins holds a deep passion for the visual arts, especially animation, photography, and music, and, when time permits, offers pro bono services in location sound recording, live mixing, studio recording, post-production, and finishing for aspiring filmmakers, animators, and musicians. His family’s guiding principle is “In all things, integrity, and integrity in all things.”

Cedric Lejeune is a pioneer in digital cinema and media production technologies. He’s a specialist in business transformation with a focus on innovation and sustainability. In 2006, he founded Workflowers to provide consulting and training, helping film labs and post-production facilities in their transition to digital cinema. Specializing in advanced media, workflows and color science, he designed early ACES color pipeline setups in VFX facilities. Joining Ymagis in 2015, he supervised the post-production and mastering labs’ technology, then initiated the innovation team and developed EclairColor, HDR solution for cinema. In 2020, he restarted his consulting business to help media industries transition to more sustainable models. In 2023, he started HOLLI, a consulting firm assisting media organizations with data-centric strategies for efficiency and sustainability.

Peggy Dau leverages 25+ years of corporate business experience to connect the dots between market opportunity, technology and defined business need. As an independent consultant, Peggy collaborates with clients in the media tech sector, focusing on market assessment, content marketing, sales enablement and go-to-market strategies. Clients have included Hewlett-Packard Enterprise, Quantum, Grass Valley, Microsoft, Avid, Amino Technologies, MetaBroadcast, EZDRM, and several early- stage start-ups.

Carrie is a global leader for diversity, equality and inclusion across the media technology industry with over 20 years’ experience. She is the CEO and Co-founder of the Global Media and Entertainment Talent Manifesto, which focuses on skills | education | diversity, delivering a wide-range of programmes and initiatives, working collaboratively with companies across the globe. Carrie was previously the MD and Co-Founder of Rise, a membership organisation working to address gender diversity across the industry and was also the Head of Industry Partnerships at Ravensbourne University. She was nominated for the RTS Technology Centre Leader of the Year Award 2024.

Charlotte is Executive Director of Context Group, a sustainability strategy, reporting and communications consultancy. She has worked with broad range of companies across sectors, industries and continents to help develop impact-led strategies, report progress, and engage effectively with internal and external stakeholders. As an experienced writer and communicator, she is passionate about collaborating with businesses and helping them tell their sustainability stories better.

Christine Purse is the founder and managing director of ignite strategic communications, a consultancy launched in 1995 that has helped shape the messaging of some of the most influential companies and organizations in media and entertainment. She began her career as an agency producer, earning an Emmy before moving into independent production. Her work included music videos, commercial spots, and an award-winning independent feature under her Echo Rock Entertainment banner. She later joined LaserPacific, then a leading Hollywood post-production facility, serving in an executive role before founding ignite. At ignite, Purse has led communications strategy for major industry organizations—including the Hollywood Professional Association (HPA), the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC), the Cinema Audio Society (CAS), and the International Relations Committee of American Cinema Editors (ACE). She was a founding member of the HPA Awards Committee and served as its co-chair. She has guided brand, messaging, and thought leadership efforts for enterprise clients across the evolving landscape of content creation, production, and technology—from pioneering startups to established global brands. Her work spans corporate communications, organizational storytelling, and strategic media engagement, with a focus on industries undergoing rapid change. Purse is a co-founder of ACE’s EditFest and a founding board member of the Wildlife Society of Filmmakers. She studied at the American Film Institute Conservatory and is a graduate of the University of Colorado at Boulder.