Laura Cuddihy is a senior lecturer in the Faculty of Business at Dublin Institute of Technology where she teaches at undergraduate, postgraduate and executive education levels. Laura has also extensively published in the marketing, sales and education fields. Laura has been shortlisted for this award on the basis of her outstanding work at the forefront of the development of sales education in Ireland, an area in which DIT has pioneered and excelled, and which is key to marketing success. With a career background in sales and marketing roles in the medical devices industry. Laura has developed excellent links with industry and has leveraged these to ensure effective collaboration for results.

Tim McNulty BL has been lecturing at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels for over 12 years in Griffith College Dublin. His areas of specialisation include consumer behaviour, international marketing and business strategy. Before entering academia, Tim spent five years in financial services. As a practising barrister Tim also delivers courses in various areas of Law. He lectures in Contract Law at Dublin Institute of Technology in Bolton Street. He also specialises in the Law of Tort and Intellectual Property Protection. In addition, he has been a distance learning tutor in Law and International Marketing for the Marketing Institute's Graduateship Programme. Tim is an active member of the Marketing Institute of Ireland.

The University of Ulster is located on four campuses at Coleraine, Jordanstown, Belfast and Derry. A team based in the School of International Business at the Magee campus in Derry has developed an exciting and innovative new curriculum in Advertising, aimed at moving a student toward an entry-level position in an ad agency, a media supplier or a related promotional communication company. Marian Norwood, Lecturer in Marketing, chaired the course planning team that developed the new BSc Honours Degree in Advertising, which was developed in consultation with practitioners, and which includes a placement year. The team members comprised the very best marketing educational talent available at the university.

Thomas O'Toole is Head of the School of Business at Waterford Institute of Technology, where he has successfully led an initiative to strengthen its positioning in the south-east. Thomas is a Fellow of the Marketing Institute of Ireland, and is currently Chair of the Irish Academy of Management. He was a member of the Strategy Waterford task force, later Strategy South East, set up by the Government. He is also on the board of Waterford Chamber of Commerce and Kilkenny Arts Festival. Thomas maintains active research interests and the second edition of his co-authored book entitled Strategic Market Relationships was published in 2007 by Wiley.