Judging

Judging

As part of AHEAD Global 2024, judges from all four regions will join forces to determine this year's worldwide winners.

The panel will decide the Top 10 best-of-the-best from this year's entries, before selecting the winner of the Ultimate Accolade, the most coveted award of the series.

AHEAD also has a specialised global panel for its Sustainability awards, comprising experts and advisors from across the hospitality industry.


SUSTAINABILITY PANEL

Ruud Belmans

Co-founder & Creative Director – WeWantMore

Ruud Belmans is Co-Founder and Creative Director of WeWantMore, a design studio specializing in interior design and branding, based in Antwerp and London. Founded in 2006, the studio has over 40 employees and a diverse international client base in hospitality, retail, and workplace design.

WeWantMore combines branding and interior design, creating unique and experiential projects. Under Belmans’ creative lead, WeWantMore explores the junction of design, art and entertainment. The team stands for authentic ideas, crafted to perfection. Some of their notable clients include MGallery, Corinthia, Hilton, Doubletree and Movenpick. As a result, WeWantMore’s interior designs have been rewarded with AHEAD, Architizer and Design Week awards among others.

Sustainability is an integrated pillar of the studio. WeWantMore is the founding partner of the Monark software to track environmental impact in the design process. In addition, the studio’s projects that shine a light on sustainable design includes ‘The Mush Room’ – an experimental installation built in 2023 at HIX London, taking a theme of ‘great things will grow’. The result was a large-scale mycelium bar in collaboration with art agent La Succulente and artist Côme Di Meglio. Belmans is keen to ensure these types of sustainable materials can work in commercial environments on a larger scale.

Gregoir Chikaher

Hospitality Consultant

Gregoir is a consultant and former Director of Arup, as well as the Global Director of Arup’s Hotels and Leisure Group.

A chartered engineer with over 35 years of experience, he has led the design and management of landmark commercial, educational, residential, and hospitality projects. Gregoir has collaborated with world-renowned architects such as Zaha Hadid and Wilkinson Eyre on numerous award-winning projects globally. Passionate about innovative and sustainable solutions, he strives to ensure that designs are both environmentally conscious and commercially viable.

In the past two decades, Gregoir has been deeply involved in the design of international hotels and resorts for prestigious brands like Hyatt, Starwood, and Four Seasons. He co-authored Arup’s Hotel and Resort Design Guide and developed energy consumption models for various climates, contributing to environmentally responsible design. As a frequent speaker at global conferences and a long-term member of the ITP Advisory Board, Gregoir has shared his expertise on sustainability and hospitality trends.

Since retiring from Arup in 2014, Gregoir established his own consultancy, advising architects, hotel operators, and developers on all aspects of building design. His clients include Zaha Hadid Architects and Aman Hotels. He is currently the Development Director for RND Investment, overseeing a multimillion-dollar resort project in Varko Bay, Greece.

Robert Godwin

CEO – Lammington Group

Juliet Kinsman

Hospitality Consultant