The waiting is over and the nominees for the 25th British Hairdressing Awards have been announced. From a specially selected group of industry experts, beauty journalists and international trade press, 8 inspirational and influential hairdressers – the cream of the British hairdressing industry, have been nominated for the prestigious British Hairdresser of the Year Award.

The nominated hairdressers are:
•    Andrew Barton – previous winner of British Hairdresser of the Year 2006, Andrew is the Artistic Director of Saks Hair and Beauty. This is Andrew’s eighth nomination.
•    Errol Douglas – This is the 13th nomination for Knightsbridge salon owner Errol Douglas, previous winner of Afro Hairdresser of the Year 1993, 1995 and 2007.
•    Mark Hayes – This is the first nomination for Mark, the International Creative Director of Sassoon. Having joined Sassoon over 30 years ago Mark is responsible for creating their renowned photographic collections.
•    Akin Konizi – Artistic Director for hob salon group, and the current British Hairdresser of the Year.  This is Akin’s fourth consecutive nomination.
•    Angelo Seminara – The 2007 British Hairdresser of the Year and International Creative Director at Trevor Sorbie. This is Angelo’s fourth nomination.
•    Lisa Shepherd – Previous winner of British Hairdresser of the Year in 2005, this is Lisa's second nomination. Lisa is also in the Hall of Fame for winning Schwarzkopf Professional British Colour Technician of the Year three years in a row, and is also a Hall of Fame member for Midlands Hairdresser of the Year.
•    Phil Smith – As an investor in 25 international Toni & Guy salons, this is Phil’s seventh nomination. Phil is a previous winner of Wales & South West Hairdresser of the Year 1993,1998 and 1999.
•    Gary Hooker & Michael Young – This is the second nomination for owners of salon group Hooker & Young, six times winners of North Easter Hairdresser of the Year and Schwarzkopf Professional British Colour Technicians of the Year 2006.

In the British Hairdressing Awards’ 25 year history there have only been 15 hairdressers who have been awarded this esteemed title: Trevor Sorbie, Anthony Mascolo, Irvine and Rita Rusk, John Frieda, Andrew Collinge, Nicky Clarke, Charles Worthington, Umberto Giannini, Beverly C, Mark Hill, Antoinette Benders, Lisa Shepherd, Andrew Barton, Angelo Seminara and the 2008 British Hairdresser of the Year, Akin Konizi.

hob Salon’s Akin was ecstatic when he won the coveted title, as the hob Artistic Team had won Artistic Team of the Year along with colleague Christel Lundqvist being awarded Schwarzkopf Professional British Colour Technician of the Year. “Winning British Hairdresser of the Year will definitely go down as one of those monumental moments, not only in my career, but in my whole life! This award means so much to me as it’s the culmination of so many years of hard work having been recognised by my peers and to realise that so many people had nominated and/or voted for me was truly humbling. These awards are the most anticipated night of the British hairdressing calendar and to be British Hairdresser of the Year is a real honour, which I hope I’ve been a good ambassador for,” said Akin.

Jayne Lewis-Orr, Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Hairdressers Journal International was delighted to announce the nominees. “British hairdressing is viewed throughout the world as being creative and inspiring and the 8 British Hairdresser of the Year nominees all live up to that expectation. The forthcoming months are going to be very exciting, as we have the first round judging of the regional and specialist categories, followed by the announcement of the six finalists within nine regional categories and the six specialist categories. Within that time, the British Hairdresser of the Year nominees will be preparing their exclusive portfolio, which will be judged with the regional and specialist category finalists in October. I wish everyone involved the best of luck, as winning a British Hairdressing Award can really change your life.”

The British Hairdressing Awards 2009 are presented by Hairdressers Journal International and sponsored by Schwarzkopf Professional. The winners in all sixteen categories, culminating in the premier accolade, British Hairdresser of the Year 2009, will be announced at a fantastic star studded awards ceremony and dinner at the Grosvenor House Hotel, A JW Marriot Hotel, Park Lane, London on Monday 23rd November 2009.

   


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