Ayden Vakai is the co-owner of Haus of Vakai, a leading salon and education brand recognised for its focus on strong business foundations, team development, and modern salon systems. With a background in hotel management and the banking industry, Ayden brings a unique perspective to the hairdressing space, combining high level customer service with financial and operational expertise. He has been a key part in building the business from the ground up, developing clear systems around pricing, profitability, client experience, and team performance.

Working alongside his husband, Kaine Vakai, Ayden has helped grow Haus of Vakai into a multi faceted brand that blends education, extensions brand, social media, and in salon excellence. His approach is practical and results driven, shaped by real experience inside a fast paced salon environment. Through his seminars and education, Ayden focuses on simplifying the business side of hairdressing, giving owners clear direction, actionable systems, and the confidence to build long term, sustainable success.

Fiona Beamish, CEO, Australian Hairdressing Council (AHC), appointed in February 2025. With over 30 years of experience in the global hair industry, Fiona brings a wealth of knowledge across the sectors of education, training, sales, and brand distribution.

Her career has taken her across Australia, Ireland, the UK, and Asia, where she has built a reputation for identifying emerging trends, streamlining business operations, and delivering strategic growth for salon businesses and industry partners alike. Fiona successfully owned and operated the national distribution of a UK-based professional hair brand, further deepening her understanding of the commercial side of the industry.

Her leadership at the AHC is shaped by a deep passion for community and connection. A former AHC member and member support team contributor, Fiona is excited to return to the organisation in a leadership role during a time of transformation and opportunity.

With decades of global salon leadership, Larissa Macleman brings invaluable industry insight to this year’s Hair Awards judging panel.

 Larissa opened her first salon at 20, eventually scaling it to a $2M business with a team of 30 while reducing her own hours to just 15 per week before a successful exit. Along the way, she won three Global Salon Business Awards and studied entrepreneurship at UCLA.

 In 2016, she founded Salon Owners Collective™, a global coaching company helping hundreds of salon owners achieve profitability and freedom through its Salon Mastery program. She has since expanded her ecosystem by launching MySalonCEO™, a specialised salon business software and hosting the Salon Owners Collective™ podcast, now approaching 500 episodes. Today, her work continues to shape the next generation of global salon leaders.

As the co-founder of Vivo, Lynden didn’t just grow a business - he changed the face of hairdressing in New Zealand. What began as one humble salon became a nationwide network of 85 thriving locations, making Vivo the largest privately owned salon group in the Southern Hemisphere. But Lynden’s magic wasn’t just in the numbers, it was in his ability to grow people. He’s spent his career mentoring stylists, championing education, and turning raw talent into confident, successful professionals.

In 2024, he stepped away from Vivo to go all-in on his biggest passion: empowering stylists and salon owners to grow brilliant, profitable businesses. Alongside his wife and business partner, Tereze Taber, he launched Behind the Brand and BTB Salon Services, a consultancy and distribution company that now supports hundreds of salons around the country. Through BTB, they also exclusively distribute Professional by Fama, a premium Italian colour range known for technical excellence without big-brand baggage and prices.

Shaughan Woodcock is a dynamic event director based in Auckland, New Zealand.

Shaughan is best known as the Owner, Event Director and driving force behind the NZ Hair & Beauty Expo. Under his leadership (and since acquisition in 2019), the Expo has grown from its roots at the ASB Showgrounds to become the country’s premier trade event for hair, male grooming, and beauty products.  A passionate advocate for industry collaboration, Shaughan emphasizes the importance of education, networking, and efficiency. He built the popular Education Arena and live stage demonstrations into the Expo’s core, giving attendees direct access to brands and education.

 Beyond the NZ Hair & Beauty Expo, Shaughan also produces the annual Chocolate & Coffee Festival.

Te Oho Reedy, is the Chief Executive of the Services Industry Skills Board, bringing more than 20 years’ experience in vocational education, qualification development, and quality assurance in Aotearoa New Zealand.

 She has extensive expertise in standards setting, qualification development, and system stewardship, and has worked closely with industry, government agencies, and education providers to support workforce development across the services sector.

 Te Oho is committed to honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi and supporting vocational education that is inclusive, responsive, and fit for the future.

 As Chief Executive, she leads the organisation in strengthening industry led standards, supporting workforce development, and ensuring the services industries are well positioned to meet current and future skills needs.

Bernadette Beswick is the only Australian hairdresser to hold the AHIA Australian Hairdresser of the Year, AHIA Educator of the Year, and British Hairdressing Awards International Collection titles concurrently. Her recent accolades include winning the 2025 AHIA Creative Australian Hairdresser of the Year, 2024 AHIA Business Educator of the Year, and 2025 British Hairdressing Award’s International Hairdresser of the Year, culminating in her headlining the 2026 AHIA Gala.

 A trailblazer in Australian hairdressing education with over a decade of experience, she is renowned for her dynamic and innovative teaching methods. In 2017, she founded Beswick Education Services, delivering over 665 driving-force workshops to more than 20,000 stylists to empower excellence. Represented globally by Hair Shots 2 The World, she has educated across the US, Taiwan, and New Zealand, and serves as a brand ambassador for Kevin Murphy, K18, Eleven, and Victoria University.

Textured Artistry Judge

With over two decades of global experience, Chelsea De Main brings a transformative approach to hairdressing. Since 2001, she has honed her craft in London, Greece, and Melbourne, eventually founding the award-winning Eye Am Hair in Hobart.

A graduate of the DevaCurl Academy in New York, Chelsea has mastered advanced methodologies in curly hair cutting, coloring, and styling. She has since adapted these international techniques into a bespoke curriculum, training a new generation of stylists in the art of texture.

As a pioneer of the "inclusive hair" movement, Chelsea founded @eyeamcurls to fill the industry void for textured hair mastery. Renowned for "outside the salon" thinking, including Australia’s first mobile caravan salons, she views hair as a medium for storytelling. As an NZHA judge, Chelsea seeks technical excellence, creative innovation, and authenticity, believing that texture is a master-level skill set requiring both precision and intuition.

Danny is a multiple award-winning hairdresser, co-owner of D&M Hair Design, editorial stylist, media commentator, international artist, celebrity stylist and art director based in Auckland, New Zealand.

Danny is the only person appointed to the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to hairdressing (2025).
He is an eight-time consecutive winner of NZ Hairdresser of the Year, 2016 to 2023 & 2026 (Hair Expo and Creative AHIA, Australia; Fashion Quarterly, NZ) and is the winner of 14 international awards.

He is a session stylist, with editorial work regularly featured in the likes of Vogue, Fashion Quarterly, Remix, Style and Coup de Main. Has hair education shows and fashion show direction across Europe, America, Asia and Australasia.

Also passionately involved in charity projects, regularly raising funds for disaster relief, children’s charities and various local community groups, including $27,000 for KidsCan.

Director of MJ Hair Australia, Mat Johnson is a globally recognised hairstylist with more than 24 years of industry experience. Based in Adelaide, his career has taken him to the world stage as a Global Artist for Intercoiffure and a member of the MATRIX Global Artistic Team and L’Oréal Biolage Global.

 A respected celebrity hairstylist, expert wigmaker, and multiple South Australian Hairdresser of the Year finalist, Mat is known for his creativity, technical excellence, and passion for pushing the boundaries of modern hairdressing.

 Beyond the salon, Mat has also appeared on reality TV, expanding his profile beyond the hair industry and introducing his creativity and personality to a wider audience.

NZHA Patrick Cameron Bridal Challenge – Senior & Next Generation judge.

A master of long hairdressing and a venerated public speaker, Patrick has captivated audiences worldwide with his dynamic presentations and educational mastery. His expertise has been showcased many times at Wella’s prestigious International Trend Vision, captivating 2,000+ live attendees and reaching over 64 million digital viewers.

Renowned for his motivational speaking, Patrick excels at helping hairdressers understand the importance of their digital reach.

Patrick’s approach to presentations is deeply rooted in understanding his audience's needs and crafting each event to uniquely resonate with attendees.

Caleb Heke is originally from Putāruru, New Zealand, and is the owner of a successful barbershop on Australia’s Gold Coast. Known as a celebrity barber, Caleb’s clientele includes Carlos Ulberg, Bow Wow, Ruger, Lloyd, Dustin Martin, as well as numerous NRL players and All Blacks. He has delivered education and live demonstrations throughout New Zealand and Australia at some of the industry’s leading barber academies and has earned multiple industry accolades. In 2026, Caleb was named a finalist for AMBA Business Owner/Director of the Year, recognising his leadership and business excellence.

As a judge for the Expo4Barbers Barber Battle, Caleb brings a wealth of industry experience, technical expertise, and a genuine passion for helping elevate the next generation of barbers.

Sean Faramand, known professionally as Sean the Barber, is an award-winning barber, educator, and the founder of Barber Evolution. With over a decade of industry experience, he has raised barbering standards throughout New Zealand by combining technical precision with a strong focus on practical education. As a national educator, Sean delivers workshops and live demonstrations across the country, mentoring barbers of all levels with a philosophy centred on understanding over memorisation to foster long-term growth and confidence.

 Alongside education, Sean specialises in modern barbering, traditional grooming, and scalp micropigmentation, while still working behind the chair. His passion extends to developing future talent and encouraging professionalism across the industry. Honoured to be a judge for the New Zealand Hair Awards, Sean looks forward to recognising the exceptional skill, creativity, and dedication of the talented professionals shaping the future of New Zealand barbering.

Yuki Kano is a Wahl Future Maker and Wahl Pro Japan Educator based in Sydney, Australia. Originally from Japan, she works with TONI&GUY and The Barberhood, combining the worlds of hairdressing and barbering.

Inspired by culture and traditional barbering, Yuki is known for blending editorial creativity with modern, wearable styles. She has shared her work through education, editorial projects, and creative collaborations across Japan, France, Thailand, the UK, and the USA.