With decades of salon leadership and global business expertise, Larissa Macleman brings a wealth of industry insight to this year’s Hair Awards judging panel.

Meet the woman who built it — then taught the industry how.

Larissa Macleman opened her first salon at 20, just six months out of her apprenticeship. Twenty years later, she sold at peak - after building a ~$2M salon business, leading a team of 30, and reducing her role in the business to just 15 hours a week.

Along the way, she won three Global Salon Business Awards across London, LA, and Spain, and studied entrepreneurship at UCLA.

In 2016, she founded Salon Owners Collective™ — a global coaching and education company helping salon owners build profitable businesses, high-performing teams, and genuine freedom through its signature program, Salon Mastery.

Today, Larissa and her team have coached hundreds of salon owners around the world, becoming trusted mentors to ambitious salon CEOs ready to step out of survival mode and into confident leadership.

She has since expanded the company with MySalonCEO™ — business software built specifically for salons — bringing team performance, profit tracking, career pathways, training, and leadership tools together in one place.

Larissa is also the long-standing host of the Salon Owners Collective podcast, now approaching 500 episodes across platforms, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify

Today, her work continues to shape the next generation of successful salons, and the leaders behind them, globally. 

Fiona Beamish is the Chief Executive Officer of the 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 has also 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.

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 (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.

His commitment to audience engagement is celebrated for its motivational and inspirational qualities, particularly effective among fellow hairdressers.