The line-up of judges for the 2019 Business Leader Awards has been joined by former Dragons’ Den star, Piers Linney. The entrepreneur and investor is a champion of scale-up businesses and brings a wealth of experience to the judging panel. He qualified as a lawyer and is a former banker and fund manager with extensive experience in corporate finance and M&A.  Piers is also a Non-Executive Director of the government-owned British Business Bank, which has facilitated more than £12 billion of financing for UK SMEs. “I am a passionate believer in the importance of SMEs to the success of the UK economy and I am committed to helping ambitious businesses scale-up. The Business Leader Awards is a great way to recognise some of the UK’s most dynamic start-up and scale-up businesses,” Piers Linney commented. The Business Leader Awards champions British business across all sectors and is open to companies large and small, with 16 categories and a special ‘Business Leader of the Year’ accolade. “Starting and running a high growth business is exciting but also very challenging, and Piers is known for providing practical, no-nonsense advice and support. His experience and passion for scale-up business will be a real benefit to the judging process,” said Andrew Scott, Founder and CEO of Business Leader. A panel of judges independently assess award entries and the winners are announced at a prestigious gala awards dinner at the Hilton on Park Lane, London, on 21st June 2019.