Dog Grooming Championship Judging

Agnes Murphy began showing Irish Setters in 1975 before completing her City & Guilds Dog Grooming Certificate and Licentiateship. In 1997, she began sharing her knowledge with aspiring professional groomers by taking on students. After completing her two-year City & Guilds Adult Teaching Qualification in 2000, she established Scotgroom. 

Since then, Agnes has taught students from around the world and takes great pride in their achievements. 

She was honoured to receive the prestigious Cardinal Crystal Award for Best International Groomer at Intergroom in New Jersey, where she also won a gold medal with a Scottish Terrier. Agnes has won numerous other awards and competed with the Scottish team in England, Canada, France and Italy. 

She has judged grooming competitions in the Czech Republic, the UK and Ireland, and has extensive experience showing and judging Gundogs and Poodles at championship show level.

Corinna Verschuren opened her grooming salon, ’t Trimmertje, in 1996, following a short career as a veterinary assistant and two years of dog grooming education. 

Her passion soon extended beyond running a salon into the worlds of dog shows and grooming competitions. She has competed at grooming and styling events across Europe and America, showcasing her talent across a wide range of breeds and categories, particularly Poodles and other scissoring breeds. 

Corinna has won more than 180 awards, including 11 Best in Show titles, several Best Allround Groomer awards and numerous Best Transformation awards. She became Belgian and Benelux Champion in 2002 and 2012. 

In 2005, she founded the Belgium Groomteam, which she continues to lead and coach. The team achieved sixth place at the World Team Grooming Championships in 2005 and fifth place in 2017. In 2008, Corinna was invited to compete at the prestigious Les Pooches Challenge in New York, alongside eight of the world’s leading Poodle groomers. In 2009, she was nominated for the Cardinal Crystal Achievement Award for International Groomer of the Year. 

Since 2006, Corinna has been an approved EGA All-Round Judge across Europe and holds all four EGA Mastergroomer degrees. She has twice won the Liz Paul International Groomer of the Year award and has also won Liz Paul Judge of the Year. Following four appearances in the top six, she became Grand Champion at the prestigious Oster Invitational Challenge in 2018. 

From 2018 to 2026, Corinna taught grooming at the recognised institute Syntra PXL Hasselt, joining the Artero World Team in 2018. In 2026, she established her own grooming school, Coats & Skills. She is also a freelance writer for several grooming magazines and a sought-after speaker at seminars and workshops across Europe and China. 

Corinna owns five Standard Poodles and began breeding white Standard Poodles under the name Ramblin’ Hearts in 2024. In 2026, she became an FCI Grooming Judge. Her passion for Poodles and other styling breeds, combined with her commitment to education, has established her as a respected international grooming expert. 

Denise McGlennon is an experienced grooming educator and professional groomer with over 25 years in the industry. Throughout her career, she has trained and mentored hundreds of groomers, sharing her knowledge and expertise with both established professionals and those beginning their grooming careers. 

Denise holds City & Guilds Level 3 and Level 4 qualifications and is an ICMG (International Certified Master Groomer). She has also undertaken international training and gained qualifications in cat grooming, giving her a broad knowledge of professional grooming techniques. 

A passionate competitor and advocate for the grooming industry, Denise has served as Captain and organiser of Groom Team Scotland. In 2026, she led the team to the World Grooming Championship, marking the return of a Scottish team to the world stage after almost 20 years without Scottish representation. 

Denise has extensive experience in grooming competitions and events, including show organisation, and has played an active role in supporting and developing the grooming community. 

Alongside her professional grooming career, Denise is an experienced Scottish Terrier exhibitor and show groomer, with a particular understanding of breed presentation, coat preparation and the precision required for the show ring. 

Denise brings a wealth of practical expertise, competition knowledge and a strong commitment to developing grooming talent to her role as a judge, with a keen eye for technical skill, presentation and professional standards. 

Emma Darlington is an award-winning professional dog groomer with over 13 years of industry experience, specialising in Asian Fusion styling and creative grooming. Alongside building a successful grooming business, she has established a strong reputation as a competitive groomer, achieving Champion status in both Workshop and Asian Fusion classes. 

In 2022, Emma was awarded Asian Fusion Groomer of the Year at the prestigious Liz Paul Awards, recognising her skill, creativity and contribution to the grooming industry. She has competed nationally and internationally, gaining experience at competitions across the UK and abroad. 

Emma has also judged at some of the UK’s leading grooming competitions, bringing her experience and keen eye for detail to the judging table. 

Passionate about sharing her knowledge, Emma regularly teaches fellow groomers and delivers seminars, webinars and training sessions across the country, helping others develop their skills, creativity and confidence. 

Jitka Kržo Averis has built an international career spanning more than 20 years in dog grooming, education and product development. 

Her competition achievements include winning Best in Show at Eurogroom for three consecutive years, as well as at Groomania and Mastergroom, and being named British Groomer of the Year. She represented England at the World Dog Grooming Championship for six consecutive years, received the UK Dog Grooming Salon of the Year award and twice received the Congeniality Award at the World Dog Grooming Conference UK. 

Jitka was part of the Saredon Terriers team for 20 years. She holds the highest dog grooming qualification in the UK and is a member of the Guild of Master Groomers. 

An experienced educator, Jitka runs a grooming school and delivers seminars and workshops, specialising in hand-stripped terriers. She is an EGA hand-stripping judge and has judged at Groomania, Mastergroom, Premiergroom and other competitions across the UK and Europe. 

Her years of working with dogs, alongside qualifications in canine massage and clinical aromatherapy, led her to establish Vita Canis, a natural aromatherapy brand for dogs that she successfully ran for ten years. 

Since 2018, Jitka has organised Style to Rescue, an annual charity dog grooming competition that raises funds for dog rescue organisations. She also works as a cosmetic product developer for the Belgian dog grooming brand The Sentinel.

Lesley Garratt has been involved in professional dog grooming for almost 40 years and has spent over 30 years teaching and educating groomers. Through Canine Design, she has trained thousands of groomers, including award-winning professionals, as well as helping to develop successful grooming schools. 

A passionate advocate for newcomers to the industry, Lesley particularly enjoys helping people develop their skills, confidence and knowledge. She takes great pride in seeing her students flourish and go on to build successful careers. 

Lesley was awarded Dog Grooming School of the Year in 2014 and Dog Grooming Teacher of the Year in 2024, recognising her contribution to education and the grooming profession. 

With a lifelong passion for dogs and a commitment to maintaining high standards within the industry, Lesley is delighted to be judging at Crufts and looks forward to celebrating the talent, dedication and creativity of fellow groomers. 

Louisa Tandy has been grooming for 35 years and has owned her salon in Gravesend, South East England, for 28 years. She is a member of the Guild of Master Groomers and holds the L.C.G.I. award from City & Guilds. 

Louisa is a founding member of the English Groomers Group, which has organised one of the country’s biggest and longest-running grooming competitions and boasts one of the UK’s largest grooming members-only Facebook groups, with almost 18,000 members. She also sits on the Groom Team England committee. 

Having competed in and judged Poodle, Pure Breed, Handstrip and Workshop classes, Louisa has extensive competition experience. She has delivered countless seminars and demonstrations across the UK and Europe and is an ambassador for Simpsons Grooming Supplies, having featured in numerous educational videos on the Groomers Gallery website. 

Louisa was a reserve for Groom Team England at the 2023/24 World Championships. She has won Speaker of the Year, received nominations for Judge of the Year and organised some of the biggest events in the grooming industry. 

Luis Martín del Río grew up surrounded by show dogs, with his parents breeding Schnauzers in Spain long before he was born. By the age of 15, he was already grooming dogs from the family kennel, and at 18, he became co-owner of the prestigious Tajinastes kennel, specialising in Miniature Schnauzers. 

The kennel’s dogs have earned more than 250 titles across America, Asia, Africa and Europe, including over 50 All-Breed Best in Show awards and hundreds of Best of Group wins. As a groomer, Luis has also achieved Best in Show titles and medals in stripping, spaniel and scissoring classes at some of Europe’s most prestigious competitions. 

Luis has been a member of both the Artero Creative Team and the Artero World Team, travelling worldwide to educate groomers through seminars and training professionals at his own kennel. He currently works as Product Manager at Artero headquarters. 

His expertise and dedication have earned him the position of President of the FCI Grooming Commission, where he continues to promote and advance professional grooming internationally. 

Melanie Winters-Holmes has spent more than 40 years working in an industry she loves, building a career as a groomer, breeder, trainer, educator, judge and speaker. She is also an Andis International Educational Ambassador. 

Education and professional development have always been important to Melanie. She has worked with City & Guilds, served as a Director of the British Isles Grooming Association (BIGA) and been a committee member of the English Groomers Group. 

A former British Dog Groomer of the Year, Melanie represented the British Grooming Team for many years and has judged grooming competitions for over 30 years. In 2026, she had the honour of judging Best in Show at the Crufts Grooming Competition. 

Melanie is also the Founder and Creator of the Golden Scissor Awards, which celebrate excellence, professionalism and integrity within the grooming community.

Dogs have always been a central part of Suzana Simon’s life through breeding, showing, professional handling and grooming. In 2000, she opened her grooming salon, which she continues to run alongside a professional grooming supply shop importing leading brands of cosmetics and equipment. 

Grooming is Suzana’s primary profession, and she has trained numerous groomers from Croatia and Slovenia. She is a member of the Croatian Grooming Commission, an all-round grooming judge and, since 2026, an FCI All-Breed Judge. 

With the support of colleagues and organisers, Suzana organised and judged Croatia’s first FCI grooming competition in 2026. Having previously competed in grooming herself, she now judges dog shows and grooming competitions worldwide, including the Artero Grooming Slam in 2025. 

As a breeder of Airedale, Irish, Welsh and Lakeland Terriers, Suzana has a particular passion for and appreciation of hand stripping. She looks forward to new judging opportunities and sharing her lifelong passion for dogs and grooming.