Judges 2025
Joanne Angus
Joanne Angus LCGI has been in the grooming industry for over 35 years and is the owner and director of Look North Grooming & Training Centre and Summit Groomer Training Group; she is also Chair of the Groom Team England committee.
Joanne has competed and judged at many events throughout her career and has won the title of British Groomer of The Year twice and is a gold medal winner from Intergroom USA. She was the Best in Show winner at the first Style to Rescue charity show and is a recipient of the Liz Paul Lifetime Achievement Award and The Groomphoria Leadership Award.
Joanne is the co-organiser of Premier Groom grooming competition and led the English team to Gold in the World Championships in Belgium in September 2022.
Joanne has bred and shown Standard and Toy Poodles to Champion level.
Joanne is passionate about groomer’s education and is a qualified tutor, assessor and internal quality assurer and a member of the Licentiateship of City & Guilds Institute. Joanne works closely with the development of qualifications and the dog grooming apprenticeship. She is the co-author of ‘What Every professional Groomer Should Know’ and ‘The Grooming Manual of the Dog and Cat’.
Joanne is keen to promote excellence and education in the grooming industry.
Joanne has competed and judged at many events throughout her career and has won the title of British Groomer of The Year twice and is a gold medal winner from Intergroom USA. She was the Best in Show winner at the first Style to Rescue charity show and is a recipient of the Liz Paul Lifetime Achievement Award and The Groomphoria Leadership Award.
Joanne is the co-organiser of Premier Groom grooming competition and led the English team to Gold in the World Championships in Belgium in September 2022.
Joanne has bred and shown Standard and Toy Poodles to Champion level.
Joanne is passionate about groomer’s education and is a qualified tutor, assessor and internal quality assurer and a member of the Licentiateship of City & Guilds Institute. Joanne works closely with the development of qualifications and the dog grooming apprenticeship. She is the co-author of ‘What Every professional Groomer Should Know’ and ‘The Grooming Manual of the Dog and Cat’.
Joanne is keen to promote excellence and education in the grooming industry.
Irene Ferrato
Irene Ferrato, in 2003 opened her grooming salon in Marcon in the province of Venice. In the same year she began attending grooming competitions, winning numerous medals in various competitions, in Europe and America. Twice semifinalist at the Oster Europa competition, once at the Oster America and in 2011 winner of third place with her Bedlington terrier at the Oster Europa in Spain. For the third consecutive time she was part of the Italian team for the "other hair" class at the world championships in Germany 2009, in Belgium in 2011 and Spain 2013 where Italy obtained 4th place and 6th place. Her passion is scissor cuts. She specialized in the Bedlington breeds, Poodles and in particular in the Bichon Frise, a breed that she has bred since 2010 with the affix "Venetian Moonlight", leading many of her subjects to obtain numerous Italian, international, foreign and world champion titles. EGA Judge for classes: Scissors and Poodles
Ilaria Girardelli
Ilaria started her dog career in 1991 in showing, getting numerous European and World results with her own dogs. In 1994 Ilaria got grooming courses from Umberto Lehmann. In 1995 she opened her first grooming salon and one year later started competing obtaining several golden, silver and bronze medals in all categories both in Europe and USA. In the following years Ilaria opened three further grooming salons that she sold when her first child Davide was born. She won the Oster Tournament of Champions in 2002 in Barcelona and became European Vice Champion in 2003 in Milano with a Poodle and a Lakeland. Ilaria was member of the Italian Team winner of the World Championship 2003 in Barcelona. She also was member of the Italian Team third classed in the World Championship 2005 in France. Best in Show in 2004 in Germany with a West Highland White Terrier. She became International all round Judge in 2003. Ilaria judged the Oster Tournament of Champions in 2003 in France, the European Championship in 2006 in Milano and several National and International competitions. She did and still does demonstrations and stages as well for important companies of the grooming industry and groomers associations
Umberto Lehmann
El Corte Italiano in Cartagena has been his home since 2007. Opened his grooming salon in Milano in 1985 after having been in breeding, showing and training. In 1985 he started giving formation and specialization courses in his Grooming School getting more than 500 students. From 1985 to 2001, he won several gold and silver medals in USA, Europe and Canada in Poodle, Stripping, Purebreds Scissoring and Spaniels. He was member of the Italian Team that got the third place in the World Team Championship in Intergroom U.S.A.1996 He was member of the European Team that got the second place in the 2001 World Team Championship in Canada. From 1989 to 2018 Umberto judged in more than 300 International Grooming Competitions, grooming demonstrations in more than 350 seminars in USA, all over Europe, Ukraine, Russia, Taiwan, India, Brazil, Japan , China ,Korea, He has received the Cardinal Crystal Grooming Achievement Award in 1987 as "International Groomer of the year". Umberto has been judging in the World Team Grooming Championship in England in 1999 as well as in Spain in 2003 as well in Belgium 2011. In France 2005 in Germany 2009 in Spain 2013, in Italy 2015, 2107 he has been President of the Jury. He is Oster Ambassador for Europe. President of the European Grooming Association (E.G.A.), President of the Italian Grooming Association (A.T.I.), and Organizer of "MilanGroom Grooming Competition", and Organizer of The Oster European Tournament of Champion from the 2004 European Grooming Association: Judge All round Showmanagers Alliance: Judge - All round
Rosaria Maria Rana
Rosaria was member of the Italian Team second classed in the World Team Championship 2017. Her career started in 2012 when she took part and won her first competition. In 2016 she won the title of "Best Groomer" (ex Gran Corona) at Master Show in Italy. From 2016 she dedicated herself exclusively to dog shows and grooming competitions with her favorite breed which is the English cocker spaniel, getting several gold medals: Master Show Italy 2016, German Open 2016, Campeonado AEEC 2016 and Med Cup Italy 2017. With Setter Gordon she won gold at Swiss Groomer 2019 and bronze at Romeo Grooming 2019. Now she is collaborating with many reputed breeders to select English Cocker Spaniel and prepare subjects for show.
Chiara Piccionetti
President of the jury
Chiara began her career in 1998, she has won numerous awards in national and international grooming competitions in Italy and abroad.
She has groomed numerous breeds for dog shows, obtaining several awards. She started with poodles, and then specialized in the preparation of terriers, in particular the wire-haired fox terrier.
She was part of the Italian team twice at the World Team Grooming Championship, in 2 different categories (Handstripping and Spaniel), obtaining third place in 2005 and second place in 2007. Chiara became EGA European Vice Champion in 2004 and "Grand Champion", the most coveted title at European level, winning the Oster Invitational Tournament of Champions in 2009.
As an EGA all-round judge, Chiara has been called to judge the World Team Championship twice, in 2013 and 2024, and also the Oster Tournament.
She was elected best judge in 2014 by the Italian groomers and won the same title in 2024 at Groomphoria in England.
In 2022 she was captain of the Italian team, second place at the World Team Championship.
She has groomed numerous breeds for dog shows, obtaining several awards. She started with poodles, and then specialized in the preparation of terriers, in particular the wire-haired fox terrier.
She was part of the Italian team twice at the World Team Grooming Championship, in 2 different categories (Handstripping and Spaniel), obtaining third place in 2005 and second place in 2007. Chiara became EGA European Vice Champion in 2004 and "Grand Champion", the most coveted title at European level, winning the Oster Invitational Tournament of Champions in 2009.
As an EGA all-round judge, Chiara has been called to judge the World Team Championship twice, in 2013 and 2024, and also the Oster Tournament.
She was elected best judge in 2014 by the Italian groomers and won the same title in 2024 at Groomphoria in England.
In 2022 she was captain of the Italian team, second place at the World Team Championship.