Independent peer review
An existing UKSA Founding Fellow explores the evidence behind your career rather than relying on title, tenure or self-declaration.
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UKSA Founding Fellowship
Be the leader you never had.
Every sales professional remembers the opportunities they never received. The manager who never coached them. The leader who never opened a door. The advice that would have saved years of trial and error.
UKSA Founding Fellowship is your opportunity to change that story for someone else.
It recognises experienced professionals who are prepared to share what they have learned, raise standards across the profession and help the next generation build stronger careers than they did.
Because the greatest legacy is not what you achieved. It is who succeeds because you were willing to help.
Four considered questions will help you decide whether now is the right time to request your Fellowship Review.
Already a Founding Fellow? Go straight to the assessment frameworkQuestion 1 of 4Your answers stay in this page
Which best describes what you do today?
Job titles vary. Choose the option that most closely reflects the level at which you currently operate.
What is the largest team you have been responsible for?
Formal line management is not the only form of leadership. This may include leading project teams, partners, volunteers or cross-functional groups.
What is the greatest level of commercial responsibility you have held?
Think about revenue, budget, profit, customer value, transformation or another meaningful business outcome for which you were accountable.
Why does Fellowship matter to you now?
Fellowship recognises what you have achieved, but it also carries an expectation that you will help strengthen the profession around you.
Your Fellowship readiness
Fellowship may be the right next step.
How Fellowship is assessed
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Rigorous enough to mean something. Human enough to recognise the whole career.
Your review is a confidential, evidence-led conversation. The published framework creates consistency, while the Fellow conducting your review applies professional judgement to the context behind your experience.
Eight assessment areas
Leadership, people, reputation, judgement, contribution, integrity, continued development and contribution to the profession.
A published standard
Candidates and reviewers can see the same framework, weighting and evidence expectations before the review begins.
Board approval
Successful peer assessment is reviewed before Fellowship is formally awarded and the UKSA-FF credential is issued.
The complete Fellowship experience
Everything else included.
Approval is not the end of the process. It is the beginning of a more active relationship with the Association and the profession.
UKSA-FF professional recognition
Approved Fellows may use the UKSA-FF post-nominal and receive a formal Fellowship certificate with verifiable recognition of their status.
Independent peer review
Your experience is explored in a confidential conversation with an existing UKSA Founding Fellow and assessed against the published framework. It is a professional judgement, not an automated score.
Quarterly Fellowship Roundtables
Private, confidential discussions where Fellows examine leadership challenges, emerging practice and the future of the commercial profession without pitching or performance.
Annual Fellows Dinner
A once-a-year private dinner in London for approved Fellows. No formal networking agenda. Just experienced people meeting properly.
Professional contribution
Fellows may assess future candidates, mentor members, lead learning, review training providers and contribute to research, consultations and standards.
External opportunities
Where appropriate, Fellows may be considered for publishing, media, podcast, conference, judging, research, advisory and guest lecturing opportunities.
Independent peer review
Meet the Lead Fellowship Assessors.
Every Fellowship application is assessed against the published UKSA Founding Fellow Assessment Framework. Existing UKSA Founding Fellows may volunteer as peer reviewers, with Lorna Leck UKSA-FF and Simon Akufo-Tetteh UKSA-FF serving as the Association’s Lead Fellowship Assessors.
Lead Fellowship Assessor
Lorna Leck UKSA-FF
Enablement & People Development Lead · Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Lorna brings more than 30 years of experience across commercial leadership, sales enablement, people development and business transformation. Her work at AWS spans strategic capability building, leadership development and partner enablement across EMEA.
As a Lead Fellowship Assessor, Lorna helps ensure each review is evidence based, professionally conducted and focused not only on achievement, but also on leadership judgement, integrity and contribution to others.
Lead Fellowship Assessor
Simon Akufo-Tetteh UKSA-FF
Senior Key Account Manager · Switchee
BESMA Sales Team of the Year Winner
BESMA Sales Team of the Year Winner
Simon brings more than 20 years of experience across sales, strategic account management, coaching and customer growth. At Switchee, he works with major social housing providers to turn real-world data into better commercial and resident outcomes.
As a Lead Fellowship Assessor, Simon brings a practical commercial lens to each conversation, helping applicants demonstrate their evidence clearly while maintaining the consistency and credibility of the UKSA-FF designation.
For existing UKSA Founding Fellows
Have you been invited to assess a future Fellow?
The framework below is the standard used during every Fellowship Review. Use it to prepare for the conversation, consider the evidence presented and score each category consistently. The purpose is not to catch someone out. It is to make a fair, evidence-led professional judgement.
What your reviewer will consider.
Fellowship considers the whole professional, including leadership, commercial impact, contribution, judgement and integrity. No single job title, team size or budget guarantees approval.
For candidates: You do not need to prepare a perfect answer for every line below. The framework is published so the process is transparent. Your reviewer will use it to explore the context, evidence and judgement behind your career.
| Assessment category | Weight |
|---|---|
| Commercial Leadership | 20% |
| People Leadership | 15% |
| Professional Reputation | 15% |
| Commercial Judgement | 15% |
| Contribution to Others | 10% |
| Integrity & Professional Ethics | 10% |
| Continuous Development | 5% |
| Contribution to the Profession | 10% |
| Total | 100% |
Minimum Fellowship standard
- Overall assessment score of 75% or above
- No individual category may score below 50%
- Fellowship is awarded through independent peer assessment against the published UKSA Fellowship Framework.
Each category below explains the evidence and professional behaviours considered by reviewers.
20 points
1. Commercial Leadership
Assessment question
Has this person genuinely led commercial growth?
Evidence may include
- Revenue ownership
- Profit responsibility
- Strategic leadership
- Building commercial functions
- Leading transformation
- Managing major customer relationships
Scoring guide
0–5
Limited evidence.
Limited evidence.
6–10
Strong operational leader.
Strong operational leader.
11–15
Significant commercial leadership.
Significant commercial leadership.
16–20
National or international commercial impact.
National or international commercial impact.
15 points
2. People Leadership
Assessment question
Have they developed people?
Evidence
- Built teams
- Mentored leaders
- Created succession
- Coached underperformers
- Developed future talent
Reviewer looks for
Evidence that the candidate has built capability in others, not simply managed performance. Strong candidates can describe people they helped develop, difficult conversations they handled professionally and leaders they helped create.
15 points
3. Professional Reputation
Assessment question
Would respected commercial leaders recommend this individual?
Evidence
- Peer recommendations
- Industry reputation
- Speaking
- Board appointments
- Professional recognition
- References
Reviewer looks for
Trust, credibility and consistency. Reputation should be evidenced by people who have worked with, reported to, hired, partnered with or been led by the candidate.
15 points
4. Commercial Judgement
Assessment question
Have they consistently demonstrated good judgement? Not just success. Good judgement.
Examples
- Handled redundancy well
- Handled crisis
- Managed failure
- Protected customers
- Made ethical decisions
- Managed risk
- Changed direction when evidence changed
Reviewer looks for
Balanced decision making under pressure. Strong candidates can explain what they did, why they did it, what risks they considered and what they learned afterwards.
10 points
5. Contribution to Others
Assessment question
Do they genuinely help people?
Evidence
- Mentoring
- Teaching
- Writing
- Speaking
- Community support
- Developing future leaders
Reviewer looks for
Generosity of knowledge, not self-promotion. Evidence may come from a long career or from active contribution inside the UKSA community.
10 points
6. Integrity & Professional Ethics
Core trust questions
Can trusted peers confidently say:
- I would trust this person with my customers.
- I would trust this person with my team.
- I would trust this person with confidential information.
Reviewer looks for
Professional conduct, confidentiality, honesty, fairness and respect. If there are serious concerns in this category, Fellowship should not be awarded regardless of the overall score.
5 points
7. Commitment to Continuous Development
Assessment question
Does this person still learn?
Evidence
- Qualifications
- Reading
- Speaking
- Professional memberships
- Learning AI
- Modern selling
- Leadership development
Reviewer looks for
Curiosity and humility. Fellowship recognises experience, but Fellows should still be developing their thinking as the profession changes.
10 points
8. Contribution to the Profession
Assessment question
Has this person helped make sales better?
Examples
- Writing
- Mentoring
- Speaking
- Creating frameworks
- Volunteering
- Helping members
- Building communities
- Supporting charities
Reviewer looks for
Impact beyond personal success. This is where UKSA distinguishes senior achievement from professional contribution.
The final decision
Fellowship is not purchased.
Annual UKSA Membership gives you access to one Fellowship Review in each membership year at no additional charge. During sign-up, simply select the box requesting a Fellowship Review.
£199 per year
Membership is charged annually. Fellowship is awarded only after successful independent peer review.
Become an Annual MemberQuestions, answered properly
Before you decide.
What is UKSA Founding Fellowship?
It is an independently peer-reviewed professional recognition for experienced commercial professionals who can demonstrate leadership, impact, contribution, judgement and integrity.
Do I pay an additional Fellowship fee?
No. Annual UKSA Membership includes one Fellowship Review each membership year at no additional charge.
Does seniority guarantee approval?
No. A senior title, large budget or large team may support your evidence, but Fellowship considers the complete professional record and the quality of your contribution.
What happens if I am not yet ready?
You remain a full UKSA Annual Member and may use the membership to build evidence, contribute to the community and request another review in a future membership year.
What happens during peer review?
An existing Fellow holds a confidential evidence-led conversation with you, explores examples from your career and assesses them against the published framework.
Can I request review if I am between jobs?
Yes. Fellowship recognises the evidence of your career and contribution. Your current employment status does not determine your eligibility.
What is expected after approval?
Fellows are invited to participate in the Fellowship community and may contribute through peer review, mentoring, learning, research, standards and other professional activities.