Celebrating women in business
September 12 marked the big reveal for the first ever winners of the inaugural Women in Business Awards for the Solent and Thames Valley regions
As The Business Magazine went to press, the judging panel had sifted through the many nominations received from female entrepreneurs, businesswomen and high-flying professionals in a wide range of sectors and disciplines.
Run by The Business Magazine in association with Barclays, Blake Lapthorn and Deloitte, the Awards were officially launched with a Cocktails and Canapés event in July at Oakley Hall, near Basingstoke, venue for the Awards evening itself.
There, Lyndsey Simpson, co-owner of leading HR services company The Curve Group, called on women to leave aside fear of failure and put themselves forward for projects; to identify niche sectors where females are under-represented in order to boost career opportunities; and to show more flexibility when approaching new roles.
Five carefully-chosen finalists in each category were invited to the September 12 event which, in a change from tradition, not only celebrated the Awards with a fabulous dinner, but also included a discussion and audience debate about the current success of women in business and how to create future role models.
Simpson returned to host the evening, and taking part in the panel discussion were Liz Peace, chief executive of the British Property Federation; Patrick Maher, a partner in Deloitte’s Forensic Services Practice in London; and Dawn Baxendale, chief executive of Southampton City Council.
Over the past few years, Maher has been involved in delivering the firm’s talent agenda, including serving as talent partner for the firm’s corporate finance services line. He is currently heavily involved in delivering the firm’s Women in Leadership agenda, including devising and leading the implementation of a sponsorship programme for directors.
Speaking ahead of the Awards, Peace said: “What always amazes me is just how many extraordinarily talented and successful women there are out there – if only the (male) business world bothered to look.
“Maybe it’s because women just don’t spend enough time promoting themselves and what they can do. In which case, it’s a good job we have award ceremonies and women in business type of events like this since otherwise the business world would never know what it’s missing.“
“I genuinely believe there has never been a better time to be a woman in business. Social movement is driving us to achieve more than ever before, while the corporate world is seeing commercial value in having mixed and diverse teams and wants to do something about it,“ she said.
The Awards are designed to celebrate women who have made a real difference in business over the past 12 months.
The three categories were aimed at women in businesses over and under £10 million turnover, and there was a separate category for women professionals. Above all, the judges were looking for women who had achieved excellence in their chosen profession; had become role models for other women; had gained a reputation for citizenship and established themselves as entrepreneurs by running their own business.
Among those flying the flag as an ambassador for the Women in Business initiative has been Ross Wilson, of Wilson Partners, whose own success is also profiled in this issue.
He commented: “I was delighted to be approached to support these inaugural Awards, which celebrate the huge contribution women make to the business community across the region. Not only are we recognising the success of those who have already got out there and made their mark, but I hope this initiative will encourage and inspire many more women to recognise their potential and be the business success stories of tomorrow.“
For full details of the Awards evening and the winning entries, visit
www.womeninbusiness.biz after September 12. Next month’s issue of The Business Magazine will also include interviews with all three winners.
For a list of the finalsts, see page 6. THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – SOLENT & SOUTH CENTRAL – SEPTEMBER 2013 BusMag2010 B&R.pdf 14/11/11 14:39:41
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