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The most prestigious awards event for women in the southern UK business calendar


“Tonight we celebrate successful and inspiring business women across the south – the very best achievers in their fields,“ stated David Murray, founder and publisher of The Business Magazine in welcoming 200 eager participants to this annual gala dinner awards event.


The Women in Business Awards in just its third year, has quickly become a significant diary date, recognising the talent and achievements of women involved in thriving businesses throughout the Thames Valley and Solent regions.


“Not only were there a record number of Women in Business (WiB), entries this year of an exemplary quality, but it‘s fair to say that this awards scheme – while friendly – is rightly becoming very competitive.


“But WiB is more than that. Through events and discussions, the WiB organisers and sponsors – Barclays, Deloitte, Blake Morgan, and Clarify, whom we gratefully thank – will be providing some great networking and mentoring opportunities in the months ahead. We will keep you updated on these initiatives, and hope to see you there,“ he added.


Oakley Hall, near Basingstoke, was once again the stunning setting for the awards, and Murray introduced the host presenter for the evening – also a successful businesswoman – The Business Magazine‘s very own “champion of the awards“, projects manager Tamsin Napier-Munn (pictured top left).


She reminded the audience that WiB “is not a celebration about the exclusion of men, but the inclusion of women; a campaign acknowledging the real value that diversity can add to our businesses through productivity and profitability.


“It‘s about realising and valuing the real differences between us as men and women, and being proactive in how this is managed to achieve greater results for everyone.


“Ambition and success can mean very different things to different people,“ she noted, “whether it‘s getting to the top of your tree, or searching for another tree to climb, or helping others to enjoy climbing.“


One personal example of that ambition and success was later provided by inspirational guest speaker para-rower Naomi Riches MBE (pictured top right), winner of six World


Championship titles, bronze at the Beijing Olympic Games and a gold medal at London 2012.


The visually-impaired rower highlighted resilience as key to “making a difference every day towards your goal. A successful woman can build firm foundations from the bricks that people throw at her.“


Thanking Riches, Napier-Munn said. “I am sure you have been struck, as I was, by Naomi‘s optimism, commitment, drive for excellence ... (all things we strive for in business) ... and most of all her tenacity to take action when the opportunity arose. She is a role model for us all,“


Fittingly, the WiB Awards would this year be including Role Model citations for the first time within the four Award categories, she announced.


As everyone settled to enjoy their starter, Napier-Munn mentioned one already known winner from the evening, the WiB Awards‘ chosen charity – Hope for Justice – and urged guests to make table donations. The result was a welcome financial boost of £1,485.45 to the charity.


Hope for Justice exists to end modern- day human trafficking and slavery – people trapped in situations of forced labour, sexual exploitation or domestic servitude. The charity‘s team of specialists identify and rescue victims and train frontline professionals. It advocates for and supports survivors to help them overcome their experience and develop a renewed sense of hope and purpose for their future.


Thanks to the 2015 Women in Business Awards judges


Sara Appleton, Barclays; Jagdeep Rai, Barclays; Fiona Larsen-Pass, Blake Morgan; Kath Shimmin, Blake Morgan; Kate Reynolds, Deloitte; Fiona Symington, Deloitte; Claire Edmunds, Clarify. Judges were excluded from voting or discussion on any categories in which they had an interest.


THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – SOLENT & SOUTH CENTRAL – OCTOBER 2015 www.businessmag.co.uk


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