31 March 2008
Northwest Women in Business Awards winners announced
The inaugural Northwest Women in Business Awards took place on
Merseyside last week, in recognition of the huge contribution that
female entrepreneurs make to the regional economy.
Organised by the Northwest Women’s Enterprise Forum (NWWEF), the
Northwest Women in Business Awards is the first region wide event
celebrating the achievements of the women that are running some of
the region’s most successful and innovative businesses. It aims to
inspire and encourage more women to consider enterprise as a career
and increase the number of women starting up or expanding
businesses in the Northwest.
The winners included:
• Business Start Up of
the Year
Winner: Candice Fonseca, Delifonseca – A traditional
delicatessen based in Liverpool.
Runner Up: Michelle Clarke, Foresight Health Ltd – A Manchester
based intermediary company that helps firms improve staff
performance.
• Young Entrepreneur
of the Year
Winner: Anna Heyes, Active Profile Ltd, A Liverpool based
marketing and PR consultancy which delivers hands on, practical
marketing support to companies to help them develop and deliver
marketing strategies.
Runner Up: Valerie De Leonibus, Inventya Ltd, a market research
consultancy providing tools and services to entrepreneurs, start
ups and business support providers, based in Daresbury,
Cheshire.
• Entrepreneur of the
Year
Winner: Sharon O’Kane, Renovo, a Manchester based
biopharmaceutical company specialising in the development of drugs
to reduce scarring.
Runner Up: Debbie Pierce, The Bury Black Pudding Company.
From the outset the judges were also given the discretion to
make an award to an individual who had taken a risk and succeeded
in pursuing their goal with guts and creativity. A special
Judges Award was presented to Su Grainger, SoSo Club (Singing Our
Socks Off), a Merseyside based company that teaches singing to
people from all walks of life, bringing them together in classes
for fun and improving their singing ability and health.
The event, which took place at Haydock Racecourse, was
principally sponsored by the Northwest Regional Development Agency
(NWDA) and supported by Bolton Business Ventures, Business Link
Northwest, Make Your Mark , the CBI and the IoD.
Sylvia Phillips, Chair of the NWWEF, said:
“The inaugural Women in Business Awards were a great success.
Female entrepreneurs make an important contribution to the regional
economy and it is vital that we create an environment and culture
that encourages more women to start and grow businesses.
These awards celebrated the achievements of women who are
already successful and have helped to establish role models for
other women contemplating starting up their own businesses. I hope
that the event will help to inspire budding female entrepreneurs in
the region to realise their ambitions.”
Vanda Murray OBE, NWDA Board Member and Women’s Ambassador
representative, said:
“The Regional Economic Strategy identifies women as a group with
huge potential to increase the number of new enterprises in the
region, a key element in driving economic growth. The level of
female owned business start ups in the Northwest is approximately
1% lower than the national average and so it is vital that we work
to increase the number of women starting up and growing their own
businesses.
Through recognising the outstanding achievements of female
entrepreneurs in the region, these awards aimed to inspire more
women to consider enterprise as a career option.”
- ends -
Notes to Editors:
The NWWEF is the key policy advisory and strategic body
responsible for the development of women’s enterprise in the
Northwest. It provides strategic leadership and policy advice to
the NWDA and other stakeholders in order to bolster support for
women owned businesses, helping them to maximise their full
economic potential.
For further information please contact Sarah Moston, Press
Officer on 01925 400552 or 07810 528571 or sarah.moston@nwda.co.uk
For urgent out of hours press enquiries please call 01925
400259.
For further information and to view previous press releases
visit us at www.nwda.co.uk
The Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) leads the
economic development and regeneration of England's Northwest and is
responsible for:
• Supporting business growth and encouraging
investment
• Matching skills provision to employer needs
• Creating the conditions for economic growth
• Connecting the region through effective transport and
communication infrastructure
• Promoting the region’s outstanding quality of life