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.”

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