Britain’s most inspiring women in business crowned at national awards
The business women leading the way in their industries have been named in the second annual Great British Businesswoman Awards.
The programme launched in 2021 to recognise the growing number of trailblazing women in business leadership and entrepreneurship, champion their peers and advocates, and inspire the next generation of businesswomen.
In 2021, over 140,000 female-founded companies were established, a figure that is growing by a third every year, and the number of women in leadership positions in FTSE 100 companies increased to 32.5%, from 30.6% in 2020. It’s thought that this increase in representation of women in business could unlock a huge amount of economic potential, especially as the trajectory continues.
The final took place at De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms in London as the awards was held in person for the first time, after coronavirus meant the first ever ceremony was held online.
The overall Great British Businesswoman of the Year was awarded to Beth Knight, Amazon in the Community Leader for Europe, whose work surrounds building a better working world for women.
From helping women and girls to advance their careers in technology with programs like Amazon Future Engineer, to overseeing large-scale philanthropy initiatives for refugees fleeing the current crisis in the Ukraine, Beth has been highly commended for the work she has undertaken so far in her career.
The programme was founded by the team behind the Great British Entrepreneur Awards in 2021, who had been blown away by the increasing volume and quality of applications to the prestigious awards series by women in previous years.
The winners were selected by a panel of expert judges from companies including Burberry, easyJet, WarnerMedia, Cabinet Office, Greggs and Heathrow Airport, who all have their own vast experience working within diversity and inclusion.
The Great British Businesswoman Awards were founded by Francesca James, who said that the showcased winners would play an important role in inspiring others: “It has been a great honour to highlight the commendable stories of the winners, not only because they thoroughly deserve to be applauded for their tenacity and leadership, but because the value of positive female role models and male allies in business cannot be underestimated.
“Statistics show that the participation of women in business is on the rise, but we want to play a part in ensuring this continues by shining a light on the stories that will instil confidence in the next generation and make certain that no stories of success go unnoticed.
“Congratulations to our fantastic winners, not only for your awards, but for the important work you are doing to lead and innovate your industries.”
Full list of winners:
Banking & Finance Businesswoman of the Year: Natasha Frangos, Partner, Head of Corporate, Haysmacintyre LLP
Construction Businesswoman of the Year: Gauri Talathi-Lamb, Co-Founder, Iolas Capital
Consumer Goods Businesswoman of the Year: Martha Keith, Founder & CEO, Martha Brook
Creative Industries Businesswoman of the Year: Lucy McCarraher, Founder, Rethink Press
Engineering & Manufacturing Businesswoman of the Year: Samidha Anand, Engineering Manager, Caterpillar
Entrepreneurial Businesswoman of the Year: Lizzie Carter, Founder, Only Curls Ltd
Food & Drink Businesswoman of the Year: Joyce De Hass & Raissa De Hass, Co-Founders, Double Dutch Drinks
Social Enterprise Businesswoman of the Year: Emily Aklan, CEO, Serenity Welfare
Technology Businesswoman of the Year: Collette Allen, Chief Operating Officer, SmartSearch
Telecoms Businesswoman of the Year: Tejal Maniar, CEO, BT OnePhone Ltd
Transport & Logistics Businesswoman of the Year: Nancy Hobhouse, Head of ESG ,Evri
Utilities Businesswoman of the Year: Lisa Waterhouse, Diversity & Inclusion Manager, National Grid
Young Businesswoman of the Year: Laura Cooper-Jackson, Director, Industrial Signs Group
Rising Star Award: Krystle McGilvery, Founder, Mind Over Money
Gamechanger in Sport Award: Charlene Gravesande, Assistant Producer, Sky UK Limited
Team of the Year Award: PUMA UK&I
Role Model of the Year Award: Lucile Kamar, Head of Diversity and Inclusion, ITN
Diversity Award: OLIVER
Male Advocate of the Year Award: Conor Whelan, Chief Information Officer, Experian PLC
Female Ambassador of the Year: Beth Knight, Amazon in the Community Leader, Europe, Amazon
Great British Businesswoman of the Year : Beth Knight, Amazon in the Community Leader, Europe, Amazon