Five Lancashire businesswomen have been recognised for their outstanding achievements at this year's Enterprise Vision Awards (The EVAS) ceremony, the UK's largest awards dedicated to celebrating female entrepreneurs.
The 13th EVAs took place last Friday (September 27) at Winter Gardens in Blackpool following entries from over 150 women who were honoured for their creativity, resilience, and entrepreneurial drive.
Helen Clayton, Managing Partner at PM+M, took home the Employer of the Year Award. She said: “It’s an incredible honour to not only be a finalist but to win. Our team means the world to me, and I am deeply passionate about their growth and success. This award is an awesome accolade, especially just one year into my role as Managing Partner.”
Young entrepreneur, Rachael Foster-Jacob of Short But Sweet won the Hospitality Industry Award. She said “Winning an Enterprise Vision Award was the cherry on top of the cake after a whirlwind 12 months for myself and my business! I was so emotional when my name was called out, I have worked hard building Short But Sweet and to receive the recognition was incredible."
Sponsor of the category, Lisa Brady, founder of Perfect Recruitment said “Perfect Recruitment is proud to sponsor the EVAS, supporting the incredible achievements of women in business across the country."
BAE Systems Air Sector’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion team sponsored the One to Watch category at this year’s Enterprise Vision Awards. Richard Shakespeare, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Manager, BAE Systems Air said “We were humbled and impressed by the powerful stories, and incredible achievements of all the winners and finalists on the evening, an incredible event.”
This new category was highly contested resulting in a Highly Commended award being presented to Alice Potter of AJP Social Studio as she celebrated her first year in business.
Winning the category for One To Watch, were Abigayle Clayton-Grimshaw and Sophie Birtwell of The House of Clarity. Since launching their business, they have secured top clients including the Four Seasons, and Boodles and as a 2024 Gold Cup Cheltenham partner, they made history with their alcohol-free offerings.
Katrina Hutchinson O’Neill of Join Talent took home the Business Woman of the Year award – in her speech she praised her fellow finalists and noted that there is a persistent inequality in funding for female entrepreneurs.
The Outstanding Achievement Award awarded by NatWest, went to Christine Nichols of Atlantic Pacific Global. Recently awarded the King’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade, Nichols was recognised as an advocate for gender equality, with a 50% female board within her own company.
Heather Waters, Regional Enterprise Manager NW at NatWest said: “We’ve been proud sponsors of the Enterprise Vision Awards for 11 years. This was a truly inspirational evening, celebrating the success of ambitious, tenacious women entrepreneurs. Congratulations to all the winners and finalists - your dedication, talent, and hard work have been rightfully recognised.”
The Inspirational Woman of the Year Award was won by Juliet Sanders of Feeding Families. Juliet’s charity has distributed in excess of a million food items to over 46,000 households and has seen demand rise by 101% in the last 12 months.
Coral Horn, founder of the EVAS, added: “Our mission is to champion women in business, from startups to industry giants. These awards give a voice to the women who are driving change. The room was filled with businesses, from those turning over tens of thousands to billions, united by a common goal: to inspire and empower women to aim higher.”
The 2025 Enterprise Vision Awards will open for nominations on Monday, 20 January.
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