Nominations for the prestigious Women In Business Awards, organised by Forward Ladies, have now closed, with the shortlist due to be announced on August 3 2015.
Forward Ladies is a leading forum designed to support professional women and help them to develop their skills and further their careers.
This year the awards, which were created to recognise the hard work of business women in the UK, will be judged by some of the country’s most successful entrepreneurs and business people.
The judging panel, which will be chaired by Karen Boswell, part of the Forward Ladies Leadership Forum and managing director of Hitachi Rail Europe, will include Victoria Wright, director of communications and engagement at Capita O2 Partnership and Margaret Casely-Hayford, Chair of Action Aid UK and non-executive director of NHS England.
They will be joined by Sara Davies, who is the founder of Crafter’s Companion and a founding member of Gabriel, the North East’s only all-female investment group, Rachel Hannan, co-founder of a search and selection company specialising in senior appointments and a business investor and Debra White, the regional director of small businesses at HSBC.
Ajaz Ahmed founder of Freeserve – which is now Orange Broadband – and Legal 365.com will also be on the judging panel.
“These awards are a great opportunity for us to recognise and reward the hard work of professional women in the UK,” said Griselda Togobo, owner of Forward Ladies.
“We’ve had so many nominees this year and it’s great to see the awards becoming more and more popular each year.
“The women who enter the awards are great role models for the future generations so it’s a pleasure to provide them with a platform to inspire others.”
Each of the nominees will be judged on six key criteria, including personal integrity and resilience, community impact, sustainability, leadership and strategic direction, financial performance and innovation.
The regional heats, which will take place across the UK, start with the Yorkshire and North East awards on September 29 in Newcastle.
This will be followed by The Midlands awards in Nottingham, on October 9, the London and South awards in London, on October 16 and the North West and Isle of Man awards in Manchester onOctober 23.
The regional heats will culminate in a final awards ceremony, which will be held at the Queen’s Hotel, Leeds on November 20 2015.
This year’s award ceremony will include a VIP drinks’ reception, talks from several high profile speakers and the awards presentation by the event sponsors.
For more information about the awards or about Forward Ladies visit the website forwardladies.com.