Six Merseyside businesswomen struck gold after scooping awards at the highly prestigious 10th Anniversary Enterprise Vision Awards.
There was no doubting who runs the world. The girls were back in town as the awards ceremony which recognises outstanding female entrepreneurship in the North West, sparkled with glitz and glamour.
More than 650 guests turned out to celebrate the EVAs ceremony which took place in the stunning Empress Ballroom at Blackpool Winter Gardens where 19 awards were presented. Hosted by C4’s extreme cake maker, Rosie Dummer, the ceremony fizzed with energy, camaraderie and female empowerment making it a fantastic night to remember.
Despite the unprecedented hardships wrought by the pandemic, the winners showed the tenacity and innovation to create a successful business.
Women from all sectors were represented, individuals and companies; from laboratories, estate agents and helicopters to pet care, restaurants and styling products.
Merseyside’s Dr Natalie Kenny, Elissa Corrigan, Rebecca McCann, Debbie Rogers and Victoria Corcoran are now proud owners of a much sought after Enterprise Vision Award and Andrea Pankiw was highly commended in what was a tight finish in the charity category.
The winners fought off intense competition from their peers to win the Business Woman, New Business, Retail Industry, Charity and Customer Services categories respectively.
To mark a decade of winning women, the EVAS raised over £9,000 for charity which included giving each of the charity finalists a free ticket to attend the awards. Winner of the Charity category, Debbie Rogers founded Sean’s Place after losing her brother to suicide in 2019.
Providing men with much needed free mental health and wellbeing sessions, practical support and advice, as well as a safe space to help improve their confidence and self-esteem whilst reducing social isolation.
Dr Natalie Kenny of the BioGrad Group won the highly coveted Business Woman of the Year award. She is leading the way in laboratory-based learning, diagnostics and most recently, Covid-19 testing. The Judges were impressed with the phenomenal growth of her business, her ability to attract elite scientists from across the world and for being an inspirational role model for women in STEM.
Amin Vepari of Two Zero said “We are proud and excited to be associated with supporting the EVAS and specifically Business Woman of the Year Award. We are passionate about the role we can play to help women in business scaleup and achieve their ambitions. The EVAS are a great vehicle for change and showcasing success hence our partnership is based on common objectives where we can collectively make a positive difference.”
NatWest has supported the EVAS as the headline sponsor since 2013. They also sponsor the Outstanding Achievement Award which, this year, was presented to whistle blower and champion of survivors of child sex abuse, Maggie Oliver. Regional Ecosystem Manager for the North West,
Heather Waters said:
“Maggie Oliver is an inspiration to all of us and is great example of someone who has demonstrated resilience and determination in achieving her goals. We are delighted to present her with this award and wish her every success in her future endeavours.”
The New Business Award was won by Elissa Corrigan. In less than 10 months of launching the female empowerment supplement, Elle Sera, her product is now stocked in Selfridges and she’s on the road to exceptional success in the first year of business.
Coral Horn, founder of the awards and the networking group, Pink Link, said: “In a time like no other, it was exhilarating to see over 1,150 nominations and 640 entrants from the region. The pandemic wreaked havoc for women in business but these ladies are simply superb and fully deserve to be recognised for their
achievements.”
For more information, contact Coral Horn at www.enterprisevisionawards.co.uk