Female entrepreneurs from across the North-East have just two weeks (closing date 11 Sept) left to enter the region’s top business awards for women.Women are being urged to submit their online entries for The North-East Woman Entrepreneur of the Year Awards 2009 – which are this year being organised by a group of the region’s top female businesswomen under new membership organisation WIN Ltd.
The Awards, now in their 10th year and sponsored by Business Link, have been refocused by the board of the new organisation to include two brand new categories, to reward both pre-start up and inspirational entrepreneurs, an online application process and new on-the-night compere, ITV’s Wendy Gibson. The Awards will reward the best individuals, partnerships and business support organisations across eight categories.
They are: One NorthEast’s Best New Business Award, South Tyneside Council’s Young Entrepreneur of the Year, Durham University’s Best Small Business Award, Social Enterprise North East and SES’s Best Social Enterprise Award, Arts Council England’s Best Creative Business Award, WIN Ltd’s Best Home-Based Business Award, Teesside University’s Innovation Through Technology Award and the flagship Susan Dobson Award for Entrepreneurship.
In addition to the categories open for nomination, this year there will be two new recognition awards – the ‘One to Watch’, to recognise talented entrepreneurs who have not started trading yet, and a woman who others consider an ‘Inspirational Role Model’.
Women can nominate individuals for the recognition categories, or enter the other awards, online at http://www.womenintothenetwork.co.uk/.
Chair of the judging panel, previous North East Woman Entrepreneur of the Year and SCM Pharma director Fiona Cruickshank said: “As a previous winner, I can’t encourage women strongly enough to enter these Awards. Winning an award, or even just being nominated, can enhance your business in many ways — be it by bolstering sales, boosting employee morale or increasing web traffic.
“For new and smaller businesses, winning one really can provide a springboard to growth, add real credibility to what they are doing, and provide fantastic marketing opportunities.
“As we enter the tenth year of the Awards, we continue to be astounded by the amount of talent here in the North East – and it’s our job to ensure this talent does not go un-noticed.”
The all new WIN Ltd will now offer its members an improved service including personalised training, free and subsidised business tools, and collective buying and bidding opportunities to help grow their businesses. WIN Ltd will still be delivering a full schedule of member events, with all profits fed back in to support new members.
Its board of directors is made up of Northumberland’s SCM Pharma director and co-owner Fiona Cruickshank and Mailing House Group managing director Jackie Peddie, Newcastle’s Solutions Recruitment managing director Margaret Clare and The bgroup creative director Di Gates, Ann Stonehouse, owner of Accountancy @ Willowbank and Co-Efficient Outsourcing in Teesside, and Dinah Bennett of Durham University’s Centre for Entrepreneurial Learning.
Dinah Bennett of Durham University’s Centre for Entrepreneurial Learning added: “Even if your business has not had the best year financially due to the recession, we would still urge you to enter.
“The judges will be looking at how businesses are riding the recession, what measures they have taken and, if people have had to reduce their workforce, how they have gone about it.
“Meanwhile WIN Ltd has chosen to sponsor the Home-based Business Award as this is a big agenda and we again want to encourage women who are operating their businesses in this popular way.”
The closing date for entries is close of business on Friday, September 11. Enter online and find out more at http://www.womenintothenetwork.co.uk/.
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