A raft of trailblazing women were celebrated at a gala event in central London last night, which culminated in Specsavers founder Dame Mary Perkins being honoured with a lifetime achievement award.
The judges of the 2010 First Women Awards presented Dame Perkins with their top accolade in recognition of her: ‘business acumen, ability to juggle family and professional commitments and her focus on giving to charitable organisations’. Her commitment to encouraging women to succeed at all levels was also singled out.
Dame Perkins, together with her husband Doug, launched Specsavers from their spare bedroom in 1984 and today the company is the world’s largest, privately-owned chain of opticians with a turnover of £1 billion.
Child food guru and entrepreneur Annabel Karmel MBE was another of the night’s winners, Karmel, who is renowned among parents for her best-selling books on nutrition and cooking as well as her new supermarket food range, won the event’s media category.
BP had a rare piece of good news, when its technology vice president and geologist Angela Strank scooped the top Science and Technology honour.
The First Women Awards, which are backed by Lloyds Banking Group and supported by the CBI, were founded six years ago to recognise women at the top of their professions who are leading the way for the next generation. The ceremony was attended by hundreds of Britain’s most successful businesswomen and female VIPs, with guests including patron Sarah Brown, CBI president Helen Alexander, Home Secretary Theresa May, alongside media stars including The Apprentice’s Margaret Mountford and Saira Khan.
The other winners of the night were:
Retail and Consumer – Sally Bailey, chief executive of lifestyle retailer White Stuff, which has a portfolio of 60-plus UK stores and is about to launch internationally.
Public Service – A joint award. Caroline Shaw, a former midwife who is now chief executive of The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, who was praised for turning her hospital into one of Europe’s leading cancer centres. Emma Harrison CBE, founder of £200m turnover training company A4e, which helps the financially excluded and long-term unemployed get back into work.
Manufacturing – BAE Systems head of commercial Michelle Rushbrook
Business Services – Johanna Dow, finance director of Scottish water supplier Business Stream.
Finance – Marion King, chief executive of international payments transaction company VocaLink,
Property – Michelle McDowell chair of civil and structural engineering at BDP
Tourism and Leisure – Kristine Landon-Smith and former EastEnders actress Sudha Bhuchar, joint artistic directors of London-based theatre company Tamasha.
The Olympic Delivery Authority was awarded the First Women Business of the Year Award in recognition of its commitment to supporting and promoting a truly diverse workforce.
Previous winners at the First Women Awards have numbered fashion designer Nicole Farhi CBE, leading businesswoman Baroness Sarah Hogg and philanthropreneur Ann Gloag.
Other ‘unsung heroines’ of British public life and business who have been celebrated include Cambridge Constabulary chief constable Julie Spence, Rosalind Murray, the most senior woman in the UK submarine industry and Perween Warsi, founder of S&A Foods, now a major Indian food supplier to some of the UK’s largest grocery retailers.
Tags: Annabel Karmel, Children's Industry, Specsavers, successful women, tabitha cole, Women in Science Engineering and Technology
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June 28th, 2010 at 9:47 amNotes from the Boardroom: Caroline Shaw, chief executive of the Christie NHS Foundation Trust « FMWF says:
[...] Caroline Shaw was presented with a prestigious First Women Award on 23 June. Held in association with Lloyds Banking Group, supported by the CBI and with Sarah Brown as patron, the awards were founded six years ago to recognise women at the top of their professions who are leading the way for the next generation.Click here to see FMWF’s report on the full line-up of women honoured at this year’s awards. [...]