Congratulations to the winners of our first Business Women Scotland Awards, which were announced at a black tie ceremony at the Old Fruitmarket in Glasgow in October, with female led companies from all over Scotland celebrating the success of their entrepreneurial spirit.
We were delighted to have the support of the Federation of Small Businesses as an award sponsor, and received entries from a variety of businesses from as far as the Isle of Skye and Dingwall, to Stirling and Edinburgh.
Business Women Scotland Award Winners 2015
Thank you to Margaret Gibson from Women’s Enterprise Scotland who helped pick the shortlist, and our fantastic judges Marie Macklin CBE and Prof Lesley Sawers who had the hard task of choosing the winners, as everyone on the shortlist was worthy of recognition.
Marie Macklin said: “It was fantastic to see so many different types of business, new and old, started by women throughout Scotland. There were some interesting ideas with a positive outlook for future growth, which is great for Scotland’s economy.”
The BWS Awards 2015 Winners
Digital Business of the Year:
Jennifer Hallwood of TEFL UK.
A Short course provider in Teaching English as a Foreign Language in the UK.
International Growth of the Year:
Vivienne Muir of NB Gin.
A London dry gin, distilled in North Berwick.
Business Mentor of the Year:
Christine McGrory, Founder of A Magical Life / The Key.
Helping people to open up to the probabilities of positive change.
Employer of the Year:
Becky Woodhouse from PURE Spa & Beauty.
An urban spa chain offering luxury treatments and voucher experiences throughout Scotland.
New Entrepreneur of the Year (up to 18 months):
Nicola Pitticas from Title IX.
A company that provides young Scottish female athletes the chance to study and compete in the USA.
New Business of the Year (up to 3 years):
Hayley Brown at GlamCandy UK.
A make-up school teaching enthusiasts the most effective techniques.
SME of the Year (sponsored by Federation of Small Businesses):
Lee Beattie & Pam Scobbie from Wire Media.
A communications agency with forward-thinking PR campaigns.
Inspirational Woman of the Year:
Jeanette Forbes of PCL Group.
The Inspirational Woman of the Year award was presented by us here at Business Women Scotland magazine to someone we felt inspired other women in business.
Jeanette Forbes started her own IT services company in the male dominated energy world, and has survived tough times to make her company a success. She is a lesson to us all to never give up on your dream. She is a big supporter of encouraging females into the STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) subjects, and likes to give back to the community as a business mentor. Any female who has heard her story cannot fail to be inspired.
STV newsreader Rachel McTavish was the MC for the awards, Philanthropreneur and Secret Millionaire Dawn Gibbins Cox MBE was our inspirational guest speaker, entertainment was by the fabulous Globe Girls, and money was raised for the magazine’s charity partner NSPCC Scotland through a silent auction and raffle.
The BWS Awards 2015 Shortlist
NEW ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR
| Sarah Tashnizi | My Bababoo Ltd | Falkirk |
| Jane Bainbridge | CANAPE | Carluke |
| Nicola Pitticas | Title IX | Glasgow |
NEW BUSINESS OF THE YEAR
| Lesley Osborne | Osborne Heath | Alloa |
| Bette Temming | The Flodigarry Hotel | Isle of Skye |
| Tracey Eker | Flexiworkforce | Glasgow |
| Hayley Brown | Glam Candy UK | Edinburgh |
SME OF THE YEAR
| Simone Hart Sibbald | Perfect Service Solutions | Stirling |
| Lee Beattie & Pam Scobbie | Wire Media | Glasgow |
| Angela Brunton | Be Personnel Ltd | Alness |
EMPLOYER OF THE YEAR
| Becky Woodhouse | PURE Spa | Edinburgh |
| Mariessa Devlin | Enchanted Forest Early Learning | Glasgow |
| Lorne Blyth | Flavours of Italy | Edinburgh |
| Lisa Bruce | Acumen | Aberdeen |
DIGITAL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR
| Jennifer Hallwood | TEFL UK Org | Dingwall |
| Frances O’Neill | Sainted Media | Glasgow |
| Ann-Maree Morrison | Labels 4 Kids | Stirling |
INTERNATIONAL GROWTH OF THE YEAR
| Amanda Hamilton | AH Health Communications Ltd | Edinburgh |
| Louise Prunty | Lash Inc. Magazine | Glasgow |
| Vivienne Muir | NB Gin | North Berwick |
MENTOR OF THE YEAR
| Christine McGrory | The Key / A Magical Life | Glasgow |
| Kirsty Mac | Leadership Styled | Glasgow |
| Gloria Murray | Murray Associates | Glasgow |
It was a fabulous evening of celebrations and new connections, roll on next year!