Winners of 2008 NatWest everywoman awards are announced

Seven women have been announced as winners of the 2008 Natwest everywoman awards, which are to showcase the successes of female business owners, many of whom have overcome significant hurdles to get to where they are.

 The NatWest everywoman of the year award went to Hilary Devey, founder and Managing Director of Pall-Ex. The judges felt Hilary to be a passionate and dedicated woman business owner who has overcome significant challenges to achieve outstanding business success. Having spotted a gap in the market for cost and mileage-efficient pallet distribution, Hilary sold her house and car to raise capital, moving into a flat above a shop. The sacrifice has paid off, with the Pall-Ex network today collectively turning over around £100 million annually.

A further four awards were presented to other exceptional women in business:

The Artemis Award, sponsored by Royal Mail for the most inspiring business owner under 25 years, went to Becky Benfield, proprietor of Utterly Horses. Always passionate about collecting model horses, Becky turned this hobby into a succesful company by setting up Utterly Horses aged just 16, despite facing inevitable barriers due to her young age.  Her creativity and passion has led to it becoming one of the industry’s leading websites.

Winner of the Demeter Award, sponsored by IBM, for the most inspiring business owner aged 26-35 was Kate Craig-Wood, founder of Memset. Despite having no formal IT qualifications, Kate set up Memset in 2002, offering high quality, flexible dedicated server packages. With growth in the region of 75% year-on-year, and an annual turnover of £1.2 million, the company also became the UK’s first CarbonNeutral ISP in 2006. 

The Athena Award, for the most inspiring business owner aged 36-49, was awarded to Gill Riley, of GGR Glass Services Ltd. Gill has seen huge success, providing vacuum lifting and mini cranes that have revolutionised the construction business, a predominantly male industry. Simultaneously she has raised four wonderful children.

Taking home the Hera Award, sponsored by Coutts, for the most inspiring business owner aged 50 and over, was Liz Cottingham, The Mill at Gordleton. With a passion for the hospitality industry, Liz bought The Mill restaurant with a view to returning it to its former glory. Having overcome struggles including sourcing finance, Liz has succeeded in creating a beautiful place to dine and relax, which is consistently fully booked. 

The Iris award, sponsored by BT, for the woman whose business growth and success has been greatly improved through successful implementation and use of IT and communications, was awarded to Sylvia Hopwood, Recycle Works. Spotting a trend early on, Sylvia began trading online in 1998 at the age of 65, at a time when the internet was still in its infancy. She now maximises the use of technology with a weekly online newsletter, blogs and video campaigns. 

Karren Brady, Managing Director of Birmingham City Football Club, has received the coveted Spirit of everywoman award, which is presented each year to a woman considered to have changed the landscape for women in business. She was appointed Managing Director of the then ailing football club in 1993, aged only 23 and was credited with bringing the club out of administration. She launched the club on the stock market in 1997, simultaneously becoming the youngest Managing Director of a British Plc. Today Birmingham City Football Club is valued at over £60 million.

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