The Natwest everywoman Awards
Contributed by Philippa Robbins and Emma Lyon
“Behind every great businesswoman……”
The Natwest everywoman Awards have been running for several years now but in December 2007, as members of Rooks Rider’s networking group, With Women in Mind, we attended this event for the first time along with fellow With Women in Mind members, colleagues from the firm and guests.
The Awards are a celebration of female entrepreneurs who are running successful businesses, and it is particularly dedicated to those who have had to overcome difficulties along the way, whether financial or personal.
The event was held in the stunning ballroom at the Dorchester Hotel in London and was hosted by everywoman founders, Karen Gill and Maxine Benson. Barbara Follett, the Women’s Minister, opened the proceedings by giving a rousing speech about the difficulties women face today both in employment and as entrepreneurs and the ways in which she is campaigning for change.
Following lunch, Fiona Bruce announced the nominations and winners of the awards. Ms. Bruce is a patron of Refuge (a charity supporting women and children affected by domestic violence and the charity sponsor of the awards) but she is probably more well-known as a broadcaster on the BBC. She certainly kept everyone entertained with her introductory speech, which included amusing anecdotes about her own career and a couple of examples of the dubious attitudes of certain of her male employers (whose identities remained secret) whom she has encountered on her way to the top!
Ms. Bruce then introduced the main event: the finalists and winners of each of the everywoman awards. There were four categories determined by age range, which were named after Greek goddesses Artemis, Demeter, Athena and Hera. We heard incredible inspiring stories from each one of the winners. Their remarks made us feel as though we certainly had far more to achieve in our own careers.
In addition to the four categories mentioned above, there were three more awards. Emma Harrison won the Natwest everywoman Award for her company A4e, which helps unemployed people back into work and helps people with financial problems find their footing. Stella Rimington, the first female Director General of British intelligence agency M I5 won the Spirit of everywoman Award, and Elle Macpherson, model, designer and businesswoman won the everywoman Ambassador Award.
Dame Mary Lesley Perkins, the new patron of everywoman and co-founder of Specsavers Opticians, closed the awards ceremony with some wise words of advice about the importance of keeping your family and friends close while pursuing your ambitions. Many of the speeches emphasized the importance of family and how much help they can be to a woman as she advances in her career.
The focus of the event was not only on encouraging and supporting women already participating in the business arena and forging a path, but also on engaging with the younger generation of women and encouraging them to view entrepreneurship as a valid career choice. The awards not only addressed the serious issues that women continue to face but also appreciated the hard work and sacrifices that each finalist had made in order to succeed. The forum had an atmosphere of genuine warmth with a lot of encouragement from the attendees, and was a celebration of the incredible achievements of women entrepreneurs, which provided inspiration and humor and made it a pleasure to attend.
To close, everywoman held a raffle with some fabulous prizes, the proceeds of which went to Refuge (although unfortunately our table was not very lucky!). After the event, everywoman thoughtfully provided facilities to allow us to network with other guests for the remainder of the afternoon and discuss our current ventures and ambitions. It was a privilege to attend such a fantastic event.
Natasha Muktarsingh, a producer with Sky News, who was one of our guests at the awards, told us what she thought of the afternoon –
“The everywoman awards are a wonderful event. It was truly inspiring to see so many examples of women with a passion succeeding, often against incredibly tough odds. There is a warm and friendly atmosphere at the awards, making it a good opportunity to network too.”
Charlotte Simm, a private client partner at Rooks Rider said, “The Natwest everywoman awards were a wonderful opportunity to hear from, and celebrate with, some amazing women who have achieved tremendous success in their businesses, in many cases in the face of difficulty or against the odds. It was an inspirational and humbling occasion for all present and Rooks Rider’s With Women in Mind team was delighted to support the event.”
If you would like to read more about the finalists and the winners of each award, click here.
