Business women recognised for their hard work

Scottish Women in Business celebrated its 2019 awards with women from across the West of Scotland recognised as leading business trailblazers.

The stunning event, held within the Grand Ballroom of the Grand Central Hotel, saw the SWIB members and non-members alike enjoy a champagne filled afternoon tea hosted by TV star Jane McCarry, known for playing Isa in Still Game.

However, it was five winners from across Scotland who took centre stage to be recognised across the different categories.

The Communicator Award, sponsored by The Herald, which recognises a good communicator who works for the good of everyone, not just themselves or their company, was picked up by Jackie Lee of Artemis Scotland.

The Connector Award, sponsored by Federation of Small Businesses, celebrates someone who makes connections between people, understands what each person is looking to achieve or can offer and form bridges between people. This was awarded to Corrine Hutton of Finding Your Feet.

The Collaborator Award, sponsored by Murphy Wealth, is given to a woman who helps people work together effectively, regardless of role, organisation or traditional norms and forms and can emerge at any level in their organisations. This was awarded to Elaine Sergeant of Glasgow Care Foundation.

The Innovator Award, sponsored by Arrow Corporate Promotions, is awarded for exemplary innovation in products, services or service delivery and was picked up by Marian Bruce of Highland Boundary Ltd.

The Young Star Award, sponsored by Turcan Connell, was Nikola Kelly of Be-IT. The award is given to a woman between 18-35 years old who shows exemplary innovation, creativity, leadership or business flair.

The Spirit of SWIB award is given to a SWIB member who exemplifies the core values of the organisation, and was received by long-time member and SWIB Webmaster, Heather Alexander.

Finally, scooping the Spotlight Award was Remzije Sherifi of the Maryhill Integration Network. The shortlist of women from Scotland or working in Scotland whose contribution is noteworthy and inspirational was selected by SWIB and the winner was voted for by the general public.

This year, winners were chosen from an esteemed panel of judges which included entrepreneur and foot expert to the stars, Margaret Dabbs, as well as FSB Policy Manager Susan Love and SWIB Honorary President, Morag Malloy.

The Scottish Women in Business Awards president Zaynab Al Nasser at the Grand Central Hotel in Glasgow (Photo: Julie Broadfoot)

Zaynab Al Nasser, president of SWIB, said: ‘After building on the success of the previous SWIB Awards, we hope to encourage women to put themselves forward for well-deserved recognition. This has been a must-attend event for members and non-members alike to celebrate not only their own accomplishments but also the achievements of their peers; and we offer our congratulations to all the winners and finalists.

‘Of course we would also like to thank all of our sponsors, most notably our headline sponsors Turcan Connell, for supporting this event once again.’

Business-focused, friendly and supportive, Scottish Women in Business – affectionately known as SWIB by its members – is the leading networking group for businesswomen in and around Glasgow.

As well as enjoying an afternoon at the Grand Central Hotel, attendees were encouraged to bid on raffle prizes such as Blendworks experience tickets from Eden Mill, dinner, bed and breakfast from Grand Central Hotel, and bespoke jewellery from SWIB member and Awards finalist, Helen Swan Designer Jewellery. A total of £1600 was raised for SWIB’s charity of the year, Home-Start Glasgow South.

The awards were open to all businesswomen, who were encouraged to nominate themselves in categories celebrating the SWIB values of communication, collaboration and connection, as well as innovation and young talent.

For more information about Scottish Women in Business awards, visit: https://www.scottishwomeninbusinessawards.co.uk