More than 300 guests attended the inaugural West Country Women Awards held in Plymouth last week.
The awards celebrate and recognise women from cross the peninsular in all walks of life from women in health to women in sport, combatting violence against women and girls to green business of the year and more.
Hosts for the evening’s celebrations were Alexis Bowater OBE and Tess Stuber, co-founders of the West Country Women Awards.
Bowater said: “I have run women in business networks and awards here in the south west for ten years now. The last were just for business but this time we decided to make it about everybody’s business. So, we introduced new categories, hoping to encompass and reflect more of our lives, in and out of the office.”
In total, there were more than 1,000 nominations across Cornwall, Devon, Somerset and Dorset. And among the 16 winners, were a number of women from Cornwall, including Olivia Smedley from Goonhilly Earth Station who won the Women in STEM category, and Peaky Digital director, Natalie Crouch, who triumphed in the Employer of the Year category.
Full list of winners
Women in STEM
- Olivia Smedley – Goonhilly Earth Station
Green Business Award
- Susan Willis and Kate Richards – The Queens at 46
Combatting Violence Against Women & Girls
- Hannah Shead – Trevi
Inspirational Leader
- Emma Hewitt – Plymouth City Council
Woman in Tech
- Tanuvi Ethunandan – Data Duopoly
Employer of the Year
- Natalie Crouch – Peaky Digital
Women in Sport
- Emma Collings – Barnes – Mount Kelly
Employee of the Year
- Sarah Newberry – YMCA Plymouth
Woman in Health
- Catherine Lewis – Aardvark Occupational Health
The Phoenix Award
- Sophie Alway – Georgia’s Voice
Best Supporting Act
- Fiona Lee – Safeguarding Associates
Small Business of the Year
- Samantha Jackman – Boost innovations
Women in Construction & Property
- Carole Barnes – C2 Project Safety
Entrepreneur of the Year
- Alex Kelly – Waymakers CIC
Diversity and Equality
- Ana Tereza da Silva Barbosa Richards – Devon County Council
