Call for businesswomen in Scotland to enter awards

Acclaimed entrepreneur Celia Hodson, founder of Musselburgh-based, period poverty focused Hey Girls, is leading the push to find women whose entrepreneurial talents have excelled in 2020 in this year’s Business Women Scotland Business Awards.

The winners at last year's awards, with Hodson in the centre, wearing brown. Picture: Zeno Watson.

It comes after social enterprise boss Hodson was last year named the overall winner as well as Inspirational Woman of the Year at the awards. She said: “Awards like this make it all worthwhile, especially on the tough days. You look at it and realise you’re doing something good.”

Entries are now open for this year’s awards, which are back for a sixth year, and will take place on 6 November as a virtual event, hosted by TV presenter Rachel McTavish, with networking as well as live and recorded talks, set up on a bespoke online platform. The prizes will go to women running their own business and those in larger organisations.

Multiple award winner Celia Hodson with Sir Richard Branson. Picture: Ian Georgeson.

Categories range from Start-up Business of the Year and Established Business of the Year to Rising Star of the Year and Inspirational Woman of the Year. New categories in the 2020 awards to mark the “unparalleled” economic climate include Business Growth of the Year, Resilient Woman of the Year and Social Impact of the Year.

STV, which recently announced a partnership with Business Women Scotland, is sponsor of the Business Woman of the Year award. Lynne Kennedy, founder of Business Women Scotland, said: “It is more important than at any other time for women to enter the awards this year.

"We need more women to step forward and help us close the gender gap in enterprise, with just 20 per cent of [small and medium-sized enterprises] in Scotland currently being majority-owned and led by women.”

The closing date for entries is 14 September.

SCOTSMAN.COM

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