City women triumph in top awards

PROMINENT businesswomen from the Capital have been honoured at a prestigious awards ceremony.

Jann Brown, managing director and chief financial officer of oil and gas company Cairn Energy, and Laura Lee, founder of the Maggie’s Cancer Caring Centres, both triumphed at the First Women Awards, respectively winning the First Woman of Finance and First Woman of Public Service accolades.

The awards, founded in 2005, recognise achievements by women in the business, science and media sectors.

Judges of the awards, including The White Company founder Chrissie Rucker, Taylor Wimpey chief executive Pete Redfern and Wilful Blindness author Margaret Heffernan, said: “What is exciting about Jann is that she still has a long way to go. Her plans for promoting the development of women as the next generation of business leaders know no bounds.”

They said of Ms Lee: “What Laura has done is amazing. She has incredible vision and to support a patient like she did with Maggie Keswick Jencks is testament to her incredible human spirit, compassion and care.”