About the Prowess Awards Roll of Honour
The Prowess Awards roll of honour records the women, mentors, researchers, journalists, and organisations recognised by Prowess for their contribution to women’s enterprise in the UK. Prowess ran the awards programme in 2007 and 2008 to highlight achievement across business support, entrepreneurship, research, and the media. Although Prowess no longer runs an annual awards programme, this page preserves the record of those recognised and remains a reference for the breadth of talent advancing women-led business in the UK.
Across the two years, the Prowess Awards recognised 65 women, organisations, and initiatives in total, spanning 19 categories sponsored by bodies including HSBC, Lloyds TSB Business, ACCA, SEEDA, and Intuit QuickBooks (Prowess Awards records, 2007; Prowess Awards records, 2008).
2008 Prowess Awards winners and finalists
The 2008 programme included 11 categories and recognised 35 winners and finalists (Prowess Awards records, 2008).
Business Support Professional of the Year
Winner: Ellen Kerr, Co-Director of the Women in Business for Merseyside Project
Finalists:
- Julie Readman, Managing Director, Business Link South Yorkshire
- Sarah Roberts, WiRE, Women in Rural Enterprise
Business Mentor of the Year
Winner: Elaine Owen, Managing Director, Designated Associates
Finalists:
- Jane Barnes, CEO, Yakkety-Yak Multimedia Company Ltd
- Susan Heaton-Wright, Company Director, NSN Productions Ltd
Woman in SET Enterprise
Sponsored by the UK Resource Centre for Women in SET.
Winner: Jeanette Forbes, Managing Director, PCL Group
Finalists:
- Donna Kingsley, Managing Director, ADK Security Services Ltd
- Jan Smith, Chairman, EOL IT Services Ltd
- Jane Palmer, Managing Director, Industrial Brushware Ltd
Female Social Entrepreneur
Sponsored by the Office of the Third Sector.
Winner: Karen Mattison, Co-Founder and Director of Women Like Us
Finalists:
- Claudine Reid, PJ’s Community Service
- Gill Gardiner, Co-Executive Director, Building Blocks Solutions Ltd
- Helen Walker, Operations Director and Co-Founder of Water Power Enterprises (h2oPE)
Press Award
Winner: Margaret Heffernan for ‘Changing the rules?’, 13 August 2007, BBC Radio 4
Finalists:
- Yasmin Akhtar and Claire Hill for Go-Woman! Magazine
- Alison Maitland for ‘Top women tip the scales’, 10 October 2007, The Financial Times
Women’s Enterprise Researcher of the Year
Winner: Dr Rebecca Harding, Managing Director of Delta Economics
Finalists:
- Muhammad Azam Roomi, Director of Research, Centre for Women’s Enterprise, University of Bedfordshire
- Professor Susan Marlow, Professor of Entrepreneurship and Small Business, Department of HRM, De Montfort University
Ethnic Minority Business Woman (National)
Sponsored by WECOE, supported by AWM.
Winner: Lisa Tse, Director, Sweet Mandarin
Finalists:
- Elaine Clarke, Chief Executive, Baa Bar Group Plc
- Sanchita Saha, Managing Director, CitySocialising
Ethnic Minority Business Woman (West Midlands)
Sponsored by WECOE, supported by AWM.
Winner: Ranbir Sahota, Director, Vitis Public Relations
Finalists:
- Kavita Janagal and Rani Uppelle, Co-Directors of Simply Recruitment
- Vivean Pomell, Owner, Brynels Hats and Accessories
Inspirational Business Mum
Sponsored by Yell.com.
Winner: Karen Mattison, Director, Women Like Us
Finalists:
- Dee Wright, The Hairforce, Lice Assassins
- Rachel Jones, Totseat
Inspirational Woman
Sponsored by WEConnect.
Winner: Suzanne Liversidge, Managing Partner of Sheffield Office, Halliwells LLP
Finalists:
- Lisa Shepherd, Managing Director, Lisa Shepherd Salons
- Karen Mattison, Co-Founder and Director of Women Like Us
Outstanding Contribution to Women’s Enterprise Development
Sponsored by HSBC.
Winner: Sally Goodsell, Chief Executive, Finance South East Ltd
Finalists:
- Louise Heasman, Co-Founder, The Athena Network
- Sonia Brown, Founder and Director, National Black Women’s Network (NBWN)
2007 Prowess Awards winners and finalists
The 2007 programme included eight categories and recognised 30 winners and finalists (Prowess Awards records, 2007).
Outstanding Contribution to Women’s Enterprise Development
Sponsored by ACCA.
Winner: Izzy Warren-Smith OBE, Director of Women in Rural Enterprise (WiRE). Izzy’s groundbreaking research led to the formation of WiRE in 1996 and has had an immense impact on government policy.
Finalists:
- Professor Sara Carter, Director, Entrepreneurship and Research Centre, University of Stirling. For 20 years Sara has engaged in research that has been instrumental in driving the policy agenda for women’s entrepreneurship in the UK.
- Valerie Dwyer, Board Member, East Midlands Development Agency. Valerie is a tireless champion of women’s enterprise, giving 100% to all she is involved in across the East Midlands region. A serial entrepreneur herself, she has lived her dreams and it is that passion that has inspired so many others.
Inspirational Woman
Sponsored by HSBC.
Winner: Hilary Devey. Hilary has grown the Pall-Ex Group to a multi-million-pound company with national and international reach since re-mortgaging her house 10 years earlier to start the business. She also advises and supports female traders in Africa.
Finalists:
- Jan Cavelle, The Jan Cavelle Furniture Company. Jan has built up a very successful business from scratch. She also actively supports the Dido project, which promotes women in non-traditional occupations.
- Ratna Vohora, The Vitality Centre. Ratna’s focus of interacting with the local community, supporting the Centre’s practitioners and fostering an inclusive business culture has not compromised the growth of her business.
Business Support Professional of the Year
Sponsored by Prowess.
Winner: Zainab Yasmeen, Business Adviser and Mentor, ATL (Yorkshire Ltd). Zainab has raised the standard in client expectations, setting a benchmark for internal and external colleagues.
Finalists:
- Ruth Rowe, Women into Business Adviser, Business in Focus, Bridgend. Ruth’s dynamism and positive energy inspires and motivates her clients to achieve beyond their expectations.
- Kath Tatlock, Business Support Network, Women in Business, Devon. Kath has strong personal and professional values in both her paid and voluntary roles. She firmly believes that her role is to be a facilitator.
- Chrystelle Benkhelil, Enterprise Enfield. Chrystelle has the ability to advise and empower people from all walks of life. She has raised significant funding packages for several of the businesses she has advised.
Making an Impact
Sponsored by SEEDA.
Winner: Professor Sara Carter, Director, Entrepreneurship and Research Centre, University of Stirling. Sara has an outstanding reputation in the field of female entrepreneurship and was one of the first UK academics to explore the links between gender and enterprise.
Finalists:
- Dr Rebecca Harding. Rebecca has been at the forefront of entrepreneurship research for several years and has always ensured effective gender analysis within her work.
- Dr Sandra Fielden. Sandra has conducted groundbreaking research in the field of female entrepreneurship over the last 10 years.
Innovator Award
Sponsored by Lloyds TSB Business.
Winner: The University of Bedfordshire, Centre for Women’s Enterprise. The CWE launched the UK’s first women-only Masters in Business Administration (MBA) for Developing Businesses via Supported Learning.
Finalists:
- Stargate Capital Management Ltd for the Trapezia Women-focused Equity Fund. The first Venture Capital Fund in the UK dedicated to investing in businesses where women have an influential role.
- The Her Business Centre. Based in Newham, one of the poorest boroughs in Britain. Her Business has developed one of the most innovative and transformational enterprise support services for women.
- West Midlands Regional Women’s Enterprise Unit (RWEU). A seamless programme of targeted and mainstream business support for women, supported by AWM. A best-practice example for other regions.
Female Business Mentor of the Year
Sponsored by Intuit QuickBooks.
Winner: Susan Edgar. Susan has managed a significant caseload for over nine years. Many of her mentees identify Susan’s support as critical to their business success.
Finalists:
- Clive Lunn, Sheffield Hallam University. The young women Clive has mentored from the Enterprise Centre, Sheffield Hallam University have had quite outstanding success in national competitions.
- Kai McCabe, Search Consultancy Ltd. Kai brings outstanding business skills and experience to her mentoring role and not only moves businesses on but stays with them.
- Pratibha Hindocha, Catalyst. Pratibha is determined to share her own experience as an Asian immigrant who has set up a successful business.
Press Award
Sponsored by BHP Information Solutions.
Winner: John Carlin, nominated for The Observer Woman’s Magazine article ‘John Carlin meets the inspirational banker Mohammad Yunus in Bangladesh’. A passionate account of how micro-credit has changed the lives of thousands of women.
Finalists:
- Eleanor Wason, Reuters, nominated for ‘Female entrepreneurs neglected by government’ and ‘Rural and ethnic women starting new businesses’. Compelling articles that capture a range of issues facing women in business.
- Pam Woodhall, nominated for The Economist article ‘A guide to Womenomics’. Strong economic analysis suggesting women are the most powerful engine of global growth.
Inspirational Business Mum
Sponsored by Yellow Pages.
Winner: Sarah Steele, The Old Station Nursery. Sarah started her own nursery in 1999 after struggling to find appropriate places for her own young children. She now has a thriving chain of eight nurseries and a work-life balance to die for.
Finalists:
- Katie Mayne, TinyTalk baby signing classes. Katie founded TinyTalk after teaching her son Harry to use sign language when he was just seven months old. She has franchised the programme and there are now 91 qualified tutors, teaching over 2,000 babies each week. Katie was given a special mention by the judges and was Highly Commended.
- Susan Moore, Party Crew. Working as a Company Director Susan missed her three children and felt guilty about not seeing them enough. She now has a refreshing balance in her life, employs 26 women and is a market leader set to grow further.
- Abiola Ajayi-obe, Smartchartz. Founder of Smartchartz, incentive charts that encourage young children to behave and learn better. The charts are sold online and in 10 stores nationwide including Selfridges.
- Nadine Lewis, Identikids. Nadine has invented children’s identity wrist bands, a simple yet valuable product now being distributed by major retailers including Boots and Mothercare.
Why recognition still matters for women founders
Awards do more than celebrate individual achievement. They raise the visibility of women-led businesses, create role models, and help founders build credibility with customers, investors, and partners. The women and organisations named in this Prowess Awards roll of honour span logistics, childcare, research, social enterprise, technology, and professional services, showing the breadth of sectors where women are building significant businesses.
For a current picture of the UK women in business landscape, including data on self-employment, leadership, and the funding environment, see our Women in Business: Key UK Facts page.
Where to find awards and support today
If you are running a business now, there are still many ways to gain recognition and practical support. The following Prowess guides are updated for 2026:
- Women in Business Awards 2026: Every UK Award Worth Entering for a current list of national and regional awards open to women founders.
- Business Grants For Women in UK for grant programmes and eligibility guidance.
- Start Up Loans Female Founders for government-backed start-up finance.
- British Business Bank: New Funding Rules for Women Founders for updates on finance programmes.
- Women in Business Networks UK: The Best Communities to Join in 2026 for peer support and networking.
Recognition and support for women founders today
The Prowess Awards roll of honour remains a record of the women and organisations who shaped the early conversation about women’s enterprise in the UK. From researchers and mentors to founders and journalists, the 2007 and 2008 winners demonstrated the range of contributions needed to build a more inclusive business environment. If you are a woman running a business today, their example, combined with the current awards and support resources listed above, can help you find the recognition and backing you need to grow.
