The best businesswomen in London celebrated getting to the finalist stage of the Venus Awards with canapés and champagne in a star-studded, glitzy ceremony at the iconic Ritz.
65 London Venus Awards finalists were revealed at the much-anticipated event. Launched in May, applicants and nominees have been whittled down through a combination of panel judges and public voting. Now, the 65 finalists will be judged by a panel of prestigious businesses sponsoring the awards before the finals at the Waldorf Hotel in December.
The Venus Awards, dubbed by Channel 4 as “The Working Women’s Oscars”, celebrate the vital contribution that women in business make to the local, regional, and national economy, and are unique in that anyone can nominate a friend, client or family member.
Founder of the Venus Awards, Tara Howard, said: “In our ninth year, we are thrilled the number of applications continues to grow. We received a record-breaking 1,200 nominations and applications for the 15 award categories, which highlights the influence women in business are making to their local economies.”
Katharine Plunkett CEO of the Business of Brand (BoB) School, a key sponsor of the London Venus Awards said: “The finalists are clearly leading the way in their industries and we have no doubt they will be making a difference in the world and it is a joy to be a part of their journey.”
The London 2018 Venus Awards will culminate in a glamorous gala dinner and awards ceremony on 3rdDecember 2018 at The Waldorf Hilton, London.
The Venus Awards London 2018 Finalists are:
Influential Woman of the Year (Sponsored by Time and Leisure)
| Chelsey | Baker | National Mentoring Day |
| Marisa | Peer | Rapid Transformation Therapy |
| Diahanne | Rhiney | Strength With In Me Foundation |
Inspirational Woman of the Year
| Alice | Morrison | Alice Morrison |
| Mariela | Shaker | UNHCR |
| Gina | Martin | Parliament |
| Seema | Flower | Blind Ambition |
| Jenni | Dunman | Daisy First Aid Ltd |
| Anna | Daniels | Daniels Group |
Company of the Year (Sponsored by SGFE)
| Jane Julia | Atherton Vassie | Love Success Plc |
| Kirsten | Hazell | London Grace Ltd |
| Sarah | Hazlehurst | MKTG |
| Christine | Owen | Plimsoll Productions |
Employer of the Year (Sponsored by Jaluch)
| Antoinette | Daniel | Just Helpers |
| Kirsten | Hazell | London Grace Ltd |
| Chantelle | Nicholson | Tredwells & Marcus Wareing Restaurants |
| Henry | Stewart | Happy |
Small Business of the Year (Sponsored by BoB School)
| Susan | Kabani | Ugenie |
| Katie | Young Gerald | Bespoke Textiles |
| Natalie | Meyer | Tokyoesque |
Director of the Year
| Cathy | Busani | Happy Ltd |
| Liz | Kalu | Leverage Homes |
| Lucy | Kane | Time and Leisure Magazine |
| Lynsey-Kay | Porter | Ultimate Holdings |
| Lauren | Williams | London Grace |
Professional Excellence
| Amy | Hambleton | RedLaw |
| Alison | Kriel | Above & Beyond |
| Emma | Taylor | RSSB |
| Jane | Wheeler | Hine Legal |
| Gunita | Bhasin | Showcased and Atomico |
HR Professional (Sponsored by Benefex)
| Abigail | Lerman | Stella McCartney |
| Kelly | Jackson | World First |
| Belinda | Henriksen | Expedia Inc |
PR Excellence (Sponsored by Sunny Bird PR)
| Rebecca | Musgrave | Propercorn |
| Antonia | Mason | Oppo |
| Lauren | Williams | London Grace |
Social Media Influencer (Public Vote)
| Abigail | Barnes | Success by Design Training |
| Jennifer | Corcoran | My Super Connector |
| Rae | Radford | What’s New UK |
| Mariela | Dabbah | Red Shoe Movement |
Marketing Excellence (Sponsored by Profiles Creative)
| Becky | Brock | John Lewis |
| Gemma | Mason | Superdrug |
| Tamara | Gillan | Cherry London |
Outstanding CEO
| Jacqueline | Gold | Ann Summers |
| Cally | Palmer | Royal Marsden Hospital |
| Clare | Scott | The Ocean Partnership Ltd |
| Maryanne | Matthews | EY Foundation |
Entrepreneur of the Year
| Anna | Sofat | Addidi Wealth Ltd |
| Kirsty | Henderson | Five Rings Training, and Personal Safety London |
| Roni | Savage | Jomas Associates Limited |
| Sara | Trechman | Well&Truly |
| Rosie | Vernon | Aurora Baby |
Inspirational Woman in Tech (Sponsored by Empact Ventures)
| Tarryn | Gorre | Kafoodle Limited |
| Tiia | Sammallahti | WhatCharity |
| Sophie | Thompson | VirtualSpeech |
Outstanding Team Member
| Farzana | Naz | Saracens Solicitors | |
| Chrisoula | Sirigou | The Golden Muse | |
| Annabelle | Risdon | Give as you Live | |
| Niri | Arambepola | WSP | |
| Jessica | Fairfax | Kaizen |
Journalist of the Year
| Ella | Dove | Hearst Magazines UK |
| Laura | Hampson | London Evening Standard |
| Emmie | Harrison | TI Media Limited |
| Emma | Sheppard | Freelance |
| Stephanie | Clarkson | 38a The Shop |
