News & Events

Women Mean Business Award winners announced

Today WMB held its 11th annual Women Mean Business Conference & Awards in Dublin’s Shelbourne Hotel. The event recognises the achievements of businesswomen and entrepreneurs across Ireland.

Opening the event, An Tánaiste and Minister for Business, Enterprise & Innovation, Frances Fitzgerald TD said: “As an avid supporter of female entrepreneurs and businesswomen, I am delighted that the Women Mean Business Awards is in its 11th year and going from strength to strength. With the variety of awards here today, we can see the breadth of women’s ingenuity and ability to perform at a high level in the business world.

“Women networks and platforms, such as Women Mean Business, are crucial to encouraging more women to advance their careers and establish their own businesses”. As Minister for Business, Enterprise & Innovation, I am now in a job where I will seek to ensure that women in business are the leaders in business. I would like to wish all the competitors, and especially the winners, every success in their future ventures.”

Six awards were presented with Lisa Dillon, MD of EMEA Inside Sales, Microsoft taking the overall WMB Businesswoman Award 2017.

Aoife Lawler & Niamh Sherwin Barry, Co-founders, The Irish Fairy Door Company received the Matheson WMB Female Entrepreneur Award. Keren Jackson, Founder & CEO of BlueFire received the Newstalk WMB Social Entrepreneur Award and Louise Kenny, Founding Director, Metabolomic Diagnostics was the WMB Woman in Technology Award recipient. Natalie Walsh, Executive Director, Blackstone LaunchPad, NUI Galway received the Boots WMB Empowering Women Award 2017; and Kate & Annie Madden, Co-founders, FenuHealth.com received the Sodexo WMB Female Newcomer Award for 2017.

The day-long event included an impressive line up of business people: Keynote Speaker: Sinéad McSweeney, VP Public Policy & Communications EMEA and MD Twitter Ireland; Consultant Psychologist Dr. Damien Lowry; and Evelyn O’Toole, Founder & CEO of Complete Laboratory Solutions (and WMB Businesswoman 2016). The day also included a panel discussion on the theme ‘Walk the Talk’ with Ciara Donlon, Founder THEYA Healthcare; Sonia Deasy, Co-founder, Pestle & Mortar and Columnist & Broadcaster, Dr. Ciara Kelly.

Ends

For further information contact:

Rosemary Delaney 086 235 1588

Jennifer Barker, Fusion Photography, will release Award Winner Images after 4pm on the day (087 757 4028)