Northern Ireland’s top businesswomen were celebrated for their outstanding achievements at the 2023 Women in Business Awards which welcomed a sell-out audience of more than 550 to Belfast’s Crowne Plaza Hotel on Thursday evening.
This year’s Awards, now in their 11th year, brought together female entrepreneurs and businesswomen from all sectors to recognise, reward and celebrate the very best of local talent at the only ceremony of its kind in Northern Ireland.
Sponsored by Virgin Media O2 Business for the fifth consecutive year, the Awards received a record 201 submissions and honoured eighteen inspiring women and one outstanding business organisation.
The highly acclaimed Business Woman of the Year 2023 award, also sponsored by Virgin Media O2 Business, was presented to Jackie Henry, Managing Partner of People and Purpose at Deloitte UK. Under her leadership, Jackie has grown the company from 80 people to 1,300 and in 2017 was honoured with an MBE for services to the economy, including setting up the Belfast Delivery Centre and the creation of Deloitte’s BrightStart Degree and Graduate academy programmes.
The Women in Business award winners 2023 are:
- Award for Advancing Diversity in the Workplace (sponsored by Queen’s University Belfast)
- Individual Winner – Sarah Balmforth – Hughes Insurance
- Organisation Winner – Fibrus
- Award for Best Customer Service (sponsored by Irish News)
- Corporate Winner – Paula Mooney – Leckey
- Small Business Winner – Roisin O’Hare – Brand Elevation
- Award for Best in Professional Services (sponsored by IQ&Co.)
- Corporate Winner – Joanne Alexander – Mid and East Antrim Borough Council
- Small Business Winner – Melanie Dawson – Origin 7 Ltd
- Award for Best Marketing Campaign (sponsored by Kaizen Print)
- Corporate Winner – Claire Hale – Dale Farm Ltd
- Small Business Winner – Roisin O’Hare – Brand Elevation
- Award for Best New Start Up (sponsored by Go For It)
- Winner – Rabab Flack – Causeway Clear Ears
- Award for Best Small Business (sponsored by Danske Bank)
- Winner – Tracey McNally – Ecohog Ltd
- Award for Outstanding Innovation (sponsored by Belfast Harbour)
- Corporate Winner – Gabriela Martin – Concentrix Europe LTD
- Small Business Winner – Ineke Rentmeesters – Ubloquity
- Award for Best Green Business (sponsored by NIE Networks)
- Winner – Grainne O’Loane – Fish City
- Award for Excellence in IT (sponsored by Wilson Nesbitt)
- Winner – Shannon Stronge – BT
- Award for Outstanding Mentor (sponsored by Version 1)
- Winner – Lenore Rice, Wilson Nesbitt Solicitors
- Outstanding Management and Leadership (sponsored by Staffline)
- Winner – Tanya Martin – IQ & Co Ltd
- Award for Young Business Woman of the Year (sponsored by Allstate)
- Winner – Niamh McCarthy – Niamh Designs
- Award for Business Woman of the Year (sponsored by Virgin Media O2 Business)
- Winner – Jackie Henry, Deloitte
Jo Bertram, Managing Director at Virgin Media O2 Business, said: “At Virgin Media O2 Business we are committed to championing women and their impact within the local business community, which is why we continue to be proud sponsors of the Women in Business Awards. All of tonight’s winners should be incredibly proud of their achievements which will inspire other businesswomen and accelerate the journey towards workplace gender parity.”
Women in Business Chief Executive, Roseann Kelly commented, “It is a real honour for Women in Business to bring together this group of inspiring businesswomen who have each excelled in their field and made hugely significant contributions to the business ecosystem in Northern Ireland.
“Our 11th Awards was a true showcase of the amazing talent of businesswomen locally as Women in Business continues to celebrate, encourage and inspire women to achieve their ambitions. Congratulations to all of the winners and finalists, we look forward to seeing what the future holds for you and your business.”
