Latest Awards Given To Powerful Women In Business, Sport and Media
Back in May, The Eastbourne Herald announced the 2016 Sussex Women in Business Awards, which will take place in the town’s Grand Hotel on October 7. Last year, the extremely successful Agora Clinic was crowned the winner, and we couldn’t be more excited to see who this year’s victor will be. Sussex Newspapers’ group events and exhibitions manager Dianne Gill explained: “Our county is known nationally for its women entrepreneurs. The women who have put us on that map deserve this recognition.” Of course, we couldn’t agree more, as women should be celebrated for their award-winning contributions whenever and wherever possible.
Asian Women Of Achievement Awards – Deepa Shah, CFO, Hall & Partners
Though the road to success is a unique experience for every businesswoman, each must have the passion and drive to achieve their dreams. Deepa Shah is a prime example of what it takes to become a successful businesswoman as she has consistently tackled every obstacle with courage, confidence and unwavering commitment. Since graduating from Kingston University in 1999, Shah has led companies in Dubai, South Africa, Asia and Australia, whilst also mentoring young entrepreneurs around the globe. She is currently employed by Hall & Partners, a brand and communication research agency, as their chief financial officer in Europe and Singapore.
Last month, shortly after the L’Oreal Colour Trophy Awards, London hosted the Asian Women of Achievement (AWA) Awards, during which almost a dozen women were recognised for their contributions to various fields. The AWA Awards, which were founded by Pinky Lilani in 1999 to celebrate Asian women in Britain, honoured Shah with the coveted Achievement Award For Business due to her outstanding contribution and dedication to Britain and business.
Women In Poker Hall Of Fame – Victoria Coren-Mitchell
As a presenter, writer and professional poker player, Victoria Coren-Mitchell has gained a reputation for being one of the brainiest women in Britain. Her BBC Two series Only Connect has been described as Britain’s hardest quiz show, with the season finale of the eleventh series attracting over 2.5 million viewers. One of the most appealing aspects of the show is that during each episode of Only Connect Coren-Mitchell displays her boundless intellect, a capacity that has undoubtedly aided her in her professional poker career.
Poker is without a doubt one of the most challenging card games in existence, as it requires strategy, observational skills and mathematical prowess – and in turn helps to sharpen the intellect. Coren-Mitchell has played poker all her life, having joined her elder brother’s poker group at a young age before going on to compete in card clubs, including Brighton’s very own Rendezvous Casino. Her most recent accolade was being inducted into the Women in Poker Hall of Fame, a non-profit organisation that aims to recognise and honour female poker players.
Nebula Awards – Naomi Novik
With the Brighton Yoga Festival and our annual summer getaway fast approaching, we are constantly on the lookout for good books to relax with and there are some great female authors out there that you might like to try. Women writers seem to be doing particularly well when it comes to science-fiction and fantasy books – one of the most popular genres amongst young adults. Originally known as The Science Fiction of America Awards, The Nebula Awards take place each year to celebrate science-fiction and fantasy writers in the USA. Held in Chicago on the 14th of May, this year’s awards were dominated by some brilliant female authors. The short story, novelette, novella, novel and the Andre Norton awards all went to women. According to The Guardian, since the Nebula awards launched in 1965, 64% of best novel and best novella winners have been men with the overall balance in every category being a 60:40 split between men and women, so the fact that so many women triumphed this year is an impressive feat.
Best Novel went to American author Naomi Novik for her book Uprooted, a fantasy set in a forest filled with dark magic, likened to Beauty and the Beast and Howl’s Moving Castle. Following the success of the novel, Warner Brothers competed with two other studios for the rights, with Ellen DeGeneres reportedly set to come on board as a producer. Other winners included Nnedi Okorafor who wrote the novella Binti, Sarah Pinsker with her novelette Our Lady of the Open Road, Alyssa Wong for her Hungry Daughters of Starving Mothers, and Fran Wilde for Updraft.
The RTS Television Journalism Awards – Julie Etchingham
A few months ago, Julie Etchingham from ITV News triumphed over Channel 4’s Matt Frei and BBC Two’s Victoria Derbyshire to win the Presenter of the Year award at the RTS Television Journalism Awards. Etchingham, of Leicester, graduated from Newnham College in Cambridge before joining the BBC and becoming the host of Newsround in 1994. In 2002, she joined Sky News and was recruited by ITV in 2007. Etchingham has an impressive portfolio, having worked on ITV News at Ten and the Tonight Programme, where she replaced Sir Trevor Macdonald, as well as on the Leaders’ Debate last year.
“Gosh it’s almost as good as Leicester City [top of league] – and about as likely,” Etchingham gushed after receiving the award. “Thank you very much indeed judges for this amazing award. It’s extraordinary really, I’m in a bit of shock.” The Royal Television Society aims to share the art and science behind great television, and as a woman with over two decades in news, Etchingham is a fantastic choice.
Needless to say, there are millions of spectacular women around the world who deserve such wonderful honours. In fact, we have plenty of fantastic females right here in Sussex, from Melanie Lawson of Bare Biology to Natasha Kaplinsky, who often joins Julie Etchingham on ITV News. We’re hoping that even more women receive accolades for their work in sport, business and media throughout the rest of 2016!