Women 1st Shine Awards | Winners announced

Left to Right Linzi Martin, Kirsty Loveday, Mel Stacey Merlin Entertainments, Sandie Dawe MBE, Stephanie Hamilton and Sally Fielding. Also far right is Simone Roche

This year’s winner of the Women 1^st Shine Awards have been announced after their annual awards ceremony took place in London with over 150 industry leaders in attendance and 17 leading businesswomen being inducted into the Women 1st Top 100 Club. The ceremony, held at the London Marriott hotel in Grosvenor Square and hosted by ex-rugby union star, Matt Dawson MBE was organised by Women 1st, which aims to recognise and celebrate female talent in hospitality, retail, passenger transport, travel and tourism, shining a light on individuals who show outstanding talent, aptitude and initiative in their roles and recognising the mentors and businesses that support their careers.

The winners of the 2014 Shine Awards from the hospitality sector are:

Small Business Award (sponsored by Bloom Retreats): Sally’s Cottages
Mentor of the Year Award (sponsored by Pommery): Stephanie Hamilton, Executive Operations Director, ISS Food & Hospitality
Stepping Up Award (sponsored by Sodexo): Catharine Barras, Operations Manager, BaxterStorey
Rising Star Award (sponsored by Gate8 Luggage): Linzi Martin, District Operations Manager, William Hill

The Women 1st Top 100 Club lists the most influential women in hospitality, passenger transport, travel and tourism. Its members have reached the pinnacle of their careers and act as positive role models providing motivation and guidance for the next generation of leaders.

The 2014 inductees into the Top 100 Club from the hospitality and tourism sector are:

Amanda Afiya, Editor, The Caterer
Ann Cadman OBE, Managing Director, The Source Academy
Catriona Kempston, Marketing Director, Mitchells & Butlers
Deirdre Wells OBE, CEO, UKinbound
Jill Whittaker, Managing Director, HIT Training
Kathryn Porter, Divisional Resourcing Director, Hilton Worldwide
Kim Kaewkraikhot, Owner and Chef Director, Thai Leisure Group
Pervin Todiwala,

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Co-Patron and Operations Director, Café Spice Namaste, Mr Todiwala's Kitchen,
Assado Waterloo and The Park Café
Sarah Miller, Regional Managing Director, BaxterStorey

Simone Roche, director of Women 1st, commented: “I’d like to congratulate all the winners and also say well done to all the finalists for getting this far. “The Top 100 Club and the Shine Awards give us a chance to recognise individuals, mentors and businesses that make a real difference to the companies they work for and to our industry, and demonstrate just how many talented women we have in our sector. “Both our winners and shortlisted finalists are an inspiration to their industry and are great examples of the drive, commitment, enthusiasm and sheer passion required to make it. Crucially, they also provide excellent role models for tomorrow’s female leaders, helping to ensure that our industries build a strong pipeline of talent for the future.”

Top 100 entrants pictured with Matt Dawson MBE

Women 1st is a campaigning arm of People 1st, the leading skills and workforce development charity for employers in the hospitality, tourism, leisure, travel, passenger transport and retail industries. It was launched in 2009 to address the issue that large numbers of women were leaving the hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism industries each year and the imbalance between men and women at senior levels. Subsequent research has shown that both passenger transport and retail face similar problems, and the initiative now covers the whole tourism and visitor economy sector. To find out more about the Shine Awards and for the full list of winners visit www.women1st.co.uk/awards. The full Top 100 Club list is available at www.women1st.co.uk/top-100. The Women 1st Shine Awards is sponsored by Unilever Food Solutions UK and Ireland, and the Women 1st Top 100 Club is sponsored by Fraser Giles Partnership.

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