Get Ready for the Glasgow Athena Awards 2025!
Mark your calendars for Thursday 27th March 2025, as we roll out the red carpet to celebrate Glasgow’s most inspiring women in business! The BWC Glasgow Athena Awards are all about recognising the fierce female entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs that showcase leadership, innovation, and impact. Whether they’re leading bold startups or shaking things up in the corporate world, these women are making a difference—and now’s the time to celebrate them!
Why the Athena Awards Are Unmissable
The Awards shine a well-deserved spotlight on the women who inspire us all to think bigger and do better. From creative startups to transformative corporate leaders, these awards celebrate the determination, passion, and achievements of women who inspire others to rise. Whether you’re a founder, innovator, or leader within a company, your contributions matter.
Are you interested in sponsoring the Awards?
Dates to Remember
9th September: Nominations open
Deadline extended to Friday 29th November
w/c 20th January: Shortlisting
w/c 27th January: Finalists contacted
w/c 3rd February: Finalists announced
27th March: Athena Awards 2025
Athena Awards 2025 Categories
Congratulations to our finalists!
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Women in Finance Award
The Woman in Finance Award celebrates the achievements of women in the financial advice community as well as those in the financial services sector.
Finalists:
Jacquelyn Walmsley, JAXX Accountancy
Jennifer McKenna, AP Wealth
Julie Spence, NoExspence
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Hair, Beauty and Fashion Award
This award recognises and showcases the creative talent in Scotland and recognises a woman who has made an outstanding impact on the business landscape in Scotland.
Finalists:
Catherine Kennedy, LilyBee Ltd
Lauryn Gillespie, Lauryn’s Beauty Hut
Promise Okoye, Beauty Splendour
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Women in Law Award
The Woman in Law Award recognises women who are both excelling in their areas of practice and are using their positions as role models to shape the legal profession. This category also recognises the women within 'property' within the area.
Finalists:
Caroline Gillespie, Weightmans LLP
Deborah Carmichael, Jones Whyte
Laura Meldrum, Harper MacLeod LLP
Nicola Waters, Jones Whyte
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The Health, Wellbeing and Lifestyle Award
This Award showcases women who work within the health, fitness, personal coaching or supports everyone in their lifestyle (eg., interior design, home staging, etc.)
Finalists:
Alison Ruddy, Alison Ruddy Coaching & Consulting
Catherine Kennedy, LilyBee Ltd
Lorraine Maginnis, Lorraine Maginnis Coaching
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The Rising Star Award
This Award showcases a young woman who is taking the local area by storm and is one to watch!
Finalists:
Dawn Waugh, Capable Kids Ltd
Jacquelyn Walmsley, JAXX Accountancy
Rebecca Devine, Jones Whyte
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Women in Business Support and Consultancy Award
This Award showcases women who work as self employed Consultants supporting individuals in areas such as IT, Business Coaching, etc)
Finalists:
Allison Hill, Jigsaw People Solutions
Angela Cowan, 20 Watt Solutions Ltd
Claire Partridge, Scottish Enterprise
Heather Offord, Clarity Consultants Ltd
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Women in PR, Marketing and Communications Award
This Award showcases women who work hard to ensure their clients or stakeholders have excellent PR, Marketing and Comms across all media platforms.
Finalists:
Gemma Wayne-Wills, Mar Hall Golf & Spa Resort
Vera Cloe Zebrowska, Zebrowska Art
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Women in the 3rd Sector Award
This Award showcases women who work in the challenging 3rd Sector environment.
Finalists for this Award will be announced on the night!
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Inspirational Woman of the Year
This Award showcases creative talent and celebrates a woman who has made an outstanding impact on the business landscape in Scotland.
Finalists:
Belinda Belli, Belli International
Diane Goldberg, Independent Funeral Celebrant
Our Judges
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Belinda Belli
Director
Belli International Real Estate
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Heather Offord
Founder
Clarity Consultants Ltd
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June Walker
Founder & Commercal Director
Excelarate Ltd
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Marie McShane
Relationships & Partnerships Manager
Simon Community Scotland
Grab Your Tickets Before They’re Gone!
With only 200 tickets up for grabs, don’t wait! Hosted by the incredible Edward Reid, get ready for an unforgettable evening of celebration, connection, and community.
Why You NEED to Be There
Make connections that matter: Rub shoulders with Glasgow’s business leaders and visionaries
Celebrate extraordinary achievements: Watch the best and brightest women in business take the stage
Feel the energy: This event is all about empowerment, inspiration, and celebrating success
Individual: £99 | Table of 10: £990
*Members should use their members discount code at checkout in order to receive reduced price.
Thursday 27th March 2025 | voco Grand Central, Glasgow
6:15PM - 11:30PM
Our Host
Edward Reid
Known across the country as the Nursery Rhyme guy after his performance on Britain’s Got Talent, Edward went onto win Radio Forth’s best Forth Fringe Show and was awarded Entertainer of the Year with Big Hearted Scotland.
Edward has worked in theatre, television and radio and is a popular host at corporate events from ladies’ lunches, award ceremonies, and charity balls.
In 2016, Edward trained with The British School of Meditation and is also a qualified meditation teacher specialising in mindfulness. He is now a regular keynote speaker at conferences and mental health events – bringing a fun accessible way to well being and happiness.
Award Sponsors
FAQ’s
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It is free to enter the awards.
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Nominations can be made on someone’s behalf or by the nominee themself.
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If the nominee meets the criteria, they can be entered into more than one awards category.
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It is necessary for the business to be registered in Scotland, however we will also accept entries if the business or person has a head office outside of Scotland but is based in Scotland.
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No
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No, we accept entries from both members and non-members.
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All nominations must be submitted by 6pm, 18th November 2024. Late entries will not be accepted.
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We will make contact with those shortlisted w/c 2nd December 2024.
BWC Glasgow Athena Awards Disclaimer
The BWC Glasgow Athena Awards are organised by Denise Wond BWC Ltd, SC791288 - TA BWC Glasgow.
Each BWC franchisee delivers their own awards independently, with their own appointed judging panel.
Confidentiality and Data Protection
All information submitted as part of the BWC Glasgow Athena Awards nomination process will be treated with the strictest confidence. Information provided will only be shared with the designated judging panel, appointed by BWC Glasgow, for the purposes of assessing nominations.
BWC Glasgow is not involved in the judging process and does not influence the panel's decisions at any point.
Verification and Validation
All business information submitted as part of the BWC Glasgow Athena Awards nomination process will be verified for accuracy. This includes validating nominee details and business information with Companies House records to ensure eligibility and compliance. BWC Glasgow reserves the right to perform these checks and may request additional information if necessary.
Judging Panel Confidentiality Agreement
Each judge on the panel will review and sign a confidentiality agreement, acknowledging that all information accessed for the awards process is strictly confidential and must not be disclosed to any third parties. Judges are required to adhere to this agreement throughout and after the judging process.
Data Handling and Disposal
Once the awards process has concluded, all business and personal information collected for the purposes of the awards will be securely destroyed, in accordance with data protection regulations.
By participating in the BWC Glasgow Athena Awards, nominees and nominators agree to the terms outlined above.
For any questions regarding these terms, please contact: denise@bwclasgow.co.uk
www.bwcglasgow.co.uk
Franchise Company - Business Women Connections Ltd. SC649688