UK’s top 10 female founders crowned at everywoman Entrepreneur Awards

The UK’s top 10 female founders have been crowned at the 22nd everywoman Entrepreneur Awards.

Selected from nearly a thousand entries, the 10 winners were unveiled at The Londoner Hotel in Leicester Square.

The judging panel included Chrissie Rucker (founder of The White Company), Susan Allen (co-founder at Here We Flo), Connie Nam (founder of Astrid and Miyu), Yvonne Nagawa (chief of staff at Black Seed Ventures), Izzy Obeng (CEO at Foundervine), Libby Gibson (partner at Piper PE LLP) and others.

The Woman of the Year Award was presented to Lucy Goff, founder of LYMA Life, from London. From her kitchen table, armed with determination and a vision to make a difference, Lucy has transformed her own health challenges from a small startup into a global sensation worth over £150 million and present in over 70 countries.

Since 2018, she has pioneered world-first scientific solutions that merge wellness and cutting-edge technology. Her FDA-cleared at-home laser was named TIME Magazine’s Best Invention of 2023, and led to a King’s Award for Enterprise, a spot on the Sunday Times Fastest Growing UK Businesses and FT 1000 Fastest Growing European Companies. 

Women make up 75% of her senior leadership team, supporting The King’s Trust #ChangeAGirlsLife initiative and her soon-to-launch Women in Science Bursary that will open doors for the next generation of female innovators. 

Category winners

THE BALANCE AWARD – awarded to a woman who has balanced founding a business whilst raising a child/children aged 12 or under:

Karen O’Flaherty, co-founder of Pip Organic, from London. After years of researching and with no experience, Karen took the plunge with her husband into the food and beverage world with a mission to create top-tasting, healthy food and drink for all the family. A whole lot of juicing and a couple of kids later, Pip Organic was born in 2001 as a small stall in London’s Borough Market. A proudly self-funded business, the products are now enjoyed in over 10,000 UK locations and the business continues to expand rapidly with double-digit growth. A true challenger brand, Pip Organic is committed to sustainability, pioneering the UK’s first paper straws on juice cartons. Beyond business, Karen’s leadership shines through community impact, contributing over £20,000 to food banks and educational programs.

ENTREPRENEUR FOR GOOD AWARD – awarded to a female founded business that contributes to the greater good in some way, whether this is through a social enterprise, diversity and inclusion, sustainability or another area of impact: 

Sandra Igwe MBE, founder & CEO of The Motherhood Group, from London. What began as a small WhatsApp group by Sandra in 2015 has skyrocketed into the UK’s largest black maternal and wellbeing organisation, serving over 15,000 members.  Confronting the urgent need for change, Sandra has boldly tackled systemic maternal health disparities, empowering black mothers with peer-to-peer support, advocacy campaigns, and workshops. The group’s 2022 Black Maternal Health Conference, a first-of-its-kind event, drew national headlines across CNN, BBC, and The Guardian, propelling their mission and its relevance to new heights.  Through partnerships with global giants Meta, Nike, and NHS England, the business influences corporate spaces and healthcare alike, driving change and creating a legacy of empowerment and inclusion. Sandra’s tenacious vision has transformed lives and earned her a spot on Forbes’ Most Influential Women list and Vogue’s 2023 Most Inspiring Woman. 

INTERNATIONAL EXPANSION AWARD – awarded to a female founder who has successfully expanded her product/service to a new geographic market:

Margaret Dabbs OBE, founder & CEO of Margaret Dabbs London, from London. Starting with a single self-funded clinic in London and driven by her podiatry background, Margaret created a British Beauty Brand in 2008 that has pioneered and created a new wellness category within the beauty sector for feet, hands, nails and legs, bridging the gap between podiatry and beauty with the creation of medically credible treatment protocols and problem-solving, results-driven luxury products. Margaret Dabbs London now operates 14 branded Foot Clinics with Nail Spas across the UK and beyond, partners with iconic hotels and spas globally and its products are sold in 38 countries worldwide.

THE NEXT LEVEL AWARD – awarded to a female founder who has a highly profitable business (above £1 million EBITDA):

Jennifer Davidson, founder & managing director of Sleek Events, from London. Jen launched Sleek by turning an in-house offer into a bold proposition – why not build an agency for her client? They agreed, and Sleek was born in 2015. Jen’s visionary leadership has propelled Sleek to become a global powerhouse with a team of over 250, an impressive client list including Amazon, PayPal, and Pernod Ricard, and placing #19 on the Sunday Times Fast Track 100. Despite COVID’s devastating blow to the events industry, Jen repositioned and aligned Sleek with its rapid growth trajectory, delivering over 200 projects globally in 2023 alone, resulting in £2.9 million in revenue pre-pandemic to a projected £22 million in the current year. Jen champions exceptional performance through diverse thinking, a culture of equality and empowerment, and promoting initiatives for women’s health and wellbeing, all whilst achieving an impressive 87% employee engagement score.

SCALE UP AWARD – celebrates a female founded business in a period of high growth, achieving 20% or more growth in employment or turnover for at least 3 financial years:

Kim Innes, founder & CEO of Humble Crumble, from London. Driven by her love of making and eating crumble, Kim spotted a gap in the market and turned her passion into the UK’s first crumble-focused brand in 2018, growing from a market stall to four bakeries with a team of 60 in just over 3 years.  Initially selling a handful of crumbles per day, the brand skyrocketed after featuring in Time Out and going viral on TikTok during the pandemic, now selling 1,750 crumbles daily. Despite the challenge of scaling operations, Kim has focused on maintaining a positive, inclusive workplace, with 95% of her team being female.  Recognized on Forbes 30 Under 30, Kim continues to dream big, aiming for retail and international expansion.

SOCIAL STAR AWARD – awarded to a woman who has significantly grown or launched her business predominantly using the power of social media:

Lemon Fuller, founder & CEO of Lemonade Dolls, from London. Launched in 2019, Lemonade Dolls is the UK’s fastest growing lingerie, with one product ordered every minute and turning over half a million pounds every month. As a brand that celebrates inclusivity, diversity, and helping women unapologetically love themselves from the inside out, it is disrupting the lingerie industry, as the first to innovate a bralette up to an H cup with the same genius support found in the brand’s other bras. With truly ethical and sustainable standards throughout the production process, Lemonade Dolls is a chosen partner of Choose Love and will have donated 45,000 units to them by the end of 2024. Lemon is also a graduate of Goldman Sachs 10KSB and an inductee to EY’s Entrepreneurial Winning Women. Lemon is re-writing the rule book to change the conventional norms of the lingerie industry and demonstrates that sustainability can be sexy, and big brands can have big hearts too.

SOLOPRENEUR AWARD – awarded to a woman running a business as an independent sole trader:

Rachel Peebles, founder & Spanish teacher of Estrellas Brillantes (Shining Stars), from Glasgow. In 2017 Rachel founded an award-winning Spanish language hub that brings learning to life Spanish classes for all ages – from babies & toddlers to pensioners. It’s a vibrant community hub that extends far beyond the scope of traditional language education, inspiring and encouraging learners to speak Spanish, build friendships, grow in confidence and help others, through fundraising events and summer clubs, that have raised £30,000 for charity since the business began. Based in two local community venues near Glasgow, the classes have grown from just 16 children in 2017, to over 200 children, across 19 community classes and a nursery group today, with over 90 adults being taught weekly also.

SMALL ENTERPRISE AWARD – celebrating an inspiring woman who has founded a profitable business with under 25 employees:

Rose Ovensehi, founder & CEO of Flora & Curl, from Birmingham. Flora & Curl burst onto the scene in 2017 with one mission: to make curl care simple, effective, and empowering.  After finding most market options unsuitable, Rose took matters into her own hands and created gentle, nutrient-rich, plant-based solutions from her mother’s kitchen. From three original products the business has grown significantly, launching onto the UK high street and expanding to over 80 countries. With over 20 awards and a Forbes #30Under30 mention for Rose, Flora & Curl is projected to triple its profits this year. A passionate advocate for sustainability and inclusivity, Rose leads with this at the core of the business, from eco-friendly aluminium bottles to tree-planting initiatives, Flora & Curl is truly a force for good.

TECH INNOVATOR AWARD – recognises a woman who is creating innovative tech which is creating change within industry:

Vinita Rathi, CEO of Systango, from Ruislip. Since founding Systango in 2004, Vinita has been a force to be reckoned with in the tech industry. Leading a team of over 350 digital innovators, she’s transformed Systango from a small startup to a global engineering force, known for pioneering work in Generative AI, Web3, automation, and cloud technologies. Vinita has led Systango to achieve extraordinary 55% year-on-year growth, expanding into the USA, with plans for the Middle East and APAC on the horizon and spearheading revolutionary AI-driven tools to navigate Systango’s successful public listing on India’s NSE. Vinita’s passion for uplifting others drives her work with WomenHackForNonProfits and Women Who Code, and her dedication to sponsoring education for underprivileged youth.