2009 Winners of Women In Public Life Awards

FYI. Please see ‘Lesley Abdela’ below -



Women in public life awards 2009



Commonwealth Club Wednesday March 4th



The winners of the Dods & Scottish Widows Women In Public Life Awards will be announced at the Commonwealth Club London WC2 on Wednesday March 4th 2009. Voting by Parliamentarians closes Friday February 6 2009.

The awards’ organisers and sponsors include The House Magazine, Whitehall & Westminster World, Psychologies, and the Civil Service Network



Click on names to see nomination detail.



Political Journalist of the Year: Freelance Lesley Abdela, Sally Biddulph, Political Correspondent for ITV Westcountry/Thames Valley, and The Independent’s Yasmin Alibhai Brown. Past winners include the BBC’s Stephanie Flanders, and Polly Toynbee.

Peer of the Year: Baroness Hollis of Heigham, Baroness Pola Uddin, Baroness Glenys Thornton. Past winners include Baroness Finlay of Llandaff, Baroness Frances D'Souza and Baroness Amos, former Leader of the House of Lords.

Business Woman of the Year: Bryony Pawinska, Chief Executive of the College of Optometrists, Camila Batmanghelidjh, Founder and Director of Kids Company, and Pollyanna Pickering, Pollyanna Pickering Ltd. Past winners include Penny Newman, Chief Executive, Cafédirect plc, and Heather Rabbatts, Millwall Football Club.

MP of the Year: Sharon Hodgson MP, Dawn Butler MP, and Margaret Moran MP. Past winners include Karen Buck MP and Helen Southworth MP.

Entrepreneur of the Year: Gail Thomas, McConnell Thomas, Sumerah Ahmad, Club Asia Radio, and Samata Angel, Samata’s Muse.

Public Affairs Achiever of the Year: Dr Katherine Rake, Director, Fawcett Society, Teresa Perchard, Director of Policy, Citizens Advice, and Deborah Arnott, Director of Action, Smoking and Health. Past winners include Rowan Harvey, Parliamentary Officer, Terrence Higgins Trust, and Kate Jopling, Help The Aged.


Public Servant of the Year: Angela Gorman, Senior Sister, Welsh Regional Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Cardiff, Vanessa Nicholls, Crime Directorate, Home Office. Past winners include Dame Denise Platt, Commission for Social Care Inspection, and Dame Eliza Manningham-Buller, Director General, The Security Service.


International Public Servant of the Year: Professor Brenda Gourley, Vice Chancellor, Open University, Maggie Correa, Programme Officer, and Children's Legal Centre & UN Consultant, Neena Gill MEP. Past winners include Hon Mrs Joke Orelope Adefulire, Honorary Commissioner of Women Affairs & Poverty Alleviation, Lagos State, Nigeria.

Voluntary Sector Achiever of the Year: Dr Aida Alayarian, co-founder and Clinical Director of the Refugee Therapy, Lucy Hurst-Brown, Chief Executive of Brandon Trust, and Mary Macmillan, volunteer for the Abbeyfield Carradale and District Society. Past winners include Sandra Horley, Refuge.

Local Government Personality of the Year: Councillor Joanna Gardner, Mayor of Kensington & Chelsea , Councillor Marie Pye, Waltham Forest Cabinet member, and Councillor Hilary Isherwood, Flintshire County Councillor for Llanfynydd Ward. Past winners include Edna Sutton, Executive Director, Education Services, Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council.

For further information see www.womeninpubliclifeawards.co.uk or telephone Christina Camilleri on 020 7091 7578