Patricia Callan, Director, SFA — Winner of O2 WMBusinesswoman of the Year Award 2007

“Winning the inaugural 02 WMBusinesswoman of the Year Award was a huge honour for me. The Awards celebrate the real achievements of women in business, and present a fantastic opportunity for businesswomen to raise their profile and promote their own businesses. I would encourage everyone to nominate just one person they think is an exceptional businesswoman, as the highlighting of female role-models has been proven to be a contributing factor in encouraging more females to take up senior management roles and indeed to set-up their own businesses. The O2 WMB Conference also presents an excellent opportunity to hear from a wonderful line-up of speakers and to meet many other fabulous like-minded women, who can share their knowledge and potentially develop real business opportunities.”

^top

Nicola Rathbone, Handsban — Winner of Accenture WMBig Idea Award 2007

"Last year I had come to a crossroads in developing my product. For seven years I had done little bits on the project here and there but earning a living, home life and volunteer work with the Inventors Association kept sidetracking me. Finalising my divorce forced me to re-evaluate where I was going and what I was doing and I realised it was now or never, it was time to put up or shut up. I knew I needed a mentor and contacted Patricia O’Sullivan, someone who I knew was well experienced in helping entrepreneurs in the start-up phase. She was invaluable in helping me get started and keep focused and so when I saw the WMB Awards last year, I wanted to nominate her not only for the help she gave me but for the outstanding success she has made of the M50 project in Tallaght.

While I was on the website I noticed there was also a Big Idea category with a prize of mentoring with Accenture. As I was already there filling in the form nominating Patricia I figured ‘may as well’ and filled in an entry for my own product as well. Knowing I was in the early stages and figuring there would be much stronger products out there I thought no more about it until I attended at the Conference. I had a great time, it was so inspiring listening to the speakers like Jack Black and meeting incredible people like Tara Cunningham who have such enthusiasm and drive for what they do. When I saw the shortlist, I was so impressed by the other ideas that when they called my name my jaw nearly hit the table. And even though I believe in my product, getting help from Accenture is like upgrading my Fiat to a Ferrari — the journey has been quicker, smoother and in much more style!

^top

Tara Cunningham, Founding Director of Release Communications Intervention — Winner of the Irish Life WMB Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2007

“My husband Mark Cunningham came across the WMB Social Entrepreneur of the Year Nomination form last year the day nominations closed, and I am so thankful he took the time to tell my story. Winning the Irish Life WMB Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award has made a remarkable difference. Firstly, it’s absolutely wonderful to be recognised for all the hard work I do on behalf of Release and children with disabilities in a social entrepreneurial context — i.e. I was nationally recognised as a business which exists to change the system, not make a profit. Secondly, within 15 minutes of receiving the Award, Danuta Gray, CEO of O2 agreed to be a member of my Ashoka Advisory Board. Her participation has been extraordinary. Finally, I was overwhelmed with congratulations and offers of help from so many people. All of which is pushing me harder to make a greater difference in the lives of children with disabilities."

^top

Laura Thorp, Laura's Bakery, Winner of County & City Enterprise Boards WMBreakthrough Award 2007

“O2 WMB Conference and Awards was very different to any other similar event that I had been to. The atmosphere was one of support, excitement, and genuine interest. I found the speakers and the people I met genuinely inspiring and relevant to what I was trying to do. The event as it was, was very enjoyable and motivating. Imagine my surprise when I heard my name called out for the WMBreakthrough award! It meant a lot to me to be recognised for what I do. Sometimes it is easy to see only the problems and day-to-day challenges of my business, winning the award allowed me to step back and think that yeah, maybe I had achieved something worth celebrating! It raised the profile of the business and I got a lot of good publicity from it including an article in the Irish Times Magazine.”

^top

Martina Delaney & Suzanne Browne, Handy Baby Products — Winner of Bank of Ireland WMB Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2007

"Winning these awards was a great boost to our confidence in our company and ourselves and we were really very proud to be a part of the awards. We were surprised at how many calls we got from individuals and from businesses congratulating us on the achievement. In addition the PR that was generated from the Awards was absolutely phenomenal. Like every business PR on this level is a fantastic boost to you brand and company and all companies need PR like this. It was a great day out, well organised and a credit to Rosemary and her team for initiating this huge event and for it to be the resounding success that it was. We would certainly encourage every company or individual to take part and attend. There are great networking opportunities and great inspiration to be had from the guest speakers. As an individual within a company who is nominated I could not recommend participation strongly enough for you, it will only strengthen your skill set which in turn can only lead to better things. Surprise yourself and take the initiative”.

^top