"A huge congratulations to our winners, who were all utterly deserving of their awards, and to everyone who made a nominatio"
The awards programme aims to be a part of positive change in financial services by recognising the women who are succeeding and creating a path for an industry where hard work merits success, regardless of gender.
Eight expert judges were faced with the difficult task of narrowing down the nominations to select three finalists in each category, before choosing the overall winner.
The winners in each category are:
Rising Star - Hayley-Louise O’Reilly, Coreco
Woman in the Mortgage Industry - Esther Dijkstra, Lloyds
Woman in Financial Technology - Nicola Firth, Knowledge Bank
Woman in Specialist Lending - Emma Cox, Shawbrook
Woman in Later Life Lending - Beth Jones, Hodge Lifetime
Woman in Protection - Jo Murgatroyd, Mortgage Advice Bureau
Female BDM of the Year - Paula Mercer, Atom Bank
Spokesperson of the Year - Maria Harris, Atom Bank
Woman in Management - Clare Jupp - Brightstar
Equality Employer of the Year - Brightstar
Financial Adviser of the Year - Abi Greenhalgh, Nest FS
Retirement Adviser of the Year - Louise Croasdale, Responsible Equity Release
Protection Adviser of the Year - Abbie Gaul, All Types of Mortgages
Mortgage Adviser of the Year - Augusta Onyiuke-Eluma, Foster Donovo
Marketeer of the Year - Roselle Allsop, Precise
The Winners’ Party took place at the opulent Roundhouse in Camden, with a champagne reception and an array of surprises thrown in, where hundreds of industry names joined forces to celebrate the winners and finalists.
Earlier this year, Financial Reporter's parent company, Barcadia Media, became the first financial services media publication to join the HM Treasury’s Women in Finance Charter, prompting the introduction of the Women’s Recognition Awards.
This year’s awards were sponsored by Atom Bank, Barclays, Mortgage Advice Bureau, mtf, Shawbrook Bank, and Twenty7Tec.
Amy Loddington, comms director at Barcadia Media, commented: "After a busy nominations period, an incredible crop of finalists, and an amazing awards evening, we're delighted to finally able to announce the first year's winners for the Women's Recognition Awards! There was such a wealth of applications that it was a real struggle to narrow them down - so I have to thank our judges, who took on the difficult task of selecting our winners.
"Last night's event was a real testament to the support behind the movement for gender equality, both in our industry and more widely, and to feel the positivity in the room as our deserving winners collected their awards was amazing. A huge congratulations to our winners, who were all utterly deserving of their awards, and to everyone who made a nomination - everyone who engaged with the FRWRAs has helped us take a step forward towards equality in our industry."
If you would like to be involved in next year’s Women’s Recognition Awards - either as a sponsor or judge - or have any further enquiries, please contact Amy Loddington at amy@barcadiamedia.co.uk or visit http://frwra.co.uk/.
