Background
The Women’s Awards started in 2017 as the East Midlands Women’s Awards (EMWA). These prestigious multidisciplinary annual awards began to specifically recognise women who live and work in the East Midlands with our awards debut celebration in the UK’s smallest County of Rutland in 2017. Since then we have gone on from strength to strength bringing to light and giving recognition to the many amazing women who make a difference across our sectors and communities.
In 2020, we were rebranded by our Brand and Website Development Sponsor, Creative Direction changing our name to The Women’s Awards and expanding our regional reach to include the West Midlands and Nationally with the National (Open) Women’s Awards.
The Women’s Awards is a prestigious multidisciplinary award celebrating the outstanding achievements of women from grassroots to ‘C’ suite across all sectors of business and community. These Awards raise awareness, recognise, and honour the hard work and valuable contribution women of all cultures, communities, races, and beliefs, in all sectors make.
Our vision
A world where women receive respect for their skills, abilities, contribution, creativity, innovation, and the impact their work provides through recognition in equal pay, opportunities, promotion, and growth they deserve. Gender equality
What Do We Do?
We celebrate women’s achievements. We raise their profile, give awareness of their work and contribution, and help them create greater opportunities for themselves.
Our Mission
- To identify women who are doing outstanding and exceptional work in their fields.
- To give recognition to the skills, abilities, and achievements of women across the UK and further afield
- To celebrate women, their contribution, and their impact through these awards.
- To raise awareness of female contribution and economic impact across all sectors.
- To recognise and support organisations and programmes that back women’s development, and courageously work for fairness and equality.
Our Founder
The Women’s Awards, formerly East Midlands Women’s Awards (EMWA) was founded by Sandra Pollock OBE, serial entrepreneur and multi-award-winning leadership and management consultant, who decided on the idea in 2016 bringing it to life a few months later.
Sandra brings more than thirty years of experience and knowledge spanning a wide range of sectors. Her award-winning expertise includes Leadership, Management, People Development, Organisational Change, DE&I, and Membership growth.
Sandra currently holds several NED roles and has Chaired various regional and national organisations. Her work on equality has seen her speak at the EU Committee on issues of flexible working, equality in the workplace, and the benefits of getting women back into work. She has conducted many local, regional, and national business growth and other projects across England, Scotland, and Wales, and in particular, working to engage with underrepresented groups in the workplace and the community. Her business acumen has earned her numerous awards in recognition of her professional, community, and business development contribution nationally.
Sandra was listed in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours List 2021 when she was awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to Equality. Sandra is an international speaker, author, and equality activist working with senior leaders to recognise and incorporate the benefits of difference and creating equality within organisations.