Judges and finalists for this year’s Women of the Year Awards gathered together for the final round of judging, before the main awards and luncheon takes place on Friday 10th October at The Etihad Stadium, Manchester.
Over 300 extremely high calibre nominations were received from women across the UK from various industries and backgrounds. Following the initial judging processes, the organisers took the decision to once again increase the number of finalists to 14 from 10 in previous years. The awards are set to take place in Manchester after last year’s successful move to the City in their 43rd year history.
The awards boast award-winning bank, Aldermore as headline sponsor for the third consecutive year.
The awards have a long-standing reputation for recognising and highlighting women’s achievements from across the UK. Past business winners include Baroness Karren Brady, Dame Julie Kenny CBE, Dr Sharon Redrobe OBE, Fiona Allen and Jenny Campbell.
The 2025 finalists include women from several areas of business and industries, including media, education, healthcare, hospitality, engineering, construction and manufacturing.
The full list of finalists can be found https://www.womenoftheyear.org.uk/finalists/
Judges from several of the event’s core sponsors including headline sponsor Aldermore Bank, Freeths LLP, LSH Auto, Pertemps PLC and Strategi Solutions, as well as previous alumni met with the finalists for the final judging sessions. Following the face-to-face interviews, the judges have deliberated on their final decisions on who will take the prestigious accolades home next month.
On the afternoon of Friday 10th October the winners of two categories will be announced – Businesswoman of the Year and Freeths’ Woman with Edge. In addition, the winner of the Emmeline Pankhurst Award – Woman of Achievement is also set to be revealed.
Members of the WOTY board, including President, Writer and Actress Sally Lindsay, WOTY Patrons Jenny Campbell and Arti Halai, WOTY Directors Zalena Vandrewala, and Wendy Dean along with over 400 guests, will be in attendance at the prestigious luncheon and awards, taking place at the Etihad Stadium.
Zalena Vandrewala, managing associate at national law firm, Freeths LLP, who is chair of the board of Women of the Year Awards said: “We were thrilled by the sheer number of nominations we received this year. The energy and ambition from the finalists during the judging day on Friday was hugely inspirational and uplifting. The awards recognise outstanding women that are pivotal to our society, and we look forward to hosting them and many more at our much-anticipated ceremony in October, which we are delighted to be hosting in Manchester again for the second time”
WOTY is a proud supporter of The King’s Trust last year donating £15,000 to the charity. Throughout its 43-year history it has donated just under £600,000 to various charitable organisations.
To find out more about the WOTY Awards or to book one of the last remaining tables please visit www.womenoftheyear.org.uk.
About Women of the Year
The Women of the Year Luncheon & Awards was established in Nottingham in 1982 as a ladies’ luncheon to raise monies for a charity called The Winged Fellowship Trust.
Over 40 years on, we continue to support our chosen charities each year. In recent times we have been proud to support charities including Revitalise, Marie Curie and The Kings Trust: Women Supporting Women.
Over the years, the event has grown from being a regional ladies’ luncheon to a national award ceremony with a key focus on business. The event now plays host to around 400 guests and recognises the achievements of women in business and women that have strived to achieve the unthinkable in the most challenging of circumstances across
For more information please contact Michaela Tabinor, [email protected]