WISE100 awards for top Women in Social Enterprise open for nominations
Thanks for your interest in the WISE100 Awards! Nominations have now closed for the 2021/22 awards and we will be holding the awards ceremony in London on 18 March. If you would like to attend this event then please sign up to book your free place.
Nominations for the 2022/23 awards will open in September 2022.
The search is on for the UK's leading 100 women in social enterprise and impact investing during 2020/21.
The annual WISE100 list, created in partnership with NatWest Social & Community Capital, is once more open for nominations – with four special awards to be announced at this year's celebration event on Tuesday 25th January.
Nominations will be open for just over two weeks and must be submitted online by midnight on Sunday 31 October for the following categories:
WISE100 Social Business Leader of the Year – for a CEO or leader with more than three years of leadership experience building revenue, social impact and a strong team
WISE100 Star of the Future – for a CEO or leader showing star qualities relatively new in their social enterprise career, with three or fewer years of leadership experience
WISE100 Social Investment Champion – for a woman making her mark in social impact investment during 2020/21
WISE100 Environmental Champion – for a woman doing pioneering work in the social enterprise space with a focus on climate change and environmental issues
Megan Virrels, CEO of NatWest Social & Community Capital – the bank's independent social investment charity, which has been supporting social ventures for more than 20 years – said: "We're so pleased once again to be shining a spotlight on leading women in social enterprise with the WISE100 awards. Empowering women in business is a key area of focus for NatWest – our CEO Alison Rose launched the the Rose Review of Female Entrepreneurship back in March 2019, at the request of the UK government, and the bank now has more than 800 Women in Business Accredited Specialists offering expertise and support throughout the UK.
"Given the challenges we face to build back stronger following the pandemic, the Rose Review's ambition to increase the number of successful female entrepreneurs is even more relevant now – and particularly so in the growing field of purpose-led business and social enterprise, which plays such a vital role in tackling some of the biggest social and environmental challenges in our communities.
"I'm really looking forward to exploring their stories and achievements in this year's nominations, and to sharing their experiences and expertise at our WISE celebration on 25 January."
We're opening nominations for TWO WEEKS ONLY so please submit your nomination by midnight on Sunday 31 October, by reading the criteria and completing the details in the form accessed below.
WISE100 Awards 2021: Criteria
WISE100 Social Business Leader of the Year
Who we are looking for: a CEO or leader with more than three years of leadership experience building revenue, social impact and a strong team. This experience may have been gained in leadership positions at just one or at several different organisations.
What we are looking for:
a) A short biography outlining the person's track record as a leader.
b) Evidence of this leader's achievements and the achievements of their social enterprise during the past year 2020/21. This should include facts, figures and specific examples where possible.
Please do NOT write a long piece of prose telling us how fantastic this person is without backing it up with clear evidence.
c) Please include at least one endorsement from a team member, board member or business contact/partner.
WISE100 Star of the Future
Who we are looking for: a CEO or leader showing star qualities relatively new in their social enterprise career, with three or fewer years of leadership experience.
What we are looking for:
a) A short biography outlining the person's experience and development as a new social enterprise leader.
b) Evidence of this leader's achievements and the achievements of their social enterprise during the past year 2020/21. This should include facts, figures and specific examples where possible.
Please do NOT write a long piece of prose telling us how fantastic this person is without backing it up with clear evidence.
c) Please include at least one endorsement from a board member or business mentor/advisor about why this leader is a Star of the Future.
WISE100 Social Investment Champion
Who we are looking for: a woman making her mark as a leader or pioneer in social impact investment during 2020/21.
What we are looking for:
a) A short biography outlining the person's track record in social investment.
b) Evidence of this leader's achievements in social investment during the past year 2020/21. This should include facts, figures and specific examples of how this person has made a mark in social investment during the year.
Please do NOT write a long piece of prose telling us how fantastic this person is without backing it up with clear evidence.
c) Please include at least one endorsement from a board member, senior colleague or social investment partner.
WISE100 Environmental Champion
Who we are looking for: for a woman doing pioneering work in the social enterprise space with a focus on climate change and environmental issues.
What we are looking for:
a) A short biography outlining the person's experience in climate change and environmental issues.
b) Evidence of this leader's achievements and the achievements of their social enterprise during the past year 2020/21. This should include facts, figures and specific examples of how this person has made a significant positive impact in climate change during the year.
Please do NOT write a long piece of prose telling us how fantastic this person is without backing it up with clear evidence.
c) Please include at least one personal endorsement from a board member, senior colleague or business partner/advisor.
Delivered by Pioneers Post, in partnership with NatWest Social & Community Capital, the WISE100 is an initiative to celebrate, support and share expertise, learning and inspiration among women in social enterprise across the UK.
If you have any questions, please get in touch via WISE100@pioneerspost.com
Read more about Women In Social Enterprise in our WISE100 Collection
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