Olympic sportswoman to join WISE100 Women in Social Enterprise Awards, as 2025 finalists announced

 

Olympic badminton player Kirsty Gilmour will be a special guest at the WISE100 Women in Social Enterprise Awards this year, the finalists for which are revealed today by Pioneers Post, in partnership with NatWest Social & Community Capital.

Not only is Kirsty a leading athlete in her field – she's also a social entrepreneur herself, as the co-founder and managing director of BASE, a social enterprise which provides a safe and inclusive environment to bring people and communities together through a shared interest in badminton. Kirsty will be sharing details of her journey as both a leading sportswoman and social enterprise leader in an exclusive, live interview with Pioneers Post editor Julie Pybus during the WISE100 Awards event.

Also starring in this year's event will be our keynote speaker, Glasgow-based social business trailblazer Susan Aktemel (pictured right), founder of Homes for Good and a former WISE100 Social Business Woman of the Year. 

• Listen to Susan Aktemel on our Good Leaders Podcast: 'I try super-hard to follow my gut instinct'

 

Our WISE100 awards aim to celebrate the impact that female social business leaders have achieved, and recognise the diversity of social enterprise and mission-driven business across the country.

Over the past weeks the Pioneers Post team has been assessing and scoring almost 150 nominations, selecting a total of 40 finalists (one of whom is nominated twice) across four categories: WISE100 Rising Star, Social Investment Champion, Social Business Woman of the Year, and a new WISE100 Changemaker Award, which recognises women who have been a driving force for positive change through social innovation during the past year, working in any sector or organisation – from climate change to women’s empowerment.

Next week, we will also reveal the names of all those who have made it to our top 100 list, and on 27 March the 2025 winners will be announced at our WISE100 Awards ceremony, hosted by NatWest in Glasgow - the first time that the awards will have been held outside London. 

• Meet last year's winners: WISE100 Women in Social Enterprise 2024: Award winners revealed

This year's event will take place between 11:30am and 3.30pm at NatWest's office and event space at 110 Queen Street, Glasgow. The in-person event is free to attend (book here) – spaces are limited access to the awards and speeches will also be open to everyone via Zoom.

Our judges for 2025 also include two former winners – Susan Aktemel will judge the Social Business Woman of the Year, while the new WISE100 Chamgemaker Award will be judged by fellow 2023 winner Camilla Marcus-Dew (pictured left). Camilla is co-founder of Amplify Goods, a women-led company set up in 2021 that sells eco-friendly hygiene products to businesses, and gives at least 50% of profits to support the wellbeing of ‘quiet changemakers’.

 

 

Judging the WISE100 Rising Star Award this year is returning judge Nicole Helwig (left), executive director of Cambridge Centre for Social Innovation, who was also a judge in 2023 and 2024.

 

 

 

 

 

And our WISE100 Social Investment Champion will be judged by the team at NatWest Social & Community Capital, our partners in the WISE100 and SE100 Awards. The team includes CEO Vicki Papworth (below left) and loans officer Tracy Thomson (below right). 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This year's finalists are as follows:

  

 WISE100 Social Business Woman of the Year

 

For a CEO, social entrepreneur or leader with more than five years of leadership experience building revenue, social impact and a strong team.

 

Finalists: 

Erika Brodnock, Kinhub

Jo Crawford, Isle of Skye Ferry CIC

Shiona Crichton, Moneyline

Gael Drummond, Firstport

Yasmin Halai-Carter, Ethstat Ethical Stationery CIC

Natalie Hodgkinson, Boss and Brew Academy CIC

Susan Griffin, Glen Urquhart Rural Community Association (GURCA)

Jacqueline Lamb, The Indigo Childcare Group

Gabriela Matouskova, Hope for the Community CIC

June O'Sullivan, London Early Years Foundation (LEYF)

Janine Smith, GM Business Growth Hub

Mel Tucker, Iridescent Ideas CIC

Eve Wagg, Well Grounded 

Rachel Wang, Chocolate Films

 

 

 

 WISE100 Rising Star Award

 

For a CEO, social entrepreneur or leader showing star qualities relatively new in their social enterprise career, with five or fewer years of leadership experience.

 

Finalists: 

Muna Daud, FlowSense

Alice Eardley, Get Further

Sarah Hopley, Venture Studio from Crisis

Joan Idowu, Several Seats

Laura Johnston-Scott, Highland Wellness Collective

Tiwa King, Beyond a Song CIC

Chloe Lewis, The Catalyst Collective

Ellie MacDonald, Hello Hope UK CIC

Amanda MacArthur, The Highland Weigh

Felicia Mattis-Rome, Business Launchpad and Tooting Works

Alena Rogozhkina, Abandoned Artists CIC

 

 

 

 WISE100 Social Investment Champion

 

For a woman who has made her mark in social investment during the past year, whether through a particular deal or through a broader contribution to the social investment field.

 

Finalists: 

Sharon Gorman, Resonance

Sarah Hopley, Venture Studio from Crisis

Stefanie Kneer, Three Hills

Pavitra Raja, CEOs for Nature

Fran Sanderson, Figurative

Lindsay Wake, Social Investment Scotland

 

 

 WISE100 Changemaker Award

 

For a woman who has been a driving force for positive change through social innovation during the past year, working in any sector or organisation - from climate change to women’s empowerment.

 

Finalists: 

Deirdre Aitken, Highland Blindcraft

Farida Danmeri, Learning Connected

Amy House, Green Economy

Sarah MacKenzie, For You Training

Catherine Manning, Impact Reporting / MeasureUp

Ruth McFarlane, DWRM Consultants CIC [Doing What Really Matters]

Bilkis Miah, You Be You

Beth Morrison-Findlay, Just Breathe O2

Starkeeper Morton, The Haven in Stonehaven

Olga Osuch, Repair Café Lambeth

 

 

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, social innovation, impact investing and mission-led business across the UK. Detailed criteria for each award can be found in our nominations story, and you can read more about pioneering women leaders in our WISE100 collection.

 

Photos: Britain's Kirsty Gilmour plays against Switzerland's Sabrina Jaquet during a women's singles match at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Associated Press / Alamy Stock Photo. Portrait photos of Susan Aktemel, Camilla Marcus-Dew and Tracy Thomson by film and photography social enterprise Saz Media.

 

 

 

 

 

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