Entrepreneur with Passion takes top title

Kate Hardcastle, who runs Insight With Passion, based in Halifax, beat off competition from eight other Yorkshire business women to take the overall title at the second annual Women in Business Awards, organised by networking organisation Forward Ladies.

Ms Hardcastle also won the Innovative Business Woman category, sponsored by WGN chartered accountants, and was runner-up in the Not for Profit category, sponsored by East Coast, with The Charity Dreamgirls, which she set up five years ago to raise awareness of selected charities each year after losing a member of her family through a stroke.

She was highlighted at the event after doubling the size of her company, which employs 10 staff, and exceeding every target set in two years.

The judges said: “We greatly admire Kate’s attitude as she also battles a debilitating illness, endometriosis, which means Kate often suffers considerable pain. Kate has clearly made it her mission to prove that any individual can achieve great things if they set their heart to it.”

Ms Hardcastle said: “I’m absolutely thrilled to bits (with the award). It’s not about recognition but when you work, particularly on the Charity Dreamgirls to raise profile and awareness, anything like this is a massive help.”

She said the biggest mistake companies make is not admitting they need outside help.

“You can’t do everything so you need to understand where you need to bring expertise in and make sure it’s expertise you feel comfortable with.”

She added: “Don’t think outsiders can’t be a good influence. Like anything, the best advice can come from people who can see the wood from the trees and you can’t any more. I still have four mentors that help me with my business.”

The ceremony, sponsored by Barclays, took place at the Centenary Pavilion at Elland Road, attended by more than 250 guests.

The Yorkshire Post was the awards’ media partner and also sponsored the Start-Up Business Woman category, which was won by Rashmi Dubé, of Liquid Recovery in Leeds. Ms Dubé advises on debt recovery and is a practising solicitor.

Winner of the Not for Profit Business Woman of the Year title, was Adeeba Malik of Bradford charity QED who works with disadvantaged people excluded through immigration, race, religion, economics and education in local communities.

Baker and cake-maker Allison Whitmarsh of Huddersfield company Propermaid won the Manufacturing Business Woman of the Year, sponsored by the Manufacturing Advisory Service.

Export Connections managing director Jan Thomson of Leeds was the winner of the International Business Woman of the Year title, supported by UK Trade and Investment.

Young Business Woman of the Year, sponsored by Stewarts Law, was Louise Bradshaw of the Cedar Court Hotel Group.

Jillian Thomas, founder of Sheffield-based financial planning and wealth management company Future Life Wealth Management, was awarded the Technology Business Woman of the Year title, sponsored by Amplitude AV, for her use of advanced management systems which give live financial and investment information and access 24 hours a day.

Catherine Shuttleworth of Savvy Marketing, Leeds, was the Corporate Business Woman of the Year, sponsored by O2, growing her business from three people in 2006 to 75, with a turnover of £6m in just five years.

The final category winner, Jean Collingwood of the Hull-based Ingenius Group, was the home-based Business Woman of the Year, sponsored by LK Bennett.

Etta Cohen, managing director of Forward Ladies, paid tribute to the thousands of businesswomen in the region who are playing an active role within businesses or running their own companies.

She said: “It’s been inspirational to see the quality of the finalists.”

She added: “For a lot of our ladies they are finding it very challenging out there and I think that’s why Forward Ladies is doing so well because we are giving them support they need. That can be just support, mentoring, training, role models, and the inspiration to carry on and to meet these challenges. One thing about these ladies is that they will stand up and fight and come through.”

Forward thinking

Forward Ladies is a business networking organisation for professional women.

Founded by Etta Cohen in 2000, it began as a small group meeting and sharing experiences.

Since then, it has grown to become the North’s largest women’s networking and business support organisations.

It supports over 13,500 women throughout Yorkshire, the Humber, Isle of Man, Manchester, Cheshire and Merseyside.

Forward Ladies runs over 400 events a year from business development workshops and speakers to networking lunches, trade missions and the Women in Business Awards, launched last year.