Yorkshire-born British Business Excellence Awards founder Sarah Austin discusses launching an events firm at the height of the pandemic

Not only did Austin form her company in the midst of the pandemic, she also had an 18-month-old child at the time; her son William, who is now three.

But neither multiple lockdowns nor the stresses of early child care stopped Austin from launching the British Business Excellence Awards.

Now in its third year, and with headline sponsorship from Lloyds Bank, the awards seek to celebrate the “resilience, innovation and creativity” of the UK’s business community.

Thinking back to the first event, however, Austin notes that success did not always seem guaranteed.

“Looking back now, it was crazy,” she says, “I was talking to venues and signing contracts, not knowing what would happen and if things would take place, it was madness.”

Austin launched the first British Business Excellence Awards in February of 2021, with the main event set to take place in November.

“We had loads of entries and the campaign was brilliant given the circumstances,” she adds.

When the award ceremony was held in November, Austin and the team were able to host 800 people at the London event.

Two weeks later, however, the Coronavirus Omicron Variant hit.

“Just a couple of weeks later I went to an event at the same venue a week later and the numbers had to be slashed by more than 50 per cent,” adds Austin, “luck was really on my side in 2021.”

Born in Kirby Overblow, just south of Harrogate, Austin took her first steps into the events industry working at Harewood House, where she would park cars for attendees.

Working there whilst studying in York, Austin made her way through the company to finally work on the events team.

She would eventually go on to work at the National Business Awards, utilising a contact she made through her work at Harewood House, before setting up her own company in 2020.

“I now think I should have done it a lot sooner,” she says.

“I think it took the pandemic for it to happen. I needed to be pushed out of my comfort zone, and becoming a mother also pushes you out of your comfort zone, so it just all happened at once.”

One of the reasons Austin also chose to launch her own events company was a desire to bring women to the forefront of the industry.

“Generally, the events industry is an industry full of women, but run by men,” she says, “senior management is all male.

“It's something I feel passionate about, ensuring I support women in business. All you have to do is look at the FTSE 100 CEOs as well, it's not just the events industry.”

One of the major hurdles in achieving equality, Austin notes, is childcare.

“I think this has been addressed in the recent budget, but I believe we have to support women getting back into work.

“The issue and expense of childcare is huge, and I think a lot of people don't really see what it brings.

“I’m one of the lucky ones because I have good support around me - especially from my family and my partner - but we need to be asking how women and mothers are expected to be entrepreneurial when the infrastructure isn't there to support them with child care.

“There is also still the stigma in calling maternity a year off - It isn't a year off - you’re actually starting a much harder job at the beginning of maternity, and going back to work is much easier than staying at home.”

Austin’s beliefs also led to the recent re-brand of her company, now named Empowered Events UK.

“The company was growing and I just wanted it to really reflect my values,” she says.

“We empower businesses through reward schemes, we empower people, communities, each other, and we empower women ultimately. To give an award to someone is the most empowering thing you can do.”

Austin is also chair of the Employment Advisory Board at her local women’s prison, a role she took on after working with James Timpson and the Prison Reform Trust.

“Women are already at a disadvantage within the workplace, and you’re going to be especially at a disadvantage if you’ve got a criminal record,” she says, discussing what made her take on the role.

“Nine times out of 10, it's an emotional experience that has resulted in these women being in prison for a crime which was probably something they never wanted to do, or something that was put upon them by someone else.”

While running the British Business Excellence Awards, Austin always tries to keep her Yorkshire roots in mind.

“There's so much talent that comes out of Yorkshire, and I'm very proud of that,” she says, ”and I try to make that clear through the awards, to ensure that people know that Yorkshire is on the map.

“The business awards are held in London, but they aren't just about the South or southern businesses, we want to ensure that people know we really care about regional businesses, so I do all I can to canvas for them.

“I think sometimes small regional businesses can land on a website like ours and think they are too small to enter, but no, you should be entering awards at a national scale, because there's a lot of great companies out there.

“I'm in the business of spreading good news for those businesses, and I will continue to be.”

This year’s British Business Excellence awards are open for nominations, with the deadline on Friday, June 16 at 5PM. A Dragon’s Den style judging event is held in September, with the final award ceremony held in London in November.