Celebrating the achievements of women in franchising is always a highlight of the year, and the annual EWiF Awards was no exception.
On Wednesday 20 May, following the BFA’s EWIB (Empowering Women in Business) event at Leicester Tigers Stadium, EWiF honoured the women inspiring change, creating opportunities, and empowering others to thrive. With over 100 entries, judges faced a genuine challenge in selecting the winners. Each finalist demonstrated remarkable talent and dedication. The competition was fierce, but the winners truly stood out.
New Woman Franchisee of the Year 2026, sponsored by Downs Solicitors
Helen McEvoy, The Holiday Franchise Company
With over 15 years’ experience buying and selling wine, Helen’s knowledge of wine regions is enviable. Over a glass of Chenin Blanc, four friends decided to create Wine Travel Experts. A chance meeting with The Holiday Franchise Company, and Helen’s dream started to emerge. With determination, she launched her business in just eight weeks.
New Woman Franchisor of the Year 2026, sponsored by Rev PR
Chloe Williams, Little Wickets
The “Spirit of Cricket” resonates deeply with Chloe: teamwork, honesty, resilience, and respect. Based on these values she built Little Wickets in 2011, quickly becoming financially secure. In 2024 she onboarded her first franchisee, and now has a strong infrastructure, recognised accreditation and a growing pipeline.
Woman Franchise Employee of the Year 2026, sponsored by The Ops Portal
Sarah Sanders, Extra Help
Sarah helped Extra Help achieve significant growth after implementing one-to-one coaching sessions with franchisees. With over 30 franchisees in the network, national clients increased 21.99%, teams of helpers by 62%, and hours delivered by 56.65%.
Service Provider of the Year 2026, sponsored by Coconut Marketing
Jodie Marsh, Elite Franchise
A passionate advocate for franchising, Jodie strengthened Elite’s position as the leading education and engagement platform for franchising, helping franchisors make better informed decisions around recruitment, marketing investment, and sustainable growth.
Young Woman in Franchising of the Year 2026, sponsored by McDonald’s Restaurants
Megan Haycock, Language for Fun
Megan expanded her franchise in 2024, taking on two tutors and adding Italian to her offering. In 2025 she further expanded, doubling her students, who range in age from their late 20s to their mid-80s. She also supports head office, delivering training to help other franchisees improve their performance.
Woman Franchisee of the Year 2026, sponsored by Atlas Mapping
Kaajal Pandit, Boots Opticians
Since she was 16, Kaajal worked her way up to franchise owner and celebrates 15 years in business. She achieves year-on-year growth, supports local charities, and inspires four student apprentices. Her latest passed all exams with distinctions.
Woman Franchisor of the Year 2026, sponsored by Barclays
Carla Davison, Basking Babies
Over 18 months, Carla led one of the biggest transformations in Basking Babies’ history, including a website and booking system rebuild. Direct web traffic increased by 43% and customer bookings by 14.3%. She also launched pilot programmes to diversify franchisee income streams, all while navigating personal challenges.
Carla also won the EWiF Overall Woman in Franchising Award, sponsored by the British Franchise Association.
EWiF Ambassador of the Year 2026, sponsored by Elite Franchise
Sue Moore, UK Franchise Guide
Sue tirelessly champions EWiF through visibility, collaboration and care. Her mantra: show up, support others, and welcome women across franchising.
Inspirational Woman of the Year 2026, sponsored by The Children’s Activities Association
Claire O’Connor, babyballet Franchising
Celebrating 20 years in business, Claire launched her franchise internationally in Dubai, navigating an entirely new business landscape, compliance and governance rules, unfamiliar legal requirements, and market regulations from scratch, all while inspiring her UK network.
Congratulations to all the winners. Find out more at EWIF.
