EWiF announce finalists ahead of next month’s virtual awards’ ceremony.
Less than five months after the 2020 EWiF Awards ceremony took place online, this year’s instalment will also unfold before our very eyes – as well as our computer screens. Finalists for the 2021 ceremony on March 11th have been named, with Right at Home UK and Caremark among the most nominated franchises.
EWiF (Encouraging Women into Franchising), which is a non-profit organisation founded in 2010, will once again stage the event online and there will be one new award up for grabs at next month’s virtual gathering.
This will be the Most Innovative Leadership Throughout The Pandemic prize, voted on by the EWiF Community and sponsored by the creative design and brand agency, Coconut Creatives. This award was specially created to acknowledge the challenges faced by the franchise industry during the Covid-affected past 12 months. This particular category does not have a shortlist, and the winner will be announced during the ceremony.
As for those nominated in the other nine categories, the judges have produced a wide-ranging list of finalists with Right at Home enjoying four opportunities for glory. The dedicated home care provider has been nominated in the Woman Franchisor of the Year and Woman Franchisee of the Year categories, while also boasting two finalists for the Woman Franchise Employee of the Year. Once again, the ceremony will be sponsored by NatWest and take place three days after International Women’s Day.
EWiF was formed to provide women with a supportive route into business ownership and, according to their website, “Over the past three years, 37% of all new franchisees joining the industry have been female – that’s a huge rise of 20% since 2015.
“In 2018 we also saw the highest proportion of total female franchisees in the industry (since survey stats began), with 30% of all franchisees being female. These stats are extremely encouraging, although there is still some way to go.” The organisation also reports that “there is a particular rise in the number of younger women investing in franchises.”
As for this year’s finalists, here they are category-by-category:
New Woman Franchisor of the Year (sponsored by Daisy First Aid)
Maddy Alexander Grout (MyVIP Card)
Deborah Salsbury (The Reading Doctor Ltd)
Gill Stewart (WALX)
Claire Harris (Pets 2 Places)
Woman Franchisor of the Year (Hitachi Capital Franchise Finance)
Julie Wagstaff (ActionCOACH)
Anna Neville (Kidslingo)
Lucy Campbell (Right at Home UK)
Claire O’Connor (babyballet)
New Woman Franchisee of the Year (NatWest)
Beth Winter (Rhythm Time)
Gemma Green (It’seeze)
Kristy Roff & Suzanne Cox (Get Ahead VA)
Vicky Elder (Rainbow International)
Woman Franchisee of the Year (Darwin Gray)
Deborah Dudley (Pack & Send UK)
Hannah Drury (Caremark)
Sam Wright (Right at Home UK)
Victoria Rowley (Puddle Ducks)
Woman Franchise Employee of the Year (Boddy Matthews)
Leigh-Anne Peiterse (Pink Spaghetti)
Heather Keep (Right at Home UK)
Susie Long (Right at Home UK)
Sharon Hayman (Rainbow International)
Ali Beckman (Puddle Ducks)
Elaine Hamilton (Caremark)
Young Woman in Franchising of the Year (Under 30 years) (McDonald’s Restaurants)
Holly Feltham (Just Cuts)
Hannah Drury (Caremark)
Terri Collier (Swimtime)
Chloe Rioux (Kidslingo)
Service Provider of the Year (male or female) (FranScape)
Nigel Apperley (Trustist)
Kate Matthews (Boddy Matthews)
Suzie McCafferty (Platinum Wave Franchising)
Inspirational Woman in Franchising (Platinum Wave)
Fiona Simpson (ARTventurers)
Zoe Kirby (InXpress)
Anna Neville (Kidslingo)
Claire O’Connor (babyballet)
Ambassador of the Year (male or female) (What Franchise)
Kate Matthews (Boddy Matthews)
Suzie McCafferty (Platinum Wave Franchising)
Julie Taylor (Franchise Resales)
About EWiF:
Run entirely by volunteers, EWiF provides advice and guidance to women who are looking for a route into the franchising industry. Their mission is to educate, inspire and empower women considering, or already involved in, franchising through EWiF’s network of supportive ambassadors.
