RED MAGAZINE ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF RED’S HOT WOMEN AWARDS 2012

RED MAGAZINE ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF

RED’S HOT WOMEN AWARDS 2012

in association with euphoria Calvin Klein

 

LIVIA FIRTH CHAMPIONS ETHICAL FASHION & LIVING

 

STARS OF LONDON 2012 NICOLA ADAMS, ZOE SMITH AND CLARE BALDING AWARDED FOR THEIR OLYMPIC CONTRIBUTIONS

 

DIGITAL ENTREPRENEUR KATHRYN PARSONS LEADS THE WAY FOR WOMEN IN TECHNOLOGY WITH TWO AWARDS

 

 

Red magazine is delighted to announce the winners of its annual Red’s Hot Women Awards 2012, in association with euphoria Calvin Klein. The awards, now in their fourth year, celebrate British women in the workplace.

 

This year’s awards see an impressive range of inspiring working women being recognised. Livia Firth, Creative Director of eco-age.com and co-founder of The Green Carpet Challenge, is presented the ‘Eco’ award for using her profile to give ethical fashion a celebrity platform.

 

The prestigious Fashion’ award goes to Caren Downie, ASOS Buying Director, for her remarkable vision for the ASOS brand. Fashionistas Erin O’Connor, Debra Bourne and Caryn Franklin are recognised in the ‘Pioneer’ category for their campaigning work with All Walks Beyond the Catwalk.

 

Flying the flag for London 2012 are Olympic gold medallist Nicola Adams, Boxer, who is awarded ‘Sportswoman of the Year’ and Zoe Smith, Weightlifter, who is acknowledged in the Woman to Watch’ category for sport. Clare Balding wins the ‘Media’ category for captivating the nation with her BBC Olympics coverage.

 

Kathryn Parsons, co-founder of Decoded, is the first winner to receive two awards in the Digital’ and Start-Up’ categories for her visionary digital business aimed at demystifying the world of computer coding.

 

In addition, Martha Payne, a 10-year-old blogger, is awarded ‘Woman to Watch: Blogger’ for Never Seconds, the blog she set up to report on her school dinners, and which has so far raised over £120,000 to provide school meals in Africa.

 

The awards ceremony also recognises impressive female talent in the restaurant scene, with Monica Galetti, Chef at La Gavroche, winning the Rose Gray Food Pioneer Award and Florence Knight, Head Chef at Polpetto, being awarded ‘Woman to Watch: Food’

 

The Community / Charity’ award this year goes to Doreen Lawrence for the inspiring legacy she has created in memory of her son Stephen Lawrence. Christie Watson comes top in the Creative’ category for her award-winning second novel Tiny Sunbirds Far Away and Helen McGinn, author of the Knackered Mothers’ Wine Club blog, is awarded best ‘Blogger’. Further accolades for truly impressive women include geneticist Dr Pia Ostergaard, the ‘Power Part-Timer’ who has made ground breaking discoveries to identify life saving gene mutations – and done it while working flexible hours. Shabana Mahmood, Higher Education Shadow Minister, is also recognised in the ‘Woman to Watch: Politics’ category for being one of the first Muslim Asian women in Parliament.

 

The categories were judged by some of the most inspirational professional women in Britain including; Red magazine Editor-in-Chief Sam Baker, Public Relations Director for Coty Prestige UK Kirsty Dale, Vice-Chair for West Ham Utd FC Karren Brady, Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, CEO / Chairman of Shine Group Elisabeth Murdoch, Sky News Special Correspondent Alex Crawford, bestselling author India Knight, founder of Timewise Jobs Karen Mattison MBE and Chief Merchant for Harrods Marigay McKee.

 

The winners were announced at a champagne reception hosted by Lauren Laverne at One Marylebone.

 

Sam Baker, Red Magazine Editor-in-Chief, said:‘‘We are thrilled to be celebrating the achievements of some this country’s most inspiring working women. This year’s Red’s Hot Women Awards, in association with euphoria Calvin Klein, have recognised some truly amazing women and I congratulate everyone on their success.’

 

 

Why have they won?

 

Blogger

Helen McGinn, 39, Knackered Mothers’ Wine Club – What started on a whim has now become a popular blog and a book deal – proof that a love of a glass or two of wine is never a bad thing.

 

Community / Charity

Doreen Lawrence, 60, Founder, Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust – For challenging the British legal system and inspiring a nation with her vision of a community-based legacy for her son.

 

Creative

Christie Watson, 35, Author & Resuscitation Nurse – For winning one of the most coveted and respected awards for new writers, whilst also holding down a day job in nursing.

 

Digital / Start-Up

Kathryn Parsons, 31, Co-Founder, Decoded – For championing the agenda of women in technology, specifically encouraging women to be code-literate, in a way that is manageable and practical.

 

Eco

Livia Firth, 42, Creative Director of eco-age.com – For using her profile to give ethical fashion a platform and proving it’s a good business to go green.

 

Fashion

Caren Downie, 51, Buying Director ASOS – At a time when the retail sector is struggling, Caren’s vision has resulted in triple-figure sales growth.

 

Media

Clare Balding, 41, TV presenter and Olympic anchor – For her widely praised TV anchoring of the BBC’s London 2012 coverage and making her mark as a female sports broadcaster in a field that remains stubbornly male-dominated.

 

Media (Posthumous)

Marie Colvin, 56, award-winning journalist – Killed in Syria whilst reporting from the frontline, the judges created a special award this year to honour Marie’s groundbreaking journalism.

 

Pioneers

Debra Bourne, Erin O’Connor & Caryn Franklin, 48, 34 and 53, Founders of All Walks Beyond the Catwalk – For using their collective experience in the fashion world to campaign for a more diverse representation of women.

 

Power Part-Timer

Dr Pia Ostergaard, 42, Geneticist – After taking a career change, Pia has made groundbreaking discoveries to identify gene mutations, which will help save lives. And she’s done it whilst working part-time hours.

 

Rose Gray Food Pioneer

Monica Galetti, 36, Senior Sous Chef at Le Gavoche – For her unflinching resolve to make it to the top and to be treated as an equal in a male-dominated industry.

 

Sportswomen of the Year

Nicola Adam, 29, Boxer – For winning her way into the history books as the first ever female gold-winning Olympic boxer. Next stop Rio.

 

Woman to Watch: Food

Florence Knight, 26, Head Chef of Polpetto – For climbing the ranks in a male-dominated industry to run the kitchen of one of London’s leading restaurants, at only 26.

 

Women to Watch: Sport

Zoe Smith, 18, Weightlifter – For setting a new British record in the women’s 58kg at London 2012 and overcoming Twitter critics with her brave blog posts.

 

Woman to Watch: Politics

Shabana Mahmood, 31, Labour MP for Birmingham Ladywood – As one of the first Muslim Asian women in Parliament, Shabana is an inspiring force for more diversity amongst our MPs.

 

Woman to Watch: Blogger

Martha Payne, 10, Blogger – For inspiring hundreds of children in Britain to create their own blogs, scrutinising everything from fashion to their school sports days, and for raising over £120,000 for charity

Lauren Laverne, Jo Whiley, Claudia Winkleman, at Lauren's Oxfam Get Together

Lauren Laverne, Jo Whiley, Claudia Winkleman, Dee Koppang at Lauren’s Oxfam Get Together event for International Women’s Day,

Lauren Laverne gathered together a host of celebrity friends to support Oxfam’s Get Together campaign for International Women’s Day this week, raising funds for women around the world.

Guests at the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party included Jo Whiley, Claudia Winkleman, India Knight, Sali Hughes, Grace Dent, Gizzi Erskine, Mary-Kate Trevaskis, Dee Koppang, Hemmo, Polly Samson, Sophie Heawood, and Donna Grant.

Lauren who is an ambassador for Oxfam’s Get Together Campaign, joins over 3,000 women around the UK who have registered to hold their own events to mark International Women’s Day. At her tea party, she served guests multi coloured sandwiches, and praline ice cream lollipops which exploded with a single bite.

 

Lauren said: ‘Such a pleasure and a privilege to host a Get Together for IWD today. My friends are all busy mums and/or working women, but they were all so keen to make a donation and to take the time to come together on behalf of the campaign. It was inspiring and surprising and a lot of fun. We’re already making plans for something even bigger and better next year!’

Claudia Winkleman tweeted: tea with amazing women for #oxfamIWD Have a look at http://www.oxfam.org.uk/women’sday.

Zoe Ball will be celebrating International Women’s Day for Oxfam this evening with a Get Together frock swap with her friends – last year she hosted a tea party for International Women’s Day. Zoe tweeted: Shout for all dames hosting a #gettogether with girls for International Women’s Day

Other celebrity ladies holding Get Together events for Oxfam include Miquita Oliver, who held a women-themed quiz night. And a dazzling array of celebrities put on a glamorous Get Together jumble sale, with stalls organised by Dawn Porter, Gemma Cairney, Caroline Flack, Chris O’Dowd, Kate Nash, Sara Cox, Cherry Healey, Gizzi Erskine, Grace Woodward, Harry Potter actress Jessie Cave, singer Brigitte Aphrodite and TV presenter and stand-up comic Jeffrey Leach. The ‘Rumble in the Jumble’ raised £7,000 for Oxfam.

Oxfam’s Chief Executive Barbara Stocking said: ‘We are so grateful for the support of everyone who is holding an Oxfam Get Together event for International Women’s Day. There are 1.3 billion people living in poverty worldwide – and the great majority are women and girls. Oxfam is working hard to change this through all of our programme work.’

 

 

JOIN COSMOPOLITAN’S EDITOR, LOUISE COURT AS SHE DEBATES: ‘I AM A FEMINIST – CAN I VAJAZZLE?’

JOIN COSMOPOLITAN’S EDITOR, LOUISE COURT AS SHE DEBATES:

‘I AM A FEMINIST – CAN I VAJAZZLE?’

WITH DAWN PORTER & KATE SMURTHWAITE AT SOUTHBANK CENTRE’S WOW – WOMEN OF THE WORLD FESTIVAL

Cosmopolitan, the magazine for smart, spirited young women has teamed up with Southbank Centre’s WOW – Women of the World Festival, to host a debate on the hot topic of modern-day feminism. The event is part of a series planned to support the magazine’s ‘F Word’ campaign.

WOW – Women of the World festival is Southbank Centre’s annual festival to recognise, celebrate and promote women and runs from Wednesday 7 March to Sunday 11 March across the Southbank Centre site. On Saturday 10th March, Louise Court, Cosmopolitan’s Editor, writer and broadcaster, Dawn Porter, comedian and feminist activist, Kate Smurthwaite and Dr Kristin Aune will battle out the following question – ‘I am a Feminist – Can I Vajazzle?’. The debate will be chaired by columnist and author, India Knight.

This debate is part of Cosmopolitan’s ‘F Word’ campaign, launched to celebrate its birthday issue, on sale 1st March. The campaign aims to shine light on the myths and outdated stereotypes surrounding feminism and starts deliberately with this controversial subject to explore the multiple aspects of women’s relationship with feminism in the 21st century.

Cosmopolitan believe there has never been a more important time to be a feminist, with the world we live in today still far from equal for men and women. The first thing the magazine wants to achieve in its bid for equality is equal pay for men and women doing the same jobs. The magazine is campaigning for the government to get tough now on equal pay, by making it mandatory for companies who employ 250 people or more to carry out a public, annual equal-pay audit. If you want to fight for your right for equal pay in the workplace, sign the Cosmopolitan Equal Pay petition now at www.cosmopolitan.co.uk/equalpay.

To book tickets to for the Cosmopolitan debate – ‘I am a Feminist – Can I Vajazzle?’:

Saturday 10th March, from 3pm – 4pm, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London, SE1 8XX. Tickets cost £30 for a weekend pass (£15 concessions) and £12 for a day pass (£6 concessions), and are available from the Southbank Centre Ticket Office: 0844 847 9910 / www.southbankcentre.co.uk/wow

NB – Some events have a limited capacity and entry is on a first-come first-served basis.