Scottish business leader Jeanette Forbes, CEO of Aberdeen-based PCL Group, has been selected as a finalist in two categories in the Forward Ladies 2017 National Awards sponsored by HSBC.
Jeanette has been shortlisted in both the SME Growth Category and the STEM Leader Award. She is one of 67 entrepreneurial female business leaders shortlisted across 12 categories in a regional final which covers Scotland, Yorkshire and North-east England.
Subscribe to our daily newsletter
Why? Free to subscribe, no paywall, daily business news digest.
Forward Ladies was founded in 1999 to unlock the potential in professional women. The regional final, which will be held in Newcastle in September, will bring together women from start-ups, multi-million pound businesses, academia and the international business community.
Griselda Togobo, MD of Forward Ladies, said: “This has been a fantastic year for women and now it’s time to change gear and focus on the support needed to nurture talent regardless of gender, sector or region. The award categories are a reflection not only of the types of businesses with which women are involved, but also those which showcase the underrepresented women working in traditionally male dominated fields such as Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), Digital and Online industries.
“The calibre of entries has been increasing year on year, but this year we have a number of outstanding entries and here at Forward Ladies we very much look to celebrate and share in their success.”
Jennifer Crawley, UK Head of Performance for Business Banking, HSBC and judge said: “There was an impressive number of high-calibre entries this year, highlighting the quality of talented businesswomen we have in the UK. These entrants are the future entrepreneurs of our country, with the Forward Ladies event to showcase the best Britain has to offer. HSBC will be supporting them every step of the way to ensure their businesses prosper and thrive in the long term.”
Other judges include Ajaz Ahmed, the founder of Freeserve, Jan Flawn CBE, founder of PJ Care, Sahar Hashemi, founder of Coffee Republic and Dale Murray, Co-Founder of Omega Logic.
“It is huge honour to be shortlisted in these two categories alongside outstanding female business leaders from across all business sectors,” said Jeanette. “I’m particularly pleased to see that the awards have a particular focus on STEM-related businesses and newer industries such as digital and online as these are sectors which have tremendous career potential for young women and future business leaders.”
Jeanette has gained a number of national awards and industry accolades, particularly for her work in promoting the career opportunities for women in what have been seen as predominantly male-dominated professions.
Regional winners will be invited to appear before a panel of live panel of independent judges in November before the national final in Leeds in December.
