Water colour artist and homeware designer Meg Hawkins, founder of Meg Hawkins Art, has been shortlisted for two prestigious awards – the Woman Who Achieves and the Brand & Lifestyle Licensing Awards (B&LLAs).
Speaking about the Woman Who Achieves awards, Meg explained: “There are no categories as such, with the awards celebrating the amazing accomplishments of women and giving them a huge high five for their hard work. Imagine a room filled with awesome women sharing their stories of hustle and success – it’s seriously inspiring stuff!”
Continues Meg: “However, the awards aren’t just about patting each other on the back. They’re about showing the world what women can do when they set their minds to it. So let’s see what it brings us on the 10 May at Coombe Abbey in Coventry where I’m invited to celebrate and be inspired by incredible women making waves in business. Sometimes acknowledgement to show how far you’ve come means more than winning – to be able to stop to and take stock of where you started to where you are today and then to be able to focus on the future is amazing.” Meg told GiftsandHome.net. “The Woman Who awards are about how and what we achieve rather than focusing on a category. This enables us to show our whole story.”
Adds Woman Who Achieves organiser Sandra Garlick MBE: “In previous years, entrants have had to shoehorn and pigeonhole themselves into a category to fit in, often missing out on key elements of their story and achievements to fit a prescribed set of criteria. This year, I decided that women in business should be able to be themselves and share their story and highlight their achievements in their own way. Each entry is independently judged on its own merit.”
The awards fanfare finalists from all over the UK, ranging from small start-ups based at home to multi-million £pound companies, including entrants from ITN, Lantra and Belmont Healthcare. Two finalists have started businesses after retirement – Ann Girling of the Unlikely Guru and Dr Sue Palmer-Conn, the Divorce Doctor – who will both be interviewed on stage by Sandra Garlick.
“An interesting part of these awards is that, if and when you get through to the finals, there is a face to face interview process with a board of professionals across different areas of business,” continues Meg. “Finalists will therefore be able to share their experiences throughout their business growth – all in just a few minutes. It’s a time to be honest about who and what you do. After the awards, you are welcomed to a community of like minded business women where you can gain and share your experiences. You are able to be helped and help and encourage others.”
In addition, Meg has also been shortlisted in the Best Licensed Fashion or Talent Brand category at the Brand & Lifestyle Licensing Awards (B&LLAs) where the winners will be revealed at London’s glittering Royal Lancaster Hotel on Thursday 25 April.
Other finalists in the category include Billie Faiers; Emma Bridgewater; Lucia Heffernan; Mary Berry; Nadiya Hussain; Sara Miller London; Style Sisters and Temperley London.
Last month, Meg was among the keynote speakers at the Women In Gifts event, organised by The Giftware Association.
Top: Meg Hawkins, (seated), founder of Meg Hawkins Art, is shown with the company’s head designer Coral Hawkins.
