Nominations are open for the sixth Northern Power Women Awards (2022) on 13 September 2021. And NPW founder Simone Roche MBE has a simple message for people: “This is a time of uncertainty but also a time of hope. My message to everyone is: ‘We are back, let’s build forward better’.”
Northern Power Women has been advancing gender equality and inspiring change in organisational culture from the North for the last six years, working alongside changemakers and business and community leaders to champion gender balance throughout communities and organisations.
As we emerge from the pandemic, Northern Power Women is keenly aware of the struggles individuals and communities are facing and with nominations open for their flagship awards event, they are ready to celebrate and platform the role models and leaders that will help lead the rebuild and the reinvigoration of the communities, businesses and other organisations that have suffered so much disruption.
“It is now a really important moment for us to look to the people creating powerful and profound change in the way we do things, who are pulling down barriers and facilitating a true levelling up of opportunity and reward, to celebrate and highlight their work,” Simone says.
“Our award winners are truly inspirational, and I ask everyone who feels they know a person, an organisation or a project that fits that bill to nominate them, so we can spotlight their achievements, and that positive change, in a way that helps create a fairer, more just society in which everyone can build a brighter future.”
New category in honour of the late Professor Jane Turner, “a fearless and determined champion of women”
The Awards now run to 11 categories including Agent of Change, Innovation, One to Watch and specific awards for organisations. This year also sees a new category, Disruptor for Good, created in honour of the late Professor Jane Turner OBE DL, the inspirational and renowned academic based in the North East who did so much to promote gender equity in business and beyond.
Jane contributed to Northern Power Women's influential 'Levelling Up by Powering On' research, undertaken with female leaders at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, which calls for women to be given a seat at the table. Jane, who embodied a 'deeds not words' mentality, was also a driving force behind a new piece of research to be published later this year by Northern Power Women in association with Teesside University, 'New Traits of Leadership', in which senior leaders, influencers and future talent identify the new traits of leadership in a Covid-19 world.
“Jane was not just an influential business leader but also a fearless and determined champion of women,” says Simone. “To create a Disruptor for Good category is the perfect way for us to platform the changemakers who embody her frontier spirit.”
Professor Turner’s husband Jason adds: “Jane was naturally disruptive. She faced challenges head-on and never fought harder than for the advancement of others. She was so proud to be a Northern Power Woman and recognising her through the naming of this award will keep her legacy alive.”
Northern Power Women was set up in 2016 to celebrate and showcase the amazing trailblazers and go-getters in the North, such as Jane, and to amplify their work and spread its impact. Simone says: “The wealth of talent and passion in and from the North needs to be highlighted and celebrated in all its glory.”
She goes on: “I cannot wait to see the phenomenal role models that we will unearth in this year’s Northern Power Women Awards. It has been two years since we last opened nominations and the brilliant stories, achievements and accomplishments that embody this community never ceases to amaze me.”
The 2022 Awards
Nominations can now be submitted, and tickets and tables purchased, at:
http://www.northernpowerwomen.com/awards
The Awards nominations, which will be judged by a panel of over 70 people in the NPW network, are open from Monday 13 September to Monday 11 October 2021. The judges also compile a Power List and Future List taken from the nominations and to be announced in January.
The Awards event will take place at the Manchester Central Convention Complex on Monday 21 March 2022 and are sponsored by BNY Mellon, United Utilities and NatWest, who are all committed to supporting and accelerating gender equality.
Northern Power Women offers a range of partnering opportunities around the event, including booking tables, sponsoring individual awards and Pay It Forward schemes to enable access for people who would otherwise not be able to attend.
