The 2024 NatWest EWiF Award winners are...

Celebrating the achievements of women is always a highlight of our year. So, allow us to introduce your 2024 NatWest EWiF Award winners!

In a world which can feel challenging at times, being able to pause, throw on the glitz and relax for a while is a great for our wellbeing. Add in cocktails and prosecco, canapes, and celebrating each other’s achievements and you have the magic ingredients for a spectacular 14th annual NatWest EWiF Awards. This year, for the first time, held in Leeds at the Royal Armouries Museum.

The theme for this year’s event is Lighting the Way, honouring those who are igniting change, creating opportunities, and empowering others to grow and thrive. This was evident once again in the 100+ entries we received—showcasing the incredible talent and fierce competition within our industry. With such outstanding submissions, we also felt it was important to highly commend two of our exceptional finalists: Jessie Lilley from babyballet, and Anna Neville from Kidslingo.

So… fanfare for the winners who lit the way in 2023…

New Woman Franchisee of the Year, sponsored by The Franchise Consultant

Mairi Curle, Boogie Beat

Mairi is flourishing as a franchisee, already expanding into multiple territories! She took a single weekly class to over 30 weekly classes by the end of year one, developed new inter-generational workshops with local care homes, which amongst other developments led to rapid growth.

New Woman Franchisor of the Year, sponsored by Franchise Funnels

Lucy Shrimpton - The Sleep Nanny®

Lucy took her business and unlocked the secrets of franchising. Within just three weeks of launching her franchise, she’d sold 15 territories, growing to 24 by the end of 2023. Through the network, Lucy’s brand is already having a positive impact on families, right across the UK.

Woman Franchise Employee of the Year, sponsored by Mercury Franchise School

Zoe Murray, Pink Spaghetti

Zoe created initiatives within the brand which, despite the financial uncertainty of last year, enabled the franchise to grow. She’s provided both mentoring and transformational coaching which helped an under-performing franchisee achieved a 199.5% turnover increase over six months.

Service Provider of the Year, sponsored by NatWest

Jen Chapman-Boffin, Cinder Ltd

The work Jen does in franchising, has led to happier franchise networks and happier franchisors. Brands who prioritise mental health, and work with her report higher retention rates, lower long-term costs, boosted morale, and increased profitability, amongst other things.

EWiF Ambassador of the Year, sponsored by Elite Franchise

Anna Neville - Kidslingo

Anna exemplifies how her leadership, accomplishments, and mentorship inspire others to pursue excellence and innovation. She champions both franchising and women in business and is a recognised expert voice in our sector.

Young Woman in Franchising of the Year, sponsored by McDonald’s Restaurants

Louise McLaughlin, Home Instead

Louise expanded her service offerings to improve market reach and enhance operational efficiency. So now, her business is thriving with a team of 40, delivering 1,400 hours of care a month to over 100 ageing adults. Something she’s aiming to recreate in her new second territory!

Woman Franchisee of the Year, sponsored by Atlas Mapping

Faye Burrell, Puddle Ducks

Faye started the year wondering if her business would survive, with declining customers and service closures. But, thanks to her determination, customer retention rates grew to well-above the national average, she opened 4 new pools, and was the most profitable franchisee in her network.

Woman Franchisor of the Year, sponsored by DJH

Caroline Gowing - Pink Spaghetti

Despite the loss of her friend and business partner, Vicky Matthews, to cancer, Caroline transformed her brand. As a result, the network grew, customer spend increased, franchisee profit soared, and network-wide turnover increased. After Vicky died, Caroline pushed beyond her comfort zone and personal heartache to transform the shared grief of the network into thriving business success.

Inspirational Woman of the Year, sponsored by Platinum Wave Franchising

Sarah Cressall OBE, The Creation Station

Sarah has identified partnerships which help propel her brand and increase revenue, providing her franchisees with over 12 revenue streams. This includes delivering creative workshops delivered to all ages from the cradle to the grave. Plus, if we can’t be inspired by UK franchising’s first OBE winner for creativity in education and entertainment, then what hope do any of us have!

And finally…

Caroline Gowing, from Pink Spaghetti, was crowned our Overall Woman in Franchising, sponsored by The BFA. Whilst reeling from the impact of cancer on her friend and business partner, Caroline literally encompassed our theme, lighting the way, and her network thrived in the face of sorrow and pain.

A massive THANK YOU to everyone who entered, attended, hosted and sponsored this year. Congratulations to all our winners. If you weren’t successful, or you didn’t enter, don’t miss next year’s chance to be crowned an EWiF award winner. Find out more: www.ewif.org