A former Google industry head and the founder of a childcare business are flying the flag for Bath in one of the region’s top award schemes for boardroom excellence.
The Institute of Directors (IoD) has named the shortlist for its annual South West Director of the Year Awards having received the highest-ever number of nominations – with the diverse shortlist reflecting the breadth of talent and leadership in the region.
The awards will be presented at a high-profile dinner and ceremony in Exeter next month with Christine Ourmières-Widener, CEO of Devon-based airline Flybe, as guest speaker.
Three new categories have been added this year recognising Inclusivity, Innovation and the Chairman’s Award for Excellence in Director and Board Practice.
Existing categories include Family Business, Public Sector, Not for Profit/Third Sector, Global, Emerging and Corporate Responsibility.
While the IoD has named the shortlist, it not revealed which category they have been selected for as one category has just a single individual in it.
Bath directors on the shortlist are:
Joanna Chavasse of Freckles Childcare, which places trained nannies with families in Southern England. Freckles prides itself on being the only agency in the country to provide emotional health training as standard.
Jenny Cowderoy, a former industry head for healthcare, retail and fast-moving consumer goods at Google, who supports scale-up and established digital and technology businesses to grow and realise their equity value.
IoD South West chairman Nick Sturge, who as director of Bristol’s Engine Shed innovation hub won in 2014, said: “We had a record number of entries this year so to be even shortlisted is an achievement.
“The South West has a well-deserved reputation for creativity and entrepreneurship and the diversity of the entries really showcases this fact.
“The awards recognise individuals who have made a significant difference in their field, be they start ups or established organisations across both the private and public sectors. The hard task now will be to choose the winners from such an eclectic and impressive shortlist.”
The awards ceremony and dinner are on June 14 at Sandy Park Stadium, Exeter.
The awards are sponsored by regional accountancy firm Bishop Fleming, which has seven offices across the West of England and West Midlands, including in Bath.
Bath Business News and its sister titles Swindon Business News and Bristol Business News are once again media partners for these coveted awards and will carry full details of the winners following the ceremony.
Tickets are available for the event by visiting https://www.iod.com/events-community/regions/south-west
