Two Bath directors will go head to head with some of the South West’s top bosses next week in one of the region’s most prestigious business award schemes.
Former Google industry head Jenny Cowderoy and Joanna Chavasse, the founder of childcare business Freckles, are among the finalists in this year’s South West Director of the Year Awards.
The coveted awards will be presented at a high-profile dinner and ceremony in Exeter next Thursday with Christine Ourmières-Widener, CEO of Devon-based airline Flybe, as guest speaker.
Jenny Cowderoy, pictured right, is a former industry head for healthcare, retail and fast-moving consumer goods at Google. She also supports scale-up and established digital and technology businesses to grow and realise their equity value.
Joanna Chavasse, pictured below, has steered the growth of Freckles Childcare, which places trained nannies with families across Southern England. It prides itself on being the only agency in the country to provide emotional health training as standard.
This year’s awards received the highest-ever number of nominations – with the diverse shortlist reflecting the breadth of talent and leadership in the region.
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 has not revealed which category they have been selected for as judges put forward a single individual in one category.
IoD South West chairman Nick Sturge, who as director of Bristol’s Engine Shed innovation hub won in 2014, said: “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 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 next Friday.
