The 11th annual Women Mean Business Conference & Awards took place this year on the 2nd of October in Dublin’s Shelbourne Hotel.

The WMB Conference & Awards recognise the achievements of businesswomen and entrepreneurs across Ireland.

The Speakers

An Tánaiste and Minister for Business, Enterprise & Innovation, Frances Fitzgerald TD opened the conference and said:

As an avid supporter of female entrepreneurs and businesswomen, I am delighted that the Women Mean Business Awards is in its 11^thyear and going from strength to strength. With the variety of awards here today, we can see the breadth of women’s ingenuity and ability to perform at a high level in the business world.

Women networks and platforms, such as Women Mean Business, are crucial to encouraging more women to advance their careers and establish their own businesses. As Minister for Business, Enterprise & Innovation, I am now in a job where I will seek to ensure that women in business are the leaders in business. I would like to wish all the competitors, and especially the winners, every success in their future ventures.

Sinead McSweeney, VP Public Policy and Communications EMEA and MD Twitter Ireland and Dr Damien Lowry, Senior Chartered Counselling Psychologist also spoke at the conference.

Evelyn O’Toole speaking at the Women Mean Business Awards.

Evelyn O’Toole, Founder and CEO of Complete Laboratory Solutions who won the WMB ‘Business Woman of the Year 2016’ award returned this year to speak about her journey with CLS and becoming a finalist in the Industry Category of EY’s Entrepreneur of the Year 2017.

Quote of the day from Evelyn O’Toole:

Great things happen when we start stepping out, not just leaning in.

The 2017 winners

The winners of the awards are:

WMB Businesswoman Award 2017

Lisa Dillon, MD of EMEA Inside Sales,
Microsoft

Matheson WMB Female Entrepreneur Award 2017

Evelyn pictured with Aoife and Niamh from the Irish Fairy Door Company.

Aoife Lawler & Niamh Sherwin Barry, Co-founders,
The Irish Fairy Door Company

Newstalk WMB Social Entrepreneur Award 2017

Keren Jackson, Founder & CEO,
BlueFire

Boots WMB Empowering Women Award 2017

Natalie Walsh, Executive Director,
Blackstone LaunchPad, NUI Galway

Sodexo WMB Female Newcomer Award 2017

Kate & Annie Madden, Co-founders,
FenuHealth.com

WMB Woman in Technology Award 2017

Louise Kenny, Founding Director,
Metabolomic Diagnostics