Tyrone woman shortlisted for award

Elaine Quinn from Quinfresh, Dungannon and Shauna McCarney from Heavenly Tasty Organics in Omagh have both been shortlisted for awards at this year’s Women in Business NI awards.

The awards, presented in association with Invest NI, will be presented at a glittering ceremony at the Ramada Hotel, Belfast on Thursday 22nd November.

Following an intense day of judging, shortlists were chosen in the 10 categories and the Tyrone duo were shortlisted for a number of awards.

Elaine finds herself shortlisted for the Entrepreneurship/ Innovation Award which is sponsored by Vodafone, while both Elaine and Shauna are shortlisted for the Award for Best Small Business Sponsored by Belfast City Council.

Chair of Women in Business NI and Chair of the judges, Edel Doherty said: “We really had an unenviable task this year as the standard of entries was truly exceptional. We created the Women in Business NI Awards last year and the homegrown talent we found in women doing business in Northern Ireland was phenomenal but the quality of this year’s entries have surpassed even our expectations.

“Narrowing down the shortlist tested our judges’ expertise to the limit. It was so inspiring to read of great innovation, resilience in such difficult trading times, excellence in the contribution to the Northern Ireland business community and we were able to get a feel for the real sense of pride our business women have in the work they do.

“We were encouraged at the number of start ups that entered this year and pleasantly surprised at the strength of those nominated for ‘Young Business Woman of the Year’ performing at such levels and still not yet 30. I’m very excited that we will be showcasing the best of our business women’s achievements on 22 November.”

Roseann Kelly, Chief Executive of Women in Business NI, said: “I am thrilled that so many business women in Northern Ireland entered the awards as it is very important to acknowledge, reward and celebrate their work.

“This year’s finalists received the added benefit of being invited to attend the first ‘Women in Business NI Finalists Retreat’ which brought together some of Northern Ireland’s leading industry experts to impart knowledge and share experiences.

“The newly formed ‘Women in Business NI Awards Alumnae’, made up of last year’s winners, also attended the exclusive event in Galgorm Resort and Spa last week. It was a day of unrivalled quality networking and learning.”