Ten2Two Hampshire were the very proud sponsors of the Rising Star and Champions Of Change categories at last week’s Women in Business Awards at the Oakley Hall Hotel.

The awards night, now in its fifth year and with nearly 300 guests, was a glamorous occasion that celebrated the successful and inspiring business women across the south, and was a great chance to engage with other businesses, meet new people and highlight the benefits of flexible working to a wider audience.  

There was a lively panel discussion with Lauren Sayeski of Coca Cola European Partners, Adam Hale of Sage People and Annabel Bosher of The Great Taste Company, and led by the evening’s host Tamsin Napier-Munn. Everyone agreed that there should be more collaboration, and more women business leaders and role models – as Madeleine Albright once famously said, “There is a special place in hell for women who don’t help other women”.

The winner of the Rising Star award, presented by Ten2Two Hampshire’s CEO Louise Boardman-Rule, was won by Sharon Pursey of SafeToNet, a company created by Sharon in response to worries she had about the content her four children send and receive online. SafeToNet uses artificial intelligence to block harmful subject matter in real time before it’s seen and before the damage is done. No other company does this. Sharon’s mission is to make SafeToNet the de-facto standard for safeguarding worldwide.

The Champion Of Change For Women In The Workplace award, again presented by Louise, was given to Sarah Chapman, technical manager at the science-based technology company 3M. Sarah is a role model for flexible working and supporting STEM education. She plays a lead role in 3M’s community and diversity programmes, and her 2017 highlights include judging the 3M Young Innovators Challenge, running a Science Supper Club, opening Lean-In Circle talks to companies neighbouring 3m’s Bracknell head office, and being interviewed on BBC TV as part of British Science Week.

Ten2Two Hampshire congratulates all the winners of the evening, and looks forward to following them and their careers in the future.