The latest Women In Meat Industry Awards campaign is fully underway for 2024 and is offering the opportunity for companies and individuals across the industry to nominate candidates.
The annual Awards is the biggest and most important initiative of its kind, which recognises the significant contribution that women make to the meat sector.
Editor of Meat Management magazine Joanna Thomson commented: “This is your chance to propose those individuals that you consider to be outstanding and worthy of recognition.
“The annual Women In Meat Industry Awards is incredibly popular and is exclusively driven by company or individual nominations and votes. In other words, it’s an opportunity for the industry to highlight the people at the heart of its operations, who really make a difference.
“With the 2024 campaign now underway, readers of Meat Management and those from the wider industry can nominate candidates across a range of various categories. You might nominate one person or several, the main thing is to get those names put forward as soon as possible.”
Strictly Come Dancing star Annabel Croft set to host
All winners will be revealed at a 5-star ceremony and dinner held later this year. Due to overwhelming demand, the 2024 awards event has been relocated to the Nine Kings Suite at the Royal Lancaster Hotel, London, which is widely acknowledged as one of the finest event venues in Europe.
Joining guests at this year’s awards ceremony will bepopular tennis star and TV broadcaster Annabel Croft. It was announced in March that Croft will host the 2024 event, playing a leading role in the evening’s award presentations.
Many guests will recognise Croft as a semi-finalist on the 2023 series of Strictly Come Dancing, where she wowed the judges and viewers alike with a series of moving performances alongside dance partner Johannes Radebe.
“An inspiration to many women both on and off the tennis court, Annabel has a real passion for her work and a shed load of resilience - both essential qualities of those driving the UK meat industry forward. In short, she is an ideal host for the WIMIA ceremony and it is an honour to have her on board,” added editor Joanna Thomson.
“I am so excited to hear what she has to say about working within the sports and broadcasting industry, and I’m sure she’ll have a few anecdotes to share about her time on the ballroom floor. What a brilliant night we have ahead of us!”
How it all works: the nominations process
Once the nomination process completes (and this must be by the final deadline of Friday 21st June), the selected finalists will go through to the voting stage of the awards.
The coveted overall Meat Businesswoman of the Year recipient is chosen from one of the category winners by a judging panel and recent winners of this top award include:
- 2018: Lisa Hand - Dunbia
- 2019: Lucianne Allen – Aubrey Allen
- 2020: Margaret Boanas – IMTA
- 2021: Lindsay Murphy – Booker
- 2022: Michelle Low – Morrisons Manufacturing / Woodhead Bros
- 2023: Julia Hewerdine - Dunbia
Publisher of Meat Management magazine, Graham Yandell MBE, who organise the initiative added: “Last year in 2023 we had over 100,000 visits to the Women In Meat Industry Awards website – it really is quite a phenomenon.
“The nomination process for 2024 which has been launched today is quickly followed with voting and both aspects of the process are made online, so it couldn’t be easier.
“We are really excited about finding our finalists and winners once again and recognising so many great people every year is an honour for us.
“Women make a huge and critical contribution to the success of the UK meat industry and highlighting individuals across all sectors is what our awards are all about. ”
2024 Awards categories
Categories for the 2024 Women In Meat Industry Awards are as follows:
- Meat Businesswoman Award – Foodservice (Catering Butchery)
- Meat Businesswoman Award – Manufacturing/Processing
- Meat Businesswoman Award – Craft Butchery
- Meat Businesswoman Award – Poultry
- Meat Businesswoman Award – Trade Body
- Meat Businesswoman Award – Wholesaling
- Meat Businesswoman Award - Livestock Procurement & Sustainability
- Meat Businesswoman Award – Multiple Retailing
- Meat Businesswoman Award – Independent Retailing
- Meat Businesswoman Award – Industry Supplier
- Meat Businesswoman Award – Training & Education
- The Rising Star Award
- Meat Businesswoman of the Year Award
Meat Management editor Joanna Thomson concluded: “I do hope readers and the wider industry will nominate their choices for 2024 without delay. The ceremony really is a special highlight in the meat trade calendar and one we all look forward too.”
If you have a colleague, manager, supplier, chief executive, butcher or know anyone you’d like to see acknowledged for their contribution then nominate them now online here:www.womeninmeatawards.com.
To take advantage of an early bird discount on table bookings for the Awards ceremony on 29th November, click here.
Thank you to our official 2024 Awards Partners…
