WONDERFUL women have been shortlisted as finalists in a prestigious awards ceremony. 

The finalists for the Thames Valley Venus Awards 2018 were unveiled at an afternoon tea at Newbury Racecourse this week.

Although only in their second year, the Thames Valley Venus Awards have proved extremely popular, making the finalist selection process harder than ever.

“We received more than 1,000 nominations and applications for the 15 award categories, which highlights the huge contribution that women in business are making to businesses in the Thames Valley Region,” said Venus Awards founder Tara Howard. Launched in November, participants have been whittled down to the finalists stage through a combination of sponsor and public judging.

The Business Mother of the Year award is sponsored by Newsquest Berkshire. 

The awards will culminate in a Glamorous Gala Dinner and Awards Ceremony on June 8, 2018 at the Madejski Stadium in Reading.

The Finalists are:

IKEA Green Business

* Cathy Cornish of Wild to Wonderful Garden Design

* Victoria Lochhead of Frankie & Ruby

* Julianne Ponan of Creative Nature

Parfitt Cresswell Solicitors Influential Woman of the Year

* Louise Fetigan of Little Troopers

* Katherine Knight of Intelligent Health

* Emma-Jane Taylor of The Inspirational Mentor

Marshalls Volkswagen Customer Service

* Nicola Butler of Nikki Butler Medical Tattooing

* Jayne Tilsley of Wadworth Brewery

* Lesley Wallace of Dream Doors (Basingstoke & Newbury)

ShowState Marketing & PR

* Nikki Ball of Reading Buses

* Sophie Comas of Rimu Marketing

* Vanessa Hunt of Vanessa Hunt Consulting Ltd

Sandler Training Sales Director of the Year

* Clare Waterfall of Cascade Software

* Sam Stanfield of Powered by Pie

* Rachel Gray of Experian

Sandler Training Executive PA of the Year

* Robyn Thompson-Vango of Reaction Engines

* Kate Napier of Rank Group

* Sarah Heineman of Woodford Investment Management

Newsquest Berkshire Business Mother of the Year

* Debbie Whiteley of Pink Spaghetti PA Services

* Rachel Lambden of Heritage Estate Planning

* Sara Southey of The Southey Way

Reading University Inspirational Woman

* Anna Sampson of Boomerang Creative

* Louise Fetigan of Little Troopers

* Julianne Ponan of Creative Nature

Benefex HR Manager of the Year

* Hayley Fisher of Allied Bakeries

* Ruth O’Loughlin of Oxfordshire County Council

* Emily Murphy of IKEA Group

Grandesco Entrepreneur of the Year

* Sue Randall of Oxford Fine Dining Ltd

* Sam Willoughby of What’s on 4

* Rachel Eden of Holy Brook Associates Ltd

Santander Director of the Year

* Sharon Collins of Venture Life

* Elona Mortimer-Zhika of Iris

* Sally Preston of The Kids Food Company Ltd

Local Buzz Small Business

* Anna Davies of Therapists on the High Street

* Celia Smith of Bluebell Biscuiterie

* Sarah Riggott of Sarah Riggott Ltd

Wise Owls Lifetime Achievement

* Jackie Chappell of The Ironing Lady Ltd

* Gerry Lejeune OBE of Berkshire Community Foundation

* Jo Cooke of Hoarding Disorders UK CIC

The Breeze Radio Employer of the Year

* Judith Tinker of M-four Promotions Limited

* Katherine Knight of Intelligent Health

* Sambit Mohapatra of Siyona Tech

Prysm Group Networker of the Year

* Amanda Ayres of The Business Girls Network

* Aduke Onafowokan of The Sister Sister Network

* Jade Binsted of Ribbons Media