Women In Meat Industry Awards winners revealed for 2023

The national awards programme celebrating the work of women within the UK meat industry, held its annual awards ceremony on Friday 17^th November. Twelve winners were revealed at a sparkling celebration at the 5-star Royal Lancaster Hotel in London.

Designed to recognise the vitally important contributions that women make to the meat sector, the Women In Meat Industry Awards (WIMIA) returned for 2023, culminating in a black-tie dinner and awards ceremony.

The awards are organised by Meat Management magazine and driven by reader nominations and votes. Over 11,000 votes for finalists were registered as part of this year’s programme and the WIMIA website received over 100,000 visits.

At the awards ceremony on Friday 17^th November, special-guest host and broadcaster Jennie Bond presented the awards to this year’s winners. Speaking on the night, Jennie said that she was thrilled to be involved with the programme and to speak to so many amazing women throughout the course of the evening.

Representatives from this year’s category awards partners were on hand to reveal the results of each of the 12 award categories.

The ceremony concluded with the presentation of the overall Meat Businesswoman of the Year 2023. Unique to this award, the winner was chosen from 10 of the individual category winners, by a panel of industry experts.

This year’s winner is Julia Hewerdine, group food safety and quality project manager at Dunbia, who took home the coveted title.

Another of the night’s most prestigious awards, The Rising Star Award, was presented to Elizabeth Clarke, environmental and sustainability officer at ABP / Linden Foods.

A special date in the industry calendar

Editor of Meat Management Joanna Thomson said: “It’s real pleasure to be involved with this awards programme every year, because we know how much it means to those within the industry. Celebrating hard work and success is what it is all about, and the contribution made by women across the meat sector is remarkable and deserves to be recognised.

She continued: “Yes, the industry still has its challenges when it comes to gender representation; but we’ve come a long way in recent years, and we’re so proud that WIMIA, in championing women’s work and voices within the industry, has been a part of that progress.”

Lead organiser of the Women In Meat Industry Awards Sharon Yandell added: “This year’s Awards were a smashing success, with a record 400 guests attending and so much enthusiasm shown by the industry. WIMIA keeps reaching new heights, and we’re already laying the groundwork for an even more spectacular celebration in 2024.

“We can’t wait to see what the future holds! Many congratulations to everyone who made this night truly unforgettable!”

The 2023 winners in full are:

• Meat Businesswoman of the Year Award – Julia Hewerdine, Dunbia
• The Rising Star Award – Elizabeth Clarke, ABP / Linden Foods
• Meat Businesswoman Award: Trade Body – Katie Doherty, IMTA
• Meat Businesswoman Award: Foodservice – Diane Lumley, Becketts Foods Ltd
• Meat Businesswoman Award: Wholesaling – Vicky Parsons, Campbell Brothers
• Meat Businesswoman Award: Craft Butchery – Sammy Isaacs, Bridget B’s
• Meat Businesswoman Award: Poultry – Catherine Glendinning, Moy Park
• Meat Businesswoman Award: Training & Education – Julia Hewerdine, Dunbia
• Meat Businesswoman Award: Industry Supplier – Ioana Dobre, Eville & Jones
• Meat Businesswoman Award: Independent Retailing – Olivia Slack, Crich Butchers
• Meat Businesswoman Award: Multiple Retailing – Suzanne Coombes, ASDA
• Meat Businesswoman Award: Manufacturing/Processing – Nicola Davies, Pilgrim’s UK