Freeths welcome finalists to Manchester for Women of the Year Awards 2024

Inspiring finalists and judges of the 2024 Women of the Year Luncheon and Awards (WOTY) came together at Freeths’ Manchester ahead of the prestigious awards ceremony in October. 

These national awards have a long-standing reputation for recognising, highlighting and celebrating women’s achievements. Past business winners include Baroness Karren Brady, Dame Julie Kenny CBE, Dr Sharon Redrobe OBE, Fiona Allen and Jenny Campbell.

The 2024 finalists encompass women from many areas of business, including media, education, healthcare, hospitality, engineering, construction and manufacturing.

Freeths were the proud hosts of this highly anticipated event which saw the finalists be introduced for the first time at its Manchester office for an afternoon of networking. Freeths’ Partners Lisa Gilligan and Kevin Pinkerton led on panel discussions, ensuring the judges had a clear perspective on just why each woman deserved her spot in the final.

Reflecting on the event, Lisa Gilligan said: “It was so inspiring to hear the stories of how these women have championed others and led their way amongst their sectors and communities. We’re honoured to have welcomed such strong females and their stories were so moving. It isn’t long until the final awards now and we cannot wait to celebrate with each and every one of them.”

More than 300 high calibre nominations were received from women across the UK, from numerous industries and backgrounds. This year, the WOTY organisers made the decision to increase the number of finalists from 10 to 20.

During the awards ceremony, the winners of two categories will be announced: Businesswoman of the Year and Freeths’ Woman with Edge. This year, a new award has been introduced to recognise WOTY’s move to Manchester – the city where the suffragette movement began. This has been named The Emmeline Pankhurst Award: Woman of Achievement.

Zalena Vandrewala, Managing Associate at Freeths and Chair of the Board of Women of the Year, added: "Thank you to Freeths for hosting such a wonderful and uplifting event ahead of the awards. We were thrilled by the sheer number of nominations we received this year and had a wonderful day interviewing the finalists and listening to their stories. We were blown away by the standard that we were presented with, and thoroughly appreciate that the talent of women in business improves every year.

We look forward to hosting the finalists and many more at our much-anticipated ceremony in October, which we are delighted to be hosting in Manchester for the very first time. We are so excited to celebrate the outstanding women that are pivotal to society, business, and future generations.”

In its 42nd year, the awards are set to take place in Manchester for the first time, at the Etihad Stadium, on Friday, 11 October. Aldermore Bank are listed as headline sponsors for the second consecutive year.

Members of the WOTY board, including President, Writer and Actress, Sally Lindsay, WOTY Ambassador and Deputy Speaker of the House of Lords, Baroness Newlove, WOTY Directors Emma Elston MBE, Zalena Vandrewala, and Wendy Dean along with more than 400 guests, are all set to attend the luncheon.