Venus Awards: Professional Of The Year

Our very own Goringe Accountants Managing Director, Nicky Larkin wins Professional Of The Year Award at the NatWest Thames Valley Venus Awards 2017.

Winners of the first ever NatWest Thames Valley Venus Awards in association with Marshall Volkswagen were announced at a Grand Ceremony and Gala Dinner at the Madejski Stadium on Friday, 9^th June 2017.

Over 300 guests including Finalists and Sponsors attended the glamorous Grand Ceremony and Gala Dinner of the first, super-size NatWest Thames Valley Venus Awards 2017 in association with Marshall Volkswagen, at the Madejski Stadium on Friday, 9^th June 2017.

In its inaugural year in a region spanning Reading, Oxford, Swindon, High Wycombe and Bracknell competition has been strong and enthusiastic with 1,400 nominations and 320 applications across all categories, and with over 1,300 votes cast in the public vote category of Business Mother.

Hosts for the evening’s celebrations were Emma-Jane Taylor, Managing Director of NutritiousWorks and television presenter for That’s Oxford TV and Tara Howard, Founder of the Venus Awards.

Guests soaked in the atmosphere as they enjoyed a three-course dinner. The evening’s entertainment came from Nathan James, rock singer-song writer known for his appearances on The Voice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Superstar. Nathan opened his set with a powerful cover of Guns N Rose’s “Sweet Child O’ Mine”.

Every Sponsor emphasised in their speeches the outstanding calibre of their category applications when presenting the winner with the “Venus” Trophy.

Attending the event was Andrew Lean, Director of Marshall Volkswagen. They are the associate sponsor and category sponsor for the Customer Service award, he said,

What makes the Venus Awards different is that it has got a real buzz to it. You can see in the room tonight that everyone is having a load of fun and there is a real sense of sisterhood. There is a real energy.

Yani Fernando, Business Growth Enabler at NatWest who sponsored the New Business category, said of their involvement with the Thames Valley Venus Awards,

We are really proud to be the sponsor for this category because at NatWest we believe that start up new businesses are the backbone of the UK economy.

Marcus Cauchi of Sandler Training, who sponsored the HR Manager and Manager of the Year categories, said of their involvement with the Venus Awards,

Anyone who wants to get involved with the Venus Awards would be mad not too!

Winner of the High Achiever category, Tracey Rawling Church of Kyocera said of her Venus win,

This is the beginning of a bright new future.

Manager of the Year Winner, Sam Bramwell of Microsoft said of the Venus Awards,

I think the Venus Awards are important because it is really important to recognise women in business, women in technology and women across the world, in our villages, in our towns, for doing what they do every day and working so hard. So I am very proud of what the Venus Awards gives back to the community.

Charity Sponsor for the inaugural Thames Valley Venus Awards is Naomi House and Jacksplace that provide expert hospice care to more than 340 life-limited and life-threatened children, young people, and their extended families. Venus raised over £2000 on the evening for the charity.

Winners will progress to the Venus Awards National Finals to be held in July 2017.

Nicky’s reaction to winning Professional Of The Year 2017:

I was delighted to win this award, in particular as I was nominated by several clients and associates, which was a complete surprise to me. I was competing against many other distinguished, lawyers, bankers and accountants, so there was some very stiff competition, so it was a celebration to get through each round.

In association with Marshall Volkswagen are:

• Professional of the Year: Nicky Larkin – Goringe Accountants | Sponsored by: Wilkins Kennedy LLP
• New Business of the Year: Viktoria Baker – Ugly Apples | Sponsored by: NatWest
• Customer Service Award: Charlotte Cavanagh – Time for Tea | Sponsored by: Marshall Volkswagen
• Networker of the Year: Rachel Tombs – Links2Leads | Sponsored by: Grosvenor Casino
• Green Business of the Year: Christine McRitchie – Earthwise Trading Ltd | Sponsored by: IKEA
• Entrepreneur of the Year: Charlotte Cavanagh – Time for Tea | Sponsored by: JackFM104 & Sir John Madejski
• Influential Woman of the Year: Atuksha Poonwassie – Simple Backing & Simple Equity | Sponsored by: Parfitt Cresswell
• Small Business of the Year: Hannah Goldsmith – Goldsmith Financial Solutions | Sponsored by: Peninsula
• Business Mother of the Year: Catherine Turner – Rapid Search & Interim and Firefly Human Capital | Sponsored by: The Reading Chronicle
• Manager of the Year: Sam Bramwell – Microsoft | Sponsored by: Sandler Training
• Company of the Year: Nikki Ball – Reading Buses | Sponsored by: Shirlaws
• Inspirational Woman of the Year: Lucy Coulbert – The Individual Funeral Company | Sponsored by: University of Reading
• High Achiever of the Year: Tracey Rawling Church – KYOCERA Document Solutions UK Ltd | Sponsored by: ShowState
• HR Manager of the Year: Sally Bannister – Turn IT On | Sponsored by: Sandler Training
• Lifetime Achievement: Ruth Cane – Ruth Cane – Image & Impact | Sponsored by: Wise Owls
• Director of the Year: Cheryl Adams – Santander | Sponsored by: Venus Awards

The Venus Awards were set up in Dorset in 2009 by Tara Howard to recognise the hard work, effort and skill it takes women to successfully juggle business with other commitments. The Awards have since been expanded to Southampton, Brighton, Devon, Oxford, Portsmouth, Birmingham, Isle of Wight and Bristol. Distributed on behalf of Venus Awards – www.venusawards.co.uk

To find out more about the Venus Awards or to arrange an interview please contact Megan Loader on 01202 559039 or email at megan@venusawards.co.uk

Photograph: Finalist group taken at the NatWest Thames Valley Venus Awards Ceremony. Photograph courtesy of Hemma Mason of Hemma Mason Photography.