Women’s Executive Network (WXN) Announces Ireland’s Most Powerful Women: Top 25 Awards

25 Irish leaders will join the community of Ireland’s most iconic women

Yesterday, WXN launched its Top 25 Awards, which celebrates the successes of Ireland’s highest achieving women.  Ireland’s Top 25 Most Powerful Women will be revealed at a black-tie awards ceremony on Thursday June 14th at the Intercontinental Hotel in Dublin.

Ireland’s Most Powerful Women: Top 25 Awards pays tribute to the outstanding women across Ireland who have shown strong leadership, have advocated for diversity in the workforce, and who serve as an inspiration for the next generation of leaders.

The Top 25 Awards span the private, public and not-for-profit sectors, with the initial candidates selected by WXN’s Proxy Committee – Helen Tynan (Google), Fionnuala O’Leary (INM), Alma Curran (Medtronic), Margaret Clapham (Sodexo), Grainne Ni Dhubhghaill (Sodexo), and Sarah Claxton (ESB).

The final vetting process for the 2018 Top 25 Award Winners was completed by WXN’s 2017-2018 Diversity Champions – Bronwyn Brophy, Vice-President Technologies, Medtronic; Sandra Healy, Head of Diversity and Inclusion, DCU; Fionnuala Meehan, Google Ireland; Orla Nugent, MBA Programme Director, UCD; Stephen Rae, Editor-in-Chief, Irish Independent; Marguerite Sayers, Managing Director, ESB Networks; and Margot Slattery, Country President, Sodexo.

The awards are given to remarkable women in six different categories: Business Leaders Award, Entrepreneurs Award, Public Sector Leaders Award, Trailblazers Award, Arts, Sport and Entertainment Award, and Future Leaders Award.

Past award winners include Actress and Screenwriter, Sharon Horgan; Director General of RTE, Dee Forbes; Justice Siofra O’Leary; CEO of Food Cloud, Iseult Ward; Olympic Silver Medallist and Sailor, Annalise Murphy; Founder of Cocoa Brown, Marissa Carter;  Emily O’Reilly, European Ombudsman; Susan Whelan, CEO Leicester City Football Club; novelist Edna O’Brien; Mary Fitzgerald, Foreign and War Correspondent; Breege O’Donoghue, Director of Penneys/Primark; and Rose Hynes, first female chair of an ISEQ listed company.

“The Top 25 Awards celebrates women who truly champion diversity and collaboration,” said Senator Joan Freeman, who will deliver a keynote speech at the awards ceremony.   “To have the opportunity to rub shoulders with these pioneering leaders who are also inspiring the next generation of leaders, by simply pursuing their careers, is an honour and a privilege”

Speaking on the judging process Sherri Stevens, Founder, President and CEO of WXN said “Considering the wealth of trailblazing and accomplished women in Ireland, our Diversity Champions and Proxy Committee had quite a job narrowing down the list to just 25.  Our final list of award winners, which will be kept under wraps until our awards night on 14t June  is a reflection of the diverse pool of talent we’re fortunate to have leading our workforce here in Ireland.”