Shortlist announced for Meat Business Women One to Watch award 2021
Seven brilliant young women from leading UK & Ireland meat organisations have been shortlisted for this year’s ‘One to Watch’ award, the annual prize for emerging female talent in the meat industry.
They were chosen from more than 50 applicants through a rigorous judging process assessing their professional impact, creativity, innovation, industry knowledge and vision for the meat industry. In keeping with Meat Business Women’s mission to inspire the next generation of female talent, candidates were also evaluated on their interpersonal skills, commitment to mentoring and ability to inspire others.
The shortlisted finalists are:
- April Dear, site development manager, Cranswick plc
- Eddelle Allen, area manager, Food Standards Agency
- Erika Bruzaite, group planning manager, Finnebrogue Artisan
- Helena Field, retail department manager, Cranswick plc
- Megan Afford, quality assurance auditor, Moy Park
- Sarah Savage, head of product development, Finnebrogue Artisan
- Stacey Whelan, group management accountant/project lead, Dunbia
All seven finalists will now undergo further assessment during an interview by a panel of experts, with the winner to be announced at the Meat Business Women conference on 26 May 2021.
The independent judges for this year’s awards are: Margaret Boanas, chair of the International Meat Trade Association; Lucianne Allen, director at Aubrey Allen; Alan McKeown, company director at Food for Thought; Julia Glotz, writer, consultant and former managing editor of The Grocer; and Meat Business Women global chair Laura Ryan.
Laura Ryan says: “We had a record number of applications this year and were blown away by the high calibre of the candidates. Choosing our shortlist was tough, but we’ve ended up with seven inspiring finalists we believe have what it takes to be future leaders of the meat industry.”
Ryan adds: “Supporting women in their professional and personal development is at the heart of what we do at Meat Business Women. That’s why each entrant on the long list will also be given personalised feedback on their application by us.”
The winner will receive a personal development prize of their choice worth £4,000. Meat Business Women is grateful to the Association of Independent Meat Suppliers for sponsoring this year’s prize.
Launched in 2018, ‘One to Watch’ is an annual prize organised by Meat Business Women and awarded to a female aged 35 or under working in the meat industry in the UK and Ireland. 2021 will mark the third time the prize has been awarded.
