A Darwen based electrical company is celebrating their huge achievement in a women’s competition that shines a light on North West businesses.
Charlotte Knowles of Elektec, won the EVA Award for best family business at the EVA awards presented at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool last Friday (September 23).
Charlotte, who has run the business with her husband Carl in Brussels Road, Darwen, since 2017, offer electrical services and project management, from installations and repairs to inspections and maintenance to clients across the borough.
She said: "To win this award and be recognised as the Best Female Family Business Owner in the North West is absolutely unbelievable.
"I was nominated for the award by the staff at East Lancashire Hospice and by Lisa Edge, Owner of Lancashare.
"These are people who I truly admire and for them to think I am even worthy of a nomination is overwhelming.
"I am so grateful to the judges for choosing me and to our wonderful team of staff at Elektec."
She was shortlisted as one of the ten nominees in the Family Business category and was scored by a panel of three judges who are experts in business.
The ten were then whittled down to six, and Charlotte smashed her interview with the judges and also received the highest number of public votes, crowning her winner of the EVA Family Business award.
The managing director of the Family Business sponsor, LHR Recruitment and Retention, Laura Hartley, said: “Charlotte is a phenomenal leader, her passion for her business, family and team shone during her interview.
"What really stood out was how they work with their customers, how important the team are to the business and the legacy they are building for the family.
"She has uniqueness of being able to manage a young family and a business with flair.
"I cannot wait to see where the next 12 months takes Elektec and how much Charlotte grows in her role as a female leader.”
The business, who has been honoured by the Prince’s Trust, has a huge presence in the local community and take part in charity fundraisers including the East Lancashire Hospice Corporate Challenge which raises money for the hospice, as well as various other ones throughout the year.
The Enterprise Vision Awards have been celebrating the outstanding successes and achievements of the North West’s most talented female entrepreneurs since 2011.
The Gender Index found that women are starting more companies than ever before with 145,200 new women-founded companies in the UK last year.
However, the study found UK companies led by women disproportionately attract less investment compared to companies led by men which is why Charlotte said it's vital to continue supporting women in businesses.
She said: "Women’s empowerment is so important as there are sadly many issues still prevalent within society and a lack of equal rights in relation to many things such as pay, healthcare, access to education, political representation and within relationships.
"Women deserve equality. Gender equality is a human right. It is crucial that we continue to have open dialogues about issues, raise awareness and push for inequalities to be addressed."
Coral Horn, founder of the EVAS and Pink Link Ladies said: “All our finalists should be hugely proud of their achievements, the competition was intense and highly contested.
"Well done to the winners who stepped up and went the extra mile.”
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