Merseyside’s original Woman of the Year has looked back on her time since winning the award ahead of this year’s ceremony.
Ellie Kerr, who is from Wirral, was “stunned” to be named the first ever Merseyside Woman of the Year back in 2003. At the time, she worked at Business Link and went on to win three other awards. Now, nearly two decades later, Ellie is the sole founding director for the awards and still feels a “deep sense of achievement” thinking back about being crowned the winner.
The business improvement consultant told the ECHO: “I found out I was nominated on the day of a family bereavement. I was getting calls from the Daily Post about my nomination, but there was so much else going on around me that it didn’t really sink in. I turned up, sat at a table on my own and tucked into my chicken dinner.
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“When I was announced as my category winner for Business and Commerce I was stunned, then when I was announced as the overall Merseyside Woman of the Year I did a Gwyneth Paltrow and cried my eyes out. I was thrilled, shocked, overwhelmed, the whole lot. The next day I was on the front page of the Daily Post, it was completely bonkers.”
The Merseyside Women of the Year awards are a platform for all those women making a difference in Merseyside and Liverpool City Region “particularly those superstars who plough on, getting things done and never asking for anything in return.” Initially, the awards were run by two men but after seven years they decided they could no longer keep it going. In stepped Ellie, who after winning, wanted to continue providing a platform to celebrate women across the region and those who were later to come.
Ellie, alongside Jean Gadsby, the original head judge, and Elaine Owen came together with their shared passion, professional skills and networks to make sure the awards continued. Over time, the awards have gained a reputation for social impact, integrity and values. Now, reflecting back, Ellie explained it was her win that started her journey off.
She added: “Even now I still have a deep sense of achievement, passion and gratitude for my win. It was what started me off on this journey. I won three more awards after MWOTY and being recognised in my hometown and in my professional sector was just brilliant. I’m not the only one that loves my MWOTY though. One former Merseyside Woman of the Year, Catherine Hegarty, openly says that her MWOTY title means more to her than her MBE. I completely get that. I know how much it meant and still means to me.”
Ellie kept the momentum going after winning the award and quickly gained herself a reputation for championing entrepreneurship for women. Having worked with Liverpool Vision, in digital marketing and helping deliver the international festival for Business, there aren't many trades Ellie hasn’t tried her hand at.
She said: “The award gave me the confidence, as a businesswoman, to stand up in a roomful of men and feel like I could hold my own. I remember once, after my win, being at a meeting full of men and feeling a little daunted. So, I turned to them, said ‘Don’t you know who I am? I’m the Merseyside Woman of the Year’ that got their attention to listen and it boosted my confidence and credibility incredibly. That’s why I have always worked to keep the Awards going, because I want other women to feel those benefits that I did, because they changed my life completely.”
This will be the first event in two years in person due to the pandemic and they are hoping to be as diverse as ever. The awards, which have previously celebrated Gee Walker, Anthony’s Walker’s mum, for her work with the foundation and Afrah Qassim for establishing Savera UK, an organisation which helps those affected by ‘honour-based’ abuse, accept nominations from woman, trans woman and non-binary people.
Ellie added: “We’ve always said that we open the door and are amazed at what nominations come flowing in, but we know that we must make an effort to ensure that different communities from the region are aware of us and know that they are welcome to nominate people they know and even themselves. We work hard to be inclusive but we are always open to anything more that we could be doing and happy to work with anyone who shares our vision and values.”
You can nominate someone online by filling in a form. If you find it difficult to nominate online due to disability or other reason, you can contact the awards at nominations@merseysidewomenoftheyear.co.uk or call 07966 308 405.
