The inaugural Women in Food & Drink Awards celebrated the trailblazers, innovators and leaders shaping the future of the UK and Ireland’s food and drink sector, with winners revealed at a ceremony hosted by broadcaster and chef Andi Oliver at London Hilton Bankside.

More than 1,800 nominations were received for the first-ever edition of the awards, recognising the achievements of women and allies across manufacturing, hospitality, retail, supply chain, sustainability, entrepreneurship and product innovation.

Among the evening’s top honours, Annabel Karmel received the Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of her transformative contribution to the food industry, while Sofia Kalfa, Managing Partner at Fzin Coffee & Compostable Capsules, was named Woman of the Year – Leadership. Rebecca Oliver-Mooney, founder of Raising the Glass, secured two accolades on the night, winning both the D&I Champion – Product & Supply Chain category and Woman of the Year – Products & Services.

Julianne Ponan MBE, founder and CEO of Creative Nature, was another standout winner, taking home both Entrepreneur of the Year – Brands and Export & International Trade Leader. DELI LITES Ireland also enjoyed major success, with founder Jackie Reid winning Leadership in Food Manufacturing and receiving highly commended recognition in two further categories, while Brian Reid was named Male Ally Award winner.

The awards also shone a spotlight on rising talent and emerging businesses. Gabriela Barbu of Kloudy Matcha won Rising Star Award – Product, Praveena Premchand of JJ Foodservice claimed Rising Star Award – Operations, and Bini Ryu of GongCha was recognised in the Rising Star Award – Sales & Communications category.

In the business awards, Caribbean Fix was named Best Hospitality Group for Women, Tales & Tails UK won DE&I Initiative of the Year, Ornua secured Outstanding Women’s Leadership Programme, and Rowan International took home the Workplace Culture Excellence Award.

Sustainability, innovation and community impact were key themes throughout the evening. Milly Fyfe of No Fuss Meals for Busy Parents CIC – The Countryside Kitchen won Food Waste & Circular Economy Champion, while Marcela Flores of TierraSphere Li was named Sustainability Champion – Product. Jessica Singh, founder and CEO of Teffie, received Innovator of the Year – Product, and Nicola Gray of Glüf won Innovator of the Year – Supply Chain & Services.

The culinary and hospitality sectors were also strongly represented, with Michelle O'Donnell of Master Chefs Hospitality winning Culinary Excellence Award and Dawn Burton of UK Caribbean Food Awards recognised as Hospitality Hero. Eleonora Esposito of 4C Group claimed Foodservice Leader of the Year.

Other winners included Becky Taylor-Kean (Challenger Brand Founder), Shani Higgs of PerfectTed (Challenger Brand Leader), Clare Donovan of Cooking Champions (Community Impact Award), Katherine Saunders of Doghouse Distillery (Leadership in Drinks Manufacturing), Emma Ward of Pilgrim Foodservice (Retail and Buying Excellence Award), Amy Nicholas of Morgan’s Butchery (Retail Innovator of the Year), Juliet Gray of IBC Simply (Supply Chain & Logistics Leader), and Mex Ibrahim of Women In The Food Industry (Woman of the Year – Sales & Communications).

Speaking following the ceremony, organisers said the awards were created to recognise the individuals and businesses driving meaningful progress across the industry while championing greater representation, leadership and opportunity for women in food and drink.

The full list of winners and highly commended entries is available on the Women in Food & Drink Awards website.