The 2022 Women of the Year Lunch and Awards

Women of the Year Awards 2022 celebrated inspirational women from the fields of teaching and technology, and celebrated an outstanding year for British women in sport.

Five of these outstanding women were honoured with Women of the Year Awards for their selfless dedication to their fields of work. Special honours went to Kath Tregenna, primary school teacher who has continued teaching with bionic arms and legs after almost dying of sepsis; Nzambi Matee, inventor who has developed bricks stronger than concrete from recycled plastic; Juliet Sanders, founder of a growing food poverty charity for local families; Colleen Wong, mother-of-two tech novice turned tech entrepreneur; Yvonne Bajela, a venture capitalist who specialises in investing in companies led by underrepresented entrepreneurs; and Leanne Pero, founder of Black Women Rising which raises awareness around identification and treatment of cancer in women of colour.

The event was hosted by celebrated actor, comedian and TV presenter Mel Giedroyc, and awards were presented by Lorraine Kelly CBE, Vicky McClure, Miquita Oliver, Clare Balding, Angela Hartnett and Nisha Katona, in an event in central London today.

Over 400 women attended the celebration this afternoon, joining together for a luncheon and awards ceremony to honour the achievements of so many. The event paid special tribute to the extraordinary achievements of women in the global sporting arena this year, especially following the historic win for England’s Women’s Football team in the UEFA Women’s Championship this summer. In attendance at the event were Dawn Airey, Chair of the FA Women’s Super League & Women’s Championship Football, and Debbie Hewitt, Chairwoman of the FA. Also in attendance were the Team GB Olympic Champions of Curling, following their Gold Medal win at this year’s Winter Olympics in Beijing.

High profile figures joining the afternoon’s celebration included Dame Floella Benjamin, actress, presenter, businesswoman and politician; Monica Dolan, Actor; Kathy Lette, Writer; Ria Chatterjee, Journalist; Harriet Thorpe, Actor; Thomasina Miers OBE, chef and food writer; and May Parsons, the NHS nurse who delivered the first Covid vaccine.