The 2023 Women of the Year
Lunch and Awards

Hosted by Mel Giedroyc, presenters included Emma Bunton, Clara Amfo, Felicity Jones, Rachel Riley, Susanna Reid and Lorraine Kelly CBE.

Guests included Denise Lewis DBE, Baroness Floella Benjamin, Anita Rani, Tamzin Outhwaite, Arlene Phillips. Baroness Hale, the first female Justice of the Supreme Court in the UK, awarded Lifetime Achievement Award.

Women of the Year paid tribute to some of the incredible achievements of 2023, including women’s sport, the continuously astounding workers within the NHS, and the women who played an integral role in the King’s Coronation this year.

This afternoon, the Women of the Year Lunch and Awards hosted their 69th annual event to recognise and celebrate over 400 women from across the UK who have achieved extraordinary things this year. The event champions women from all walks of life and each guest is nominated by a member of the Women of the Year Nominating Council in recognition of their personal achievement or inspiration, attending the gathering as a ‘Woman of the Year’.

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 Baroness Hale, the first woman Justice of the Supreme Court in the UK; Merope Mills, patient safety campaigner which resulted in the government committing to implement Martha’s Rule across the NHS to reduce preventable deaths; Raksha Pattni, Chair of educational charity SHINE committed to improving social mobility for disadvantaged children in the North of England; Professor Bola Owolabi, a GP and Director of the Health Inequalities and Improvement Team who works to reduce disparities in access and outcomes from the NHS; Samantha Payne MBE, co-founder of Open Bionics which creates revolutionary low-cost bionic hands; and Dr Alicja Dzieciol, co-founder of SilviBio which mitigates the climate crisis through products designed to increase tree seed germination and seedling survival.

The event was held at the Royal Lancaster London and hosted by actor, comedian and TV presenter Mel Giedroyc. Awards were presented by Emma Bunton, Lorraine Kelly CBE, Rachel Riley, Felicity Jones, Clara Amfo, Kath Tregenna and Susanna Reid.

Over 400 women attended the celebration, joining together for a lunch and awards ceremony to honour the achievements of so many. The event paid special tribute to the inspiring women of the NHS in its 75th year and  the incredible sporting achievements of women on the world stage.