This year marks a decade of the Women Leaders Awards. Created to celebrate, support and reward the achievements of women across Milton Keynes and beyond, the groundbreaking initiative, launched on International Women’s Day in 2015, was founded by the determined and inspirational Jan Flawn CBE.
Women Leaders has spent the past decade shining a spotlight on over 1,000 women, helping them rise higher through recognition and community. Ahead of the highly anticipated 2025 Women Leaders Awards in June, we look back at the awards’ beginnings, their incredible progress, and the work that remains as the organisation forges towards an equitable future.
The inspiration for Women Leaders dates back to 2013 when Jan won the prestigious National CBI First Women of Business Services award. The experience sparked a moment of realisation for Jan while sitting at a table with equally accomplished women from Milton Keynes, including Dr Julie Mills, former Milton Keynes Council chief executive Carole Mills, and Deputy Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire, Francesca Skelton.
Jan said:
“Looking around the table, I realised that the collective accomplishments of these women had gone largely uncelebrated. Milton Keynes lacked an awards platform dedicated to highlighting the contributions of women across all endeavours – not just within the business world but also in community and social impact.”
This awareness sparked an idea, one that Jan shared enthusiastically with her peers. With the support of Julie Mills and the marketing team at PJ Care, the Women Leaders Awards were born. The inaugural event, buoyed by overwhelming local sponsorships and support from organisations including MK Community Foundation, Network Rail and Howes Percival, was an immediate success, garnering hundreds of nominations, and celebrating the brilliance of Milton Keynes’ women.
Unlike conventional business awards, the Women Leaders Awards took a broader approach. It sought not just to reward career advancement but to also shine a light on the unsung heroes who, through passion, grit and community service, were making significant contributions to society. The charity’s earliest honourees included luminaries like Padma Cheriyan, who fought tirelessly to better the lives of visually impaired people, from advocating for safer crossings to earning national attention for her work with The Centre: MK. Among others was Margaret Sale, who dedicated herself to preserving the legacy of the Colossus computer, long after its reconstruction at Bletchley Park.
For Jan, Women Leaders was about more than recognition; it was about creating a springboard, encouraging women from all walks of life – community workers, young entrepreneurs and emerging leaders – to step forward, with the hope that acknowledgment would open new doors. Stories like that of 2018 winner, Shalom Lloyd, who launched her company from her kitchen before attaining international recognition and an MBE, exemplifying how powerful that platform has been. Jan said:
“To think that Women Leaders may have contributed even a little bit to her success makes me so proud.”
Following the success of the first Women Leaders Awards, Jan knew she wanted to push it forward. She said:
“There were groups specifically for women, like Women In Enterprise which was founded by Sally Fennemore MBE over 30 years ago, but I wanted something which would recognise the women making a difference every day, from charity involvement and sporting achievements to voluntarily supporting the community or creating a small business. When I retired from PJ Care, creating the Women Leaders Charity seemed like the next step. If we invested time and money, we could help make the difference.”
Reflecting on her own life, Jan’s perspective on leadership is shaped by a rich and challenging personal history. Her early life left little room for formal education or career ambition; married with two children by 22, at the age of 30, inspired by raising a daughter with a disability, Jan trained as a nurse. From there she embarked on a remarkable career trajectory, which later saw her becoming a senior manager at the Department of Health, contributing to national policymaking.
She said:
“I think it was my attitude to not taking any nonsense that propelled me forward, I was promoted out, regardless of my gender.” However, constrained by bureaucracy, Jan decided she could make a greater change outside the confines of Whitehall. Witnessing the inadequate care options for young people with neurological conditions inspired her to co-found PJ Care, a specialist care provider, despite facing resistance in securing funding as a woman: “I had an MBA and government experience, but I couldn’t get a single bank to listen to me,” said Jan. But her resilience and determination paved the way for success – not just for herself but also for countless others.
A lot has changed since the first awards ceremony in 2015. From more equitable representation in Parliament to the triumph of the England women’s football team, milestones for gender equality abound. Yet, as Jan points out, there’s still an ongoing fight against unconscious bias, structural barriers, and the lingering challenges faced by women of childbearing age. Women Leaders, as both a charity and a movement, persists as a vital force in breaking down these barriers and celebrating women in industries where they are still overlooked. Its related initiatives, including MK Innovates and Allyship, continue to foster visibility and drive progress, particularly in STEM careers, thanks in no small part to Jan’s vision and Julie Mills’ continuing stewardship.
With over 450 finalists recognised in its first decade, the impact of Women Leaders is both tangible and profound. From helping women achieve career milestones to building a celebratory and inclusive culture across Milton Keynes, it embodies the power of acknowledgment in driving change. Yet, the work is far from over. Industries like engineering, construction, and automotive still struggle to attract women, and the need to invest in women as leaders remains as critical as ever.
Today, a diverse board of trustees leads the charity, representing different generations, genders and sectors. This diversity is key to ensuring Women Leaders continues to drive its mission into the future.
Looking ahead, Women Leaders stands as both a celebration of the strides made and a reminder of the challenges still to be faced. Reaching a decade is a momentous occasion, but the cause remains ongoing. Jan said:
“We have come so far in the last 10 years, but there is still so much to do.”
Find out more about Women Leaders at the website.
