Highland Business Women (HBW)<\/a>.<\/p>\nFounding members of HBW took to the stage to share what led them to start the organisation and reflect on the changes over three decades.<\/p>\n
Betty Lambie was the organisation\u2019s first president and her vision, tenacity and generosity have helped shape the spirit of Highland entrepreneurship.<\/p>\n
![\"2025](\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg)
2025 Highland Business Women Awards. Guest Speaker \u2013 Betty Lambie, Original Founding President of HBW. Picture: Callum Mackay.<\/p>\n
Speaking at the ceremony, Betty said: \u201cMy strongest memory of those early days is that we passionately believed in what we were doing – even when others doubted us.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the time, some men thought we were being anti-male, but we reassured them: it was never about exclusion. It was about giving women the support they needed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe truth is – and it was true then, and still is now – women face more obstacles in pursuing their business dreams than men.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis association has thrived because so many dedicated people have poured their energy into helping it grow.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I first took on a role of responsibility, I was just 35, standing in a room of 20 people with my knees shaking, but the encouragement I received was life-changing.<\/p>\n
2025 Highland Business Women Awards. Picture: Callum Mackay.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you\u2019re hesitating about joining the committee, I can assure you it\u2019s a decision you\u2019ll never regret. It will help you grow as a person.\u201d<\/p>\n
Helen Carmichael, the first-ever female provost of Inverness and a founding member of HBW, also shared an inspiring message with attendees.<\/p>\n
She said: \u201cThis organisation started with just a handful of women who recognised the genuine need for a platform where women could network, learn, and advance in business.<\/p>\n
Helen Carmichael. Picture: Callum Mackay.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom the very beginning, the ethos has been simple but powerful: share, inspire, support. That remains at the heart of what we do.<\/p>\n
\u201cOver the years, the association has become more professional, more expansive, and more visible, but it has always stayed true to its mission.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor me, one of the greatest gifts has been the friendships; meaningful, lasting friendships that go beyond business.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThirty years on, this is proof of what happens when women create opportunities for one another. The empowerment we\u2019ve seen is incredible.\u201d<\/p>\n
During the course of the evening over \u00a34150 was raised for RASASH.<\/p>\n
The Shania Twain Experience was on hand to lead the celebrations during and after the ceremony.<\/p>\n
The Shania Twain Experience. Picture: Callum Mackay.<\/p>\n
Here are a full list of the 2025 winners of the Highland Business Women Awards:<\/p>\n
New Business of the Year sponsored Business Gateway Highlands<\/p>\n
Hat Hire Highlands<\/p>\n
Hannah Webster founder of Hat Hire Highlands won new business of the year and young businesswoman of the year. Picture: Callum Mackay.<\/p>\n
Highland Sustainable Enterprise Award sponsored by Serimax<\/p>\n
Turas Hotels<\/p>\n
Jennifer Macdonald-Nethercott of Turas Hotels which won sustainable enterprise of the year. Picture: Callum Mackay.<\/p>\n
Team of the Year sponsored by Partners&<\/p>\n
Sarah Jane Befriending and Assistance<\/p>\n
Sarah Jane Befriending and Assistance won team of the year. Picture: Callum Mackay.<\/p>\n
Young Businesswoman of the Year sponsored by the Springfield Group<\/p>\n
Hannah Webster<\/p>\n
Thriving Through Challenges Award sponsored by Highlife Highland<\/p>\n
My Primary & Secondary Tutor<\/p>\n
Karen Simpson of My Primary and Secondary Teacher won the thriving through challenges award. Picture: Callum Mackay.<\/p>\n
Charitable Organisation of the Year sponsored by Stagecoach<\/p>\n
RASASH<\/p>\n
Charitable Organisation of the Year went to RASASH. Picture: Callum Mackay.<\/p>\n
Individual Team Contributor Excellence Award sponsored by Dolphin Spirit<\/p>\n
Cath Coleman<\/p>\n
Cath Colman (right) won the Individual Team Contributor Excellence Award. Picture: Callum Mackay.<\/p>\n
Woman of Inspiration sponsored by D&H Law<\/p>\n
Victoria Erasmus<\/p>\n
Keighly Perry was crowned businesswoman of the yearPicture: Callum Mackay.<\/p>\n
Businesswoman of the Year sponsored by Specsavers<\/p>\n
Keighly Perry<\/p>\n
Do you want to respond to this article? If so, click here<\/a> to submit your thoughts and they may be published in print. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"2025 Highland Business Women Award winners. Picture: Callum Mackay. The Highland Business Women Awards drew 260 attendees and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":88353,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[64,63,99,198,17846,65883,1347],"class_list":{"0":"post-88352","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-entrepreneurship","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-business","11":"tag-entrepreneurship","12":"tag-free","13":"tag-inspire-me","14":"tag-latest-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88352","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=88352"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88352\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/88353"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=88352"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=88352"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=88352"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}