Award Winners 2017

Specialist Training and Beauty Businesses win 2017 Women in Business Awards.

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The LEO Dublin City Women in Business Network Awards were presented in December 2017 to Rita Smyth of Role Players for Training (right) and to Anita Donoghue of The Hair Cáfe Salon (left).  The awards, which celebrate exceptional women in business in the Dublin City area, took place at the LEO Dublin City Women in Business Christmas Networking Event, in The Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin.

Award nominees were evaluated under two categories, the ‘Rising Star’ Award and ‘Best Start Up’ Award. The primary award, the ‘Rising Star’ Award, was presented to Rita Smyth of Role Players for Training.  The company provides professional corporate role players to support and facilitate learning and development in business and executive education. With a background in corporate management and acting, founder Rita Smyth is ideally placed to deliver major educational and training programmes with a strong role playing element.  There are international opportunities for this highly specialised and complex service and Role Players for Training has recently been awarded a contract to provide a multilingual team of over 30 business actors, working in 6 different languages to support a European conference for a Global Medical Devices Organisation.

As the winner of the “Rising Star” Award, Rita won an investment of €1,000 in her business, a €500 voucher towards services provided by LEO Dublin City and a professional video on the company commissioned by LEO Dublin City in order to further promote Role Players for Training.

Anita Donoghue of The Hair Café Salon won the ‘Best Start Up’ Award. The Hair Café is a business that has been in operation since September 2016 and provides a boutique body and mind relaxation service, in addition to hair care. The Hair Café Salon won an investment of €500 and a €500 voucher towards services provided by LEO Dublin City.

Commenting on the Awards, Mary McSweeney, Deputy Head of Enterprise and Economic Development of LEO Dublin City, said; “I am delighted to present these Awards to two worthy businesswomen who are growing and developing their business in the Dublin City region. It is great to see that there has been an increase in women starting their own businesses in the last few years, supported through Local Enterprise Office Dublin City".