'Pioneering' women honoured

By Neelam Verjee BARONESS HOGG, of 3i, and Fru Hazlitt, managing director of Yahoo! UK, were among the women recognised last night at the City's inaugural First Women Awards ceremony. Hosted by Sir Digby Jones, Director-General of the CBI, which organised the event with Real Business magazine, the awards paid tribute to "pioneering" women in business. Sir Digby said the winners would inspire young women in their career choices. "[They] are inspiring role models and proof that the glass ceiling can

be broken with hard work and determination," he said. Sarah Hogg, chairwoman of 3i, the venture capital fund, received the lifetime achievement award for becoming the first woman to chair a FTSE 100 company. Perween Warsi, founder of S&A Foods, also received a lifetime achievement award for turning a cottage industry-type start-up into a competitive business. Fru Hazlitt, who will take charge of Virgin Radio this summer, won in the media category, while Julia Hands won in tourism and leisure for her management of Hand Picked

Hotels, in which her husband, Guy, has invested £100 million. Jocelyn Blackwell, a manag- V ing director at Higham Group, the outsourcing company, won the finance award; Julia Rogers, general manager at the Cooperative Group, won for business services, while Fiona Morton, of Ryden, the property institution, received the retail and property award. Jan Babiak, of Ernst & Young, won the technology award; Stella Dorsett, of Cookson Precious Metals, won in manufacturing and Dr Gillian Samuels, of Pfizer, won the science award.