The second Goss.ie Women of the Year Awards will take place on Sunday, October 1st, at The Royal Marine Hotel in Dun Laoghaire, with well-known broadcaster and entrepreneur Gráinne Seoige as host.
The star-studded event will honour women across multiple genres, including business, sports, the arts, social justice and more.
We have also launched two people’s choice awards, including a ‘Local Hero’ category, where Goss.ie readers can nominate local women in their area who have contributed to their communities; as well as ‘Local Businesswoman’ where readers can vote for women in business in their locality.
This year the awards are in partnership with Google, Catrice Cosmetics, Gym Plus, Local Enterprise Office and Xin Gin.
Women’s Aid is our official charity partner for 2023 once again, and we will also be running a charity raffle on the day to raise funds for the charity.
Our highly-esteemed and all-female judging panel will decide the winners of each category.
The Best Start-Up category, sponsored by Local Enterprise Office, is a special category, designed to put the spotlight on businesses that are quickly making a big mark in their specific fields.
All of our nominees are female-founded businesses and have shown their potential to scale internationally and have impressive USPs.
Whether they’re selling products like jewellery, or offering a life-changing service or treatment – these nominees have made an impact in the short time they’ve been in business.
Take a look at this year’s nominees:
Lynott Jewellery
Lauren McDonald decided to take the plunge into business ownership, founding Lynott Jewellery in the height of the COVID-19 pandemic back in 2020.
The brand offers its customers a varied collection – from understated, timeless pieces to bold statement jewellery.
Lynott Jewellery’s official Instagram account, known for its refined, gold-themed feed, currently boasts over 37,000 followers.
After two successful years in the online business, Lynott Jewellery launched in Arnotts in 2022.
The Smooth Company
The Smooth Company is well-known for its award-winning, multi-functional products.
After perfecting the formula of The Smooth Stick for nearly two years, founder Áine Kennedy launched the company in February 2022.
Over the past twelve months, the brand has been nominated for a number of awards and has been endorsed by a host of popular influencers.
In recent weeks, The Smooth Company has launched in the UK, with Sephora becoming the brand’s first official UK online stockist.
XTremedy Medical
In 2020, Lyn Markey and Camille O’Malley founded XTremedy Medical, after identifying an urgent clinical need in the treatment of post-surgical infections.
The Galway-based company is a medtech start-up that developed a medical device and platform technology to treat infection wounds using a method known as pulsed-field ablation (PFA).
The company’s goal is to improve infection treatments for patients with deep musculoskeletal infections so patients can avoid amputations and get back on their feet faster.
XTremedy Medical is in the process of developing a completely disruptive surgical device that is up to 1000 times more effective than the current standard of care.
Platform55
Platform 55 is an innovative one-stop support platform for working parents.
The company’s diagnostic tool helps businesses understand the needs of their employees, who are working parents, to achieve optimum work-life balance.
It also gives businesses tangible ways to drive equality and close their gender pay gap.
It was founded back in January 2021 by Michelle O’Keefe and Tracy Gunn.
Optima Speech Therapy
Optima Speech Therapy is an innovative, easy-to-use service for speech therapy at home.
The company’s founder Kate Beckett began creating home programmes back in 2019 when it was estimated there were over 40,000 children on the waiting list for speech and language therapy across the country.
The service is individualised specifically per child and boasts flexibility for busy or working parents’s convenience.
Kate also created a YouTube channel for Optima Speech Therapy, in which she posts educational videos for parents and children to work on language activities.
ReFunk
Friends Anna Sheehan, Ellie Waters, Meredith Davis and Ellen Ryall established ReFunk while completing a master’s in marketing back in 2020.
The sustainably-focused business connects conscious customers with freelance upcyclers who breathe new life into old furniture.
Their aim is to eliminate furniture waste and extend the life of existing furniture with a little bit of TLC.
The four pals were named on Independent.ie’s ‘30 under 30’ list in 2021.
Moss + Cable
Donegal native Siobhan McKenna founded the unisex knitwear brand Moss + Cable after completing a master’s at the London College of Fashion back in 2015.
The brand’s name derives itself from two iconic Aran knitwear stitches to create the intricate individual stitches used throughout the range.
Siobhan has ensured sustainability is at the heart of Moss + Cable, sourcing wool garments from South-West Donegal.
With a range of sweaters, cardigans, accessories and socks, the brand has boasted ethical production and durability since its launch in 2021.
The Best Start-Up category is sponsored by the Local Enterprise Office.
The Local Enterprise Offices are the first stop for anyone looking to start or grow a business in Ireland.
They offer practical support to small businesses including mentoring, training, expert consultancy and financial support for small businesses no matter what stage they are at.
They play a key role in running initiatives to help foster entrepreneurship across the country including Local Enterprise Week, the National Enterprise Awards, the Student Enterprise Programme, Local Enterprise Showcase and National Women’s Enterprise Day, which this year takes place on the 19th October across the country.
