Harriet Lamb wins Credit Suisse Outstanding Woman in Business Award
Harriet Lamb, Executive Director of the Fairtrade Foundation was last night awarded the prestigious title of Credit Suisse Outstanding Woman in Business at this year’s National Business Awards. The event was hosted by Andrew Marr at a ceremony at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel.
The award recognises the work of the Fairtrade Foundation and Harriet’s leadership in guiding the Foundation through a period of staggering growth. Harriet was nominated along with eight of the UK’s leading business women, including Sophi Tranchell, Managing Director, Divine Chocolate. The finalists were assessed by a panel of expert judges and senior corporate executives and academics.
Harriet Lamb said: ‘I am delighted to accept this award on behalf of all the hundreds of businesses who make Fairtrade happen across the world – from the farmers’ organisations to the importers and retailers here in the UK. Fairtrade is a successful business model showing that you can put social and environmental considerations first and still succeed commercially. The bottom line is that Fairtrade works: enabling producers to develop their own businesses and communities, meeting consumer demand and so working for companies too. Driven by millions of consumers who make it their business to choose Fairtrade, we have seen a seismic shift over the last few years. And with their help, we will be able to grow the Fairtrade market much further still and make a difference to the lives of millions more people who are still earning less than $2 a day.’
The award was presented to the individual who has best demonstrated exceptional leadership, strategic planning and outstanding exploitation of market or operational opportunities. The judges looked for evidence of how, under the stewardship of the entrant, the organisation has significantly improved performance for its stakeholders – employees, customers, suppliers and shareholders.
Brian McRitchie, a director of Credit Suisse in the UK and one of the judges for the awards, said: ‘This award recognises the vital contributions and leadership which women demonstrate in businesses throughout the UK. All of the submissions were impressive, however, in spite of the stiff competition; the finalists demonstrated the strongest business management qualities. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all those short listed on their achievements.’
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Notes to Editors
1. Harriet Lamb has been Executive Director of the Fairtrade Foundation since 2001. She has guided the Foundation through a period of staggering growth, which has seen estimated sales of Fairtrade products in the UK increase from £30m in her first year to more than £493m in 2007. Sales have been increasing by more than 40 per cent year-on-year since 2002. The number of products carrying the FAIRTRADE Mark is now more than 4,000. This enables some 7.5 million farmers and workers and their families across the world to participate in Fairtrade. A flourishing grassroots social movement has also grown across the UK. There are now nearly 400 Fairtrade Towns – towns where a commitment to Fairtrade has been made by the council, shops and businesses – together with 72 Fairtrade Universities and over 4,000 Fairtrade Places of Worship.
Harriet came to the Fairtrade Foundation from Fairtrade Labelling Organisations International (FLO) in Germany where she was Acting Director and Banana Co-ordinator. Before this, she worked as Head of Campaigns at the World Development Movement (WDM) and with other non-governmental organisations, always with an interest in international development issues.
Harriet spent part of her childhood in India when her businessman father went to work there. As an adult, she returned to work with farmers in rural villages and landless labourer cooperatives. Harriet was educated at St Mary’s in Calne, Wiltshire and then Cambridge. She later studied for an MPhil in Development Studies from the Institute of Development Studies in Sussex. As well as travelling extensively in India, Harriet has travelled in Sri Lanka, Africa and Central America.
In February 2008, Harriet’s book Fighting the Banana Wars and Other Fairtrade Battles was published by Ebury. The book is a fascinating story about the rise of Fairtrade and what that means for producers in the developing world. Harriet says the battle has only just begun. ‘With each Fairtrade purchase, we are helping build that living, more humane alternative,’ she says. ‘And, at the end of the day, I am a mother who wants mothers the world over to realise the same dreams for their children as mine.’
Harriet lives in south London with her partner and two children and can often be seen cycling around London. Harriet was awarded a CBE in the New Year’s Honours List 2006, in recognition of her work in building Fairtrade in the UK. She was voted the second most influential eco foodie in the UK after Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall in the Observer Food Monthly magazine, January 2008.
2. The FAIRTRADE Mark is a certification mark and a registered trademark of Fairtrade Labelling Organisations International (FLO) of which the Fairtrade Foundation is the UK member. The Fairtrade Foundation is an independent certification body which licenses the use of the FAIRTRADE Mark on products which meet international Fairtrade standards. This independent consumer label appears on products as a guarantee that disadvantaged producers are getting a better deal. Today, more than 7 million people - farmers, workers and their families - across 59 developing countries benefit from the international Fairtrade system.
3. The National Business Awards, sponsored by Orange, recognises and rewards excellence, innovation and success. The Awards are open to organisations of all sizes and from any industry sector – public or private, the programme allows the best businesses to showcase their achievements and benchmark their successes. The combined entries for The National Business Awards 2008 represent more than 2.2 Million employees across the UK. The Credit Suisse Outstanding Woman in Business Award is one of 17 categories in this year’s programme; a full list of all short listed finalists can be found at www.nationalbusinessawards.co.uk. For further information about The National Business Awards contact Henriette Svensen, Telephone: 020 7234 8753 or 07725 221 714 Email: hsvensen@cmpi.biz or Visit: www.nationalbusinessawards.co.uk