The
British Female Inventor and Innovator of the Year Award (BFIIN), aims to recognise and promote the success stories of women in the UK that have come through the challenges of turning an idea into reality.
Held in Cardiff, the 2009 event saw awards given to two Cardiff inventors: Ermila Smith and Sian Brooks.
Ermila Smith won the best product design and packaging award and the women in product development award for her
Winter in Venice brand of beauty and bath products. She set up her company in 2006 for just £60 and, within a year, her turnover was £1m; the brand is now in more than 800 stores nationwide. Ms Smith uses a range of different lifestyle-related accessories to gift wrap her products -e.g. plant pots, hat boxes and wooden pails - which can all be re-used. WIV Global, the holding company for the brand, is now working on a number of projects including a hotel range and a men's range.
Sian Brooks won best business idea for her product Skiweb - a webbing strap that wraps skis and poles into one unit and provides a shoulder strap for easy carriage. The idea came to Ms Brooks whilst on holiday with her family and her company -
PS Inventions - has now sold ca 40,000 skiwebs and plans to stock a range of over 500 product lines by September 2009.
The British Female Inventor and Innovator of the Year Awards are run by
Global Women Inventors & Innovators Network (GWIIN), an international network that aims to increase the number of innovative women embracing enterprise. They are sponsored by the Welsh Assembly Government's
Wales Innovators Network, which provides free advice and support to inventors and innovators and helps them develop concepts into commerical products.
Further Information
British Female Inventor & Innovator of the YearGlobal Women Inventors & Innovators NetworkWales Innovators Network
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