British Franchise Association (BFA)
One day, two milestones: EWIB and EWiF Awards join forces for the first time
Last week women from across the franchising sector attended the first ever joint EWIB (Empowering Women in Business) and EWiF Awards (Encouraging Women in Franchising), at the prestigious Leicester Tigers’ stadium.
The day began with EWIB, sponsored by McDonald’s Restaurants, HSBC UK, Platinum Wave and Morton Michel, offering its traditional educational content, followed by the EWiF awards in the evening, and ending with the BusinessesForSale after party, in association with Elite Franchise.
Speakers at EWIB ranged from experienced women in franchising offering words of wisdom about ‘The moment that changed everything’, to former hostage negotiator Suzanne Williams QPM teaching them to have confidence in their own decisions during difficult conversations.
Delegates from the event described their experiences:
Following the main EWIB event came the EWiF awards where the following women were recognised for their achievements in franchising:
- New Woman Franchisee of the Year 2026, sponsored by Downs Solicitors won by Helen McEvoy, The Holiday Franchise Company
- New Woman Franchisor of the Year 2026, sponsored by Rev PR won by Chloe Williams, Little Wickets
- Woman Franchise Employee of the Year 2026, sponsored by The Ops Portal won by Sarah Sanders, Extra Help
- Service Provider of the Year 2026, sponsored by Coconut Marketing won by Jodie Marsh, Elite Franchise
- Young Woman in Franchising of the Year 2026, sponsored by McDonald’s Restaurants won by Megan Haycock, Language for Fun
- Woman Franchisee of the Year 2026, sponsored by Atlas Mapping won by Kaajal Pandit, Boots Opticians
- Woman Franchisor of the Year 2026, sponsored by Barclays won by Carla Davison, Basking Babies
- EWiF Overall Woman in Franchising Award, sponsored by The British Franchise Association won by Carla Davison, Basking Babies
- EWiF Ambassador of the Year 2026, sponsored by Elite Franchise won by Sue Moore, UK Franchise Guide
- Inspirational Woman of the Year 2026, sponsored by The Children’s Activities Association won by Claire O’Connor, babyballet Franchising
Reflecting on the day Helen Mansfield, managing director of EWiF said:
Pip Wilkins, CEO of the BFA concurred: “What an incredible day. The energy in the room is so difficult to describe, you really need to be there to truly understand how special it is for everyone. Partnering with EWiF absolutely added the sparkle to a fantastic day. A massive congratulations once again to all the EWiF finalists and winners.”
To find out more about the BFA, visit their profile.
