Margaret Manning named regional finalist for World Entrepreneur of the Year

16/04/2009 - London

Female Entrepreneur of the Year and CEO of digital consultancy Reading Room, Margaret Manning, has been announced as a regional finalist in a bid to be named Ernst and Young’s World Entrepreneur of the Year 2009.

Recognised as the ‘world’s most prestigious business award for entrepreneurs’, Ernst and Young’s World Entrepreneur of the Year produces stiff competition between leading business women and men from more than 135 cities in 50 countries. Margaret has been announced as a regional finalist, bringing her one step closer to clinching the highly sought after award.

Joining a largely male dominated list of competitors, spanning all commercial and industrial sectors, Margaret has already excelled to finalise in the regional stage. Having steered Reading Room through its rapid growth in the last ten years, Margaret remains extremely ambitious and hopes to progress to the national stage, which, if won, will then take her on to compete at an international level.

Named Female Entrepreneur of the Year (2008 Fast Growth Business Awards), where she was quoted by the judges as being ‘not just any entrepreneur, but a proven leader,’ and placed in the top 50 of Courvoisier Future 500’s people to watch, Margaret’s innovative approach to business has already received outstanding recognition.

Ernst and Young’s award acknowledges ‘the contribution of people who inspire others with their vision, leadership and achievement’ and recognises ‘the passion and drive behind entrepreneurial businesses’. With a string of awards backing up Margaret’s insight and expertise, she displays both the business acumen and personal attributes that the judges seek.

The panel will, this year, be focusing on how each candidate has faced the recession, managed the downturn and made the most of any opportunities which have arisen. Just one of Margaret’s entrepreneurial skills is spotting turns in the market, and it was in April 2008 that she spotted the recession as a key opportunity. By restructuring the consultancy to meet the recession, many months ahead of the market place, the renewed marketing and sales propositions caught the market at just the right time. Reading Room is currently growing at around 20% in a market where most other competitors are shrinking.

Margaret Manning said: ‘It has been another fantastic year for Reading Room; we are delighted with our success through the recession and I am thrilled to have my entrepreneurial skills recognised and be named as a finalist in the regional stages of these prestigious awards.’