Marie Claire Celebrates Our First Women At The Top Awards

We launched our first Women At The Top Awards last night, celebrating the incredible achievements of ten inspirational women.

Marie Claire launched our inaugural Women At The Top Awards in association with Schwarzkopf last night, with a glamorous ceremony at the Rosewood Hotel in London. The event celebrated the achievements of ten incredible women, who have all excelled in their respective fields, from the arts to politics, tech to fashion. 

Guests were greeted with a cocktail and canapé reception before taking their seats for the ceremony, which was hosted by Marie Claire's editor-in-chief, Trish Halpin, and publishing director, Justine Southall, who presented our ten winners with their awards. 

'It’s an honour to launch these awards, which will put a spotlight on incredible women making an impact on the world through their talent, determination and vision,' said Trish. 

The winners were:

Polly Stenham, award-winning playwright

Jenny Dawson, founder of social enterprise Rubies in the Rubble

Daniela Cecilio, CEO and founder of fashion app ASAP54

Dr Alice Bunn, UK Space Agency policy director 

Kathryn Parsons, co-founder of coding school Decoded

Emma Hopkins, head of Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict

Jack Monroe, blogger and food poverty activist

Shabana Mahmood MP, one of the first two Muslim women to be elected to Parliament

Laura Richards, founder of national stalking advocacy service Paladin

Major Pip Lines, frontline engineer and the first woman to win the prestigious Churchill Medal 

Fashion tech entrepreneur Daniela Cecilio was chosen by our partners, Schwarzkopf, for a special recognition on the night. 

Our winners all spoke of how proud they were to have been selected during their acceptance speeches. 'I feel like I'm picking this up on behalf of the victims I represent, those who don't have a voice,' said Laura Richards of Paladin.

MP Shabana Mahmood raised a laugh when she told the room: 'I've just come back from the Labour Party conference - this definitely wins in terms of glamour!' 

Dr Alice Bunn spoke for many when she joked, 'In a room full of testosterone, you need a bit of oestrogen', while Emma Hopkins highlighted how important it is for women's achievements to be celebrated. 

The night ended with champagne and sweet canapés, while our guests walked away with amazing goody bags, including a selection of Schwarzkopf hair products.

Read the full interviews with our 2014 Women At The Top Award winners in the November issue of Marie Claire, out now.