Member Article

Teesside accountant scoops prestigious Queen's Award

A self-employed Teesside accountant is one of only 10 people in the UK to receive a Queen’s Award for Enterprise Promotion this year.

Ann Stonehouse has been honoured by the Queen for the part she plays in encouraging more Teesside women to use their entrepreneurial skills.

Middlesbrough-born Ann said: “The award was given in recognition of the work which I have done in this sector. I am really surprised. I’d rather be the backbone of women’s enterprise than on the podium.

“I was moved to tears when I heard about the award. I am absolutely thrilled. I get real satisfaction from helping other women in business.”

As chair and co-founder of the Assist Women’s Network, Ann is the leader of a professional networking group that encourages businesswomen across the Tees Valley to trade, communicate and share knowledge.

After ten months sick leave absence suffering from injuries following a car accident, Ann received the additional blow of redundancy – but that was just the push she needed to fulfil her aspiration of working for herself.

For the past 14 years she has provided accountancy services to local SMEs from her base in Coulby Newham, Middlesbrough, whilst building a reputation as an ambassador for enterprise and entrepreneurship.

Ann has been directly involved in promoting enterprise since 2000 through her paid role and through several voluntary contributions.

She was for a number of years a director of Women into the Network (WIN) and alongside this co-founded the Assist Women’s Network in 2009, which she has chaired for the past three years, and more recently founding a further active group, Women Support Women, which is linked to the charity, A Way Out.

Ann hopes her award will encourage more businesswomen to attend Assist’s networking, meetings and workshops, which are held in venues across the Tees Valley.

She added: “Those who attend our meetings have an opportunity to meet like-minded women, get advice, learn business skills, gain key contacts and generally build a vital support network.

“It’s about providing businesswomen with role models. We have so many outstanding businesswomen in this area.

“Women do network in a different way to men. In general terms, they tend to be more open and relaxed, more readily discussing the challenges and pitfalls they face in business. I like to think we create a platform for businesswomen to do just this, along with sharing business.”

The group’s regulars include an illustrator, lawyers, writers, marketing and PR professionals, a voice-over specialist, cake-maker, driving instructor, sales experts, various specialist health therapists, accountants, web developers, designers, social enterprise experts, project development manager, wedding planners, virtual assistants and a life coach or two.

44 year-old Ann has also been keen to promote young enterprise of all ages, in schools through the Young Enterprise Programme, as a mentor to the Prince’s Trust and through many university graduate enterprise programmes.

The award recognises promoting enterprise skills through education and training - something Ann achieves by providing seminars at Teesside University and local further education colleges, teaching accountancy, tax, enterprise and entrepreneurship with the opportunity of individual mentoring to support start-up business.

Ann will receive an engraved crystal chalice and ceremonial Grant of Appointment bearing a copy of the signatures of both Her Majesty The Queen and Prime Minister David Cameron at a ceremony in Westminster on July 14, 2014. After the ceremony she has received an invitation from the Queen to attend an evening reception at Buckingham Palace.

Deb McGargle, legal director at north-east firm Particular Law nominated Ann for the award with supporting references from fellow businesswomen Ruth Winden and Dinah Bennett OBE, herself a former winner of the accolade.

Deb said: “Ann is a shining beacon in the SME sector. Promoting enterprise is at her very core. She has always strived to enable and support all women in business and she does this with passion and conviction.

“She prefers to remain in the shadows always allowing someone else to take the lime light and yet behind the scenes, she is clearly the driving force. Not once has she ever sought recognition for herself which is one of the reasons I nominated her and why she so thoroughly deserves this award.”

Ann added: “I don’t feel that this is just an award for me. There have been countless lady supporters of Assist over the years, all of whom have given their time too. This award recognises the work of Assist and further showcases the fantastic entrepreneurial spirit which we have up here in the North East of England.

“I’d always encourage other women to run their own business. You’ve got to work hard and to have real dedication, of course, and doubtless there will be lots of hurdles to overcome along the way.

“You will make mistakes and it could become quite isolated, which is where networks like Assist come in and play their part. I firmly believe that networking with others, mentoring and building supportive relationships are a key ingredient to the success of any business.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tom Keighley .