A total of 12 women have been honoured as winners in an awards scheme designed to recognise and reward women in agriculture.
The second National Women in Agriculture Awards was a spectacular black-tie event held in the De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms in central London on 6 May 2025. This prestigious venue was chosen to reflect and celebrate the valuable work women in agriculture do.
Katie Davies was named Farming Woman of the Year, a fourth-generation Welsh hill farmer and lecturer in agriculture, whose passion for farming and education shone through. A brilliant communicator, the judges praised Davies’ advocacy for farming, such as her recent speeches at the Senedd and during the Save our Family Farms campaign.
Her award was one of 12 covering a broad range of areas where women are making their mark on the agriculture industry.
The awards were judged by a panel of female food and farming leaders and the evening was hosted by comedian Rachel Parris.
The judging panel was chaired by Chloe Ryan, a food and farming journalist. “The second National Women in Agriculture awards was a wonderful celebration and a fitting way to mark the achievements of all who won. Congratulations to the winners!”
“We were delighted to be supported by major national and international brands that sponsored the event and share our enthusiasm for the purpose of the awards. At such a tumultuous time for agriculture, this scheme is shining a light on the brilliant women and businesses steering the industry through, and highlight all the role models younger women can look up to.”
The 11 other winners on the evening were:
Mary Jane Lawrie was named Agricultural Advisor of the Year. Lawrie is a senior agricultural consultant with SAC and is also a farmer. She set up a series of farming women’s networking groups, starting in 2017, securing funding from the Scottish government which have now blossomed into 12 groups across the country.
Milly Fyfe was named Agricultural Ambassador of the Year. Fyfe has dedicated her career to advocating for food and farming in numerous and varied ways including through Young Farmers, being a director of the Oxford Farming Conference and the Shorthorn Society.
Envirosystems was named Business of the Year. The judges were hugely impressed by this family business founded in 2001 by Liz Russell, a dairy farmer’s daughter turned entrepreneur, who has a deep-rooted passion for animal nutrition, cow health and sustainable soils.
The Innovator of the Year was Jilly Duncan Grant, the co-founder and CEO of Herd Advance, an agri-tech company dedicated to helping cattle farmers adopt innovative digital technologies.
Teresa Wickham was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement award. Wickham has had an astonishing career in food and farming, that has earned her the nickname the Kent Crusader.
Her achievements include declaring war in the 70s on French apples and co-founding the women’s farming union. By 1990, she was the first woman divisional director of UK retailer Safeway and then becoming an adviser to Sainsbury’s on its £1 billion corporate responsibility programme. Since then, she has held numerous roles managing and developing areas of business, primarily in food, agriculture and the retail industry, including governor of the Royal Agricultural College, chairman of the Oxford Farming Conference and non-executive director of New Covent Garden Market Authority.
The Influencer of the Year was named as Rebecca Wilson, a fifth-generation farmer who uses her social media following of 50,000 and her podcast for real leverage, sparking conversations on mainstream media programmes and at industry events.
Poppy Borough was named Machinery Engineer of the Year. Borough has been promoted several times since joining JCB as an apprentice. She is now a sales support specialist for JCB Agriculture, providing technical and commercial support and the judges praised her enthusiasm for machinery, which shines through.
The Rising Star of the Year was named as Emily Mee. Mee single handedly built her family farm’s social media presence and developed an online business selling excess fruit direct to consumers during the pandemic. In the past few years, she has built up a line of nine successful blueberry products.
Jodie Bolland was named Supply Chain Woman of the Year, Myton Food Group’s UK Agricultural Sourcing Director. In the past year, she has been instrumental in the developing the company’s protein and ingredients business.
The Sustainability Champion was named as Megan Hudson. Hudson works for Fenland SOIL, a members organisation set up in 2021, and is part of a dedicated team with farmers at its core, aiming to tackle climate and environmental issues relating to agriculture and climate change in the East Anglian Fens.
The Training and Education Woman of the Year was named as Anna Jones, who runs Just Farmers, an education organisation about empowering farmers to tell their stories.
The awards scheme was organised by Mark Allen Group, the publisher of Farmers Weekly, which organises other farming events including the National Pig Awards, National Egg & Poultry Awards and the National Arable & Grassland Awards, and was sponsored by Nestlé UK and Ireland, HSBC, the Co-op, Dunbia, Noble Foods, the NFU, De Lacy Executive Recruitment, McCain and Rumenco.
A spokesperson for principal sponsor Nestlé UK and Ireland, said: “We have been working directly with UK farmers for many years and have always recognised the incredible work that is done every day by our female farmers. Often, this effort goes unrecognised outside of the farms, which is why we are very proud to sponsor these awards and help shine a light on the amazing work done by female farmers in the UK.”
Martin Hanson, Head of Agricultural Banking at HSBC UK, said: “HSBC UK has a dedicated team providing specialist financial support and guidance to farmers and growers when they need it most. Our network of agriculture managers understand that many of the most successful agricultural businesses we work with have diverse leadership teams, and as such we’re delighted to be reinforcing the importance of this in the farming sector by supporting the Women in Agriculture Awards and this Sustainability category. Grace O’Dwyer, Deputy Head of Agriculture is also delighted to be part of the judging panel this year.”
Louisa Hegarty, group HR director of Noble Foods said: “As sponsor of the Agricultural Ambassador award, Noble Foods is committed to increasing the visibility and roles for women in agriculture. With our purpose to ‘better nourish people, animals, and planet,’ we are dedicated to supporting and encouraging women to pursue the exciting and varied careers the sector offers. Recognising ambassadors who lead by example is an important step in inspiring the next generation”.
A spokeswoman for Dunbia said: “Dunbia is honoured to once again sponsor the Innovator of the Year Award category at the National Women in Agriculture Awards for 2025. Innovation significantly influences our operations, from products and packaging to on-farm sustainable practices. Innovation is vital for developing a more sustainable agri-food system. Recognising the accomplishments of remarkable women in this sector is vitally important, and we are thrilled to support this initiative.”
A spokeswoman for Co-op, said: “At Co-op, we value diversity and recognise the vital contributions of women in farming so are thrilled to be supporting the Women in Agriculture Awards for the second year running and sponsoring the Lifetime Achievement award, which honours those who have dedicated their lives to working agriculture and helping to shape the industry for the future. We look forward to another year of recognising excellence and playing a part in promoting diversity, innovation, and leadership in the sector.”
Marie Young, director of agriculture strategy development, McCain Foods GB, said: “At McCain, we are passionate about playing our part in developing the skills and talent required to future-proof British farming, which is why we are delighted to be sponsoring this year’s National Women in Agriculture Awards.”
A spokeswoman for Rumenco, said: “We are proud to be sponsoring the Women in Agriculture Awards which reflects our commitment to recognising and supporting the incredible contributions of women in farming. These awards celebrate innovation, resilience, and leadership, values we deeply admire. By honouring these inspiring women, we’re helping to drive progress, equality, and a brighter future in agriculture.”
The nine judges were: Chloe Ryan, food & farming journalist; Tonia Antoniazzi MP; Sarah Dean, chair and owner of Noble Foods; Judith Batchelar OBE, former director of Sainsbury’s and deputy chair Environment Agency; Barbara Bray MBE, nutritionist and food safety consultant & governor of Harper Adams university; Christine Middlemiss, UK chief veterinary officer; Catherine Cooper, NFU people director; Sophie Throup, technical and sustainability director, Morrisons; Grace O’Dwyer, deputy head of agriculture, HSBC Bank UK.