º£½ÇÊÓƵ

Trailblazers in sectors including media, tech, finance, charity and sport have been shortlisted to win a top accolade at the Northern Power Women Awards later this year.

Now entering into their fifth year, the Northern Power Women Awards celebrate the women and men who work towards creating gender balance in organisations and who passionately support equality across the North.

The awards, now the largest in the country, showcase and spotlight the winners not only during the awards event, but also continuously throughout the year to ensure ongoing visibility for these role models and to use their presence to inspire.

The 81 nominees encompass both individuals and entire organisations doing great work in cities from Manchester to Leeds to Newcastle.

Simone Roche MBE, founder and CEO ofÌýNorthernÌýPowerÌýWomen, said that this year’s awards have seen a 55% increase in the number of nominees across the ten categories, which include Agent of Change, Outstanding Entrepreneur, and One to Watch.

“Once again this year I have been absolutely amazed at the outstanding number and quality of nominations we’ve received and it has been hugely impressive to see the range of organisations represented – from bus and rail companies to our military, Olympians and explorers.

“I’ve always known there were incredible role models in and from the North, but after we received almost 1,500 nominations, I have to say that even I was astounded.

"Our incredible category panels made up of 65 judges had a difficult – but inspiring – time identifying the shortlisted nominees.�

Want more business news straight to your inbox?

BusinessLive is your home for business news from around the country - and you can stay in touch with all the latest news through our email alerts.

You can sign up to receive morning news bulletins from every region we cover and to weekly email bulletins covering key economic sectors from manufacturing to technology and enterprise. And we'll send out breaking news alerts for any stories we think you can't miss.

Visit our email preference centre to sign up to all the latest news from BusinessLive.

Here is the full shortlist:

Northern Power Women claims to be the only pan-northern campaign accelerating gender equality and involves a range of connecting, influencing, and thought leadership - and an annual awards ceremony.

Ms Roche added: “It’s great to see that so many people and organisations are continuing this important work, which is obviously form the impressive list of shortlisted nominees from the area this year.

Follow North West Business Editor Tom Houghton

Tom Houghton is the North West Business Editor for BusinessLive and Reach plc titles.

You can follow Tom on Twitter , or contact him on .

Email him on tom.houghton@reachplc.com.

Keep up to date with the latest breaking news in the North West here.

Sign up to our fantastic daily email updates for the region .

Follow and on Twitter

“Indeed, each person on this shortlist is a role model who can inspire both current and future generations and help create the step-change we need to advance gender equality.�

Winners of the NorthernÌýPowerÌýWomen Awards will be announced on March 16 at a gala awards night and dinner at the Manchester Central Convention Complex.