Aberdeen businesswoman, Jeanette Forbes, founder and CEO of PCL Group, has been named Leader of the Year IT Services Provider in the CEO Today Business Women of the Year Awards.
Committed to recognising the achievements of female entrepreneurs and leaders, the awards celebrate women who are at the helm of their power, serving as role models for female empowerment and success.
The winners, representing all sectors of business, come from across Europe, the Americas, Asia, Africa, and Australasia.
“At CEO Today, we are honoured to be able to celebrate the world’s most powerful CEOs and entrepreneurs who are leading the way for women around the globe and are changing the business world for the better,” said Mark Palmer, Editor-in-Chief of CEO Today.
Jeanette, who was awarded an OBE in 2020, for her services to business, technology, and charity, founded PCL Group in 2000. Since then, the company has steadily grown year on year and it now services a global clientele across five sectors.
She is one of only a small percentage of women who run globally-focussed technology companies. In the UK, only one in three entrepreneurs are female. Figures from 2017 show that only 5.6% of UK women manage their own businesses, compared to 15% of women in Canada, almost 11% of women in the U.S, and more than 9% of women in Australia and the Netherlands.
“The recipients include seriously impressive female leaders, heading up companies from across the world,” said Jeanette. “It’s a real privilege to be listed alongside them on behalf of the United Kingdom.
“It’s disappointing however that only 5.6% of women in the UK run their own businesses and that’s a figure that we must work hard to change if we are to address the gender imbalance across all business sectors.”
Jeanette launched her second business, multi-award winning Grape & Grain, an upmarket wine bar in Aberdeen in 2017.
In addition to her own companies, she holds senior management positions on three other young companies. She is CEO of Blue Gentoo and a Director of OMMICA both of which are involved in developing ground-breaking technology for the new EnergyTech sector. She is also Managing Director of GoHawk, developer of the world’s fastest flight route algorithm.
Over the years she has won many national awards and industry accolades which recognise her role as a business leader, entrepreneur and mentor and her commitment to encouraging and promoting career opportunities for women working in the energytech and technology sectors.