Travel, Furniture & Design and Luxury Goods shine at 2025 Awards 

Winners Siobhán McCarthy of Póchette (Solopreneur of the Year), Paola Shanahan of H2P Travel (Entrepreneur of the Year) and Katharine Deas of Oriana B (Rising Star)

The winners of this year’s LEO Dublin City Women in Business Awards were announced and presented by Gráinne Denning, Acting Head of LEO Dublin City at a seasonal networking event in the Oak Room of the Mansion House attended by over 80 women in business.   

The winner of this year’s LEO Dublin City Women in Business Entrepreneur of the Year Award is Paola Shanahan of H2P Travel Ltd.  This is the business behind Irish Weddings in Italy (https://www.irishweddingsinitaly.ie/) among others, in business for 25 years.  The judges felt that H2P Travel stood out in how it is building a business structure to deliver a vision of a multi-sectoral travel business.  Judges were also impressed by the way the business has bounced back after the major challenges of COVID.

The Rising Star Award was won by Katharine Deas, Founder of Oriana B (https://www.orianab.com/).  Oriana B is a  a Furniture & Design brand, and the judges were very impressed by how rapidly and strategically founder Katharine Deas has built a multi-strand business which is starting to break into export markets.

The winner of the Solopreneur of the Year is Siobhán McCarthy, founder of Póchette (https://pochette.ie/).  Established in 2024, Póchette has introduced a range of handcrafted versatile crossbody bags, designed in Ireland and produced by a family business led by women in Portugal.  The judges were impressed with what has been achieved in a year and a half, underpinned by a clearly defined product strategy and strong digital marketing.

The winners were presented with hand designed Copper Awards sourced from the organisation Mendicity, which provides a range of services to homeless people in Dublin. (https://www.mendicity.org/)

Lord Mayor of Dublin Councillor, Ray McAdam, welcomed network members to the Mansion House and spoke of the importance of women in business in the life of the city:

“Women in business form an important part of the social and economic life of Dublin City and I am delighted to see this citywide initiative specifically set up to promote and support these businesses through the highs and lows of starting and growing a business and I applaud the achievements of all of you this year, especially the Award Winners.”

Gráinne Denning, Acting Head of LEO Dublin City (https://www.localenterprise.ie/DublinCity/) summed up the activities throughout 2025 and talked about the high levels of engagement in the network.  Gráinne finished by encouraging attendees to engage with the various supports available from the Local Enterprise Office including Mentoring and Training.

Cora Barnes, 3Q Recruitment (Judge), Pauline Logan (LEO Dublin City Women in Business Network), Gráinne Denning (LEO Dublin City), Paola Shanahan of H2P Travel (Entrepreneur of the Year), Lord Mayor of Dublin Councillor, Ray McAdam, Katharine Deas of Oriana B (Rising Star), Siobhán McCarthy of Póchette (Solopreneur of the Year), Raquel Hickey (LEO Dublin City) and Mary MacSweeney (Dublin City Council).

These awards are presented annually to outstanding network members, with the Solopreneur Award being introduced for the first time this year.   Thank you to the judges Cora Barnes, MD of Three Q Recruitment ,  Natalie Kelly, Audit Partner with Crowleys DFK and Una McGoey, LEO Mentor who dedicate considerable time to selecting the winners.

The Local Enterprise Office Dublin City encourages and supports female entrepreneurs throughout Dublin City through all of its services including the Women in Business Network which reached 270 members for the first time this year .

See https://www.localenterprise.ie/DublinCity/Start-or-Grow-your-Business/Networking/Women-in-Business/ for more information or email leodcwomeninbusiness@gmail.com.

Overview of annual awards

‘Female Entrepreneur of the Year’ Award: Paola Shanahan of H2P Travel Ltd (https://www.irishweddingsinitaly.ie/)

Prizes:

• Handcrafted Copper Art
• €1500 cash
• €500 LEO voucher
• Certificate

‘Rising Star’ Award: Katharine Deas, Founder of Oriana B (https://www.orianab.com/)

Prizes

• Handcrafted Copper Art
• €500 cash
• €500 LEO voucher
• Certificate

Winner of ‘Solopreneur’ Award: Siobhán McCarthy,Founder of Póchette (https://pochette.ie/).  

Prizes

• Handcrafted Copper Art
• €300 cash
• €250 LEO voucher
• Certificate