Women in Fire Safety Awards 2026: Winners announced

Run in parallel with the Women in Safety and Health Awards, this year’s Women in Fire Safety Awards generated over 250 entries and achieved a record ‘sold out’ crowd of more than 650 guests.

The Headline Sponsor for the Women in Fire Safety Awards 2026 was Apollo Fire Detectors. Additional event sponsors in 2026 included the CHPK Group, WisuAlarm, Design Fire Consultants, the Fire Protection Association, Mott MacDonald, The Fire Safety Event Europe, OFR Consultants, Arup, the Security Systems and Alarms Inspection Board, the Institute of Fire Safety Managers and Xact Consultancy and Training.

The Welcoming Address was expertly delivered by Leanne Velez (head of commercial for the Fire Safety Matters portfolio at Western Business Media), with the various categories introduced by Chloe Antoniuk and Kate Blake (the founders of the Women in Fire Safety Awards).

Women in Fire Safety Awards 2026: The Winners

Administrator of the Year (Sponsored by the Security Systems and Alarms Inspection Board)

*Winner: Lucy Magee (Apollo Fire Detectors)

*Highly Commended: Jaheda Begum (Peabody)

*Commended: Emma Russell (CHPK Group)

*Commended: Hayley Saint (The Portmarnock Group)

Diversity Champion of the Year (Sponsored by Xact Consultancy and Training)

*Winner: Sarah Forbes (Design Fire Consultants)

*Highly Commended: Lucy Mather (West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service)

*Commended: Lesley Leach (Chubb Fire & Security)

Excellence Award (Business) (Sponsored by OFR Consultants)

*Winner: Nicola John (Fire Door Maintenance Training and Development)

*Highly Commended: Charlotte Manley (C-TEC)

*Commended: Jennifer Whalley (Warringtonfire)

Excellence Award (Fire Consultant) (Sponsored by the CHPK Group)

*Winner: Davinia Potterton (The DALA Group)

*Highly Commended: Kristie Sullivan (Warringtonfire)

*Commended: Catherine Owen (PartB)

Excellence Award (Fire Engineer) (Sponsored by Design Fire Consultants)

*Winner: Mabel Higgins (MH Fire Safety Ltd)

*Highly Commended: Dr Shuyuan Lin (Axion Consultancy Limited)

*Commended: Maisie Gleeson (OFR Consultants)

*Commended: Zuzanna Bialkowska (Axion Consultancy Limited)

Excellence Award (Social Housing) (Sponsored by the Institute of Fire Safety Managers)

*Winner: Claire Charles (Tenos Ltd)

*Highly Commended: Stevie Cox (Global HSE Group)

*Commended: Heather Langridge (Southern Housing)

Global Research Award (Sponsored by Arup)

*Winner: Fiona Cornfield (The Fire Protection Association)

*Highly Commended: Dr Brittany Hollerbach (Centre for Fire, Rescue and EMS Health Research) (Part of NDRI-USA)

Inclusive Company Award (Sponsored by the Fire Protection Association)

*Winner: Trigon Fire Safety

*Highly Commended: Mott MacDonald

*Commended: Design Fire Consultants

International Rising Star Award (Sponsored by Apollo Fire Detectors)

*Winner: Gizelle Danine Jamero (Arup)

International Woman of the Year

*Winner: Amanda Kimball (Fire Protection Research Association/National Fire Protection Association)

*Highly Commended: Anne Wijayasuriya (Joule Group)

*Christina Alexandropoulou (Philip Morris International)

Rising Star Award (Sponsored by The Fire Safety Event Europe)

*Winner: Momoi Suda (Arup)

*Highly Commended: Pragati Yarlagadda (Olympus Management)

*Commended: Egle Siusiene (Apollo Fire Detectors)

Woman of the Year (Sponsored by Mott MacDonald)

*Winner: Ruth Oliver (British Automatic Fire Sprinkler Association)

*Highly Commended: Vicki Swaine (3Safety)

*Commended: Kate Swinburne (OFR Consultants)

*Commended: Tracy Gregory (Premier Technical Services Group Fire Consultancy Division)

Lifetime Achievement Award (Sponsored by WisuAlarm)

*Winner: Liz Parry

View the photo gallery from the 2026 Women in Fire Safety Awards online at www.flickr.com