On Tuesday 4th November 2014, Workingmums.co.uk announced the winners of its fifth annual Top Employer Awards, celebrating the leading companies in gender diversity and flexible working.

Workingmums.co.uk is the number one jobs and community site for professional working mothers. It has over 320,000 registered users and works with thousands of employers. It also has Franchise and Business Zones with advice, support and inspiration for those women who are thinking of setting up their own businesses.

The Awards, sponsored by McDonald’s Restaurants Ltd, were presented at a ceremony at London’s Soho Hotel where the keynote speaker was Wendy Hallett, MBE, Founder and MD of Hallett Retail and a member of the Women’s Business Council.

The Working Mums Champion Award, sponsored by Arise Virtual Solutions, went to Adeline Ginn, founder of Women in Rail. The judges were highly impressed by the work and passion evidenced in Adeline’s work for Women in Rail, a sector where there were significant challenges for flexible working and female career progression. She was not only doing her day job, but attempting to change an entire industry, not just a company.

The Award judges were: Gillian Nissim, Founder of Workingmums.co.uk; Andy Lake, editor of Flexibility.co.uk; Jennifer Liston-Smith, Director of Coaching & Consultancy at My Family Care; Dave Dunbar, Head of BT Flexible Working Services; and Clare Kelliher, Professor of Work and Organisation at Cranfield School of Management.

Gillian Nissim, Founder of Workingmums.co.uk, said: “This is the fifth year for our Top Employer Awards and once again we have been really impressed by the kind of work being done by the shortlisted organisations and by the range of sectors they represent. As with previous years, this made for some really difficult decisions during the judging process, but it is a challenge we welcome.  We are delighted that this year’s winner is an SME and in a sector renowned for a traditionally male-dominated, long hours culture. This shows that all businesses can benefit from a more family friendly approach which values the contribution of all employees.”

Details of the Awards and winners can be found at Workingmums.co.uk.