At a prestigious ceremony in Portland House last night, Sian McKenna, Finance Director at TSW Training, won the Services To Accounting And Finance prize at the 2nd Welsh Women’s Awards.
Nominated by the public in 2019, McKenna took home the prize two years later in a long-overdue ceremony that recognised and celebrated talent across the length of Wales.
What are the Welsh Women’s Awards?
The Awards celebrate the achievements of female entrepreneurs, businesswomen, professionals, civil servants, charity workers and many others that make Wales a more equal place to live and work.
The 2nd Welsh Women’s Awards was scheduled for March 2020, clashing with the first national lockdown. The nominated women waited two years to see if their talent and hard work would be recognised.
McKenna’s category included influential women in finance from Tenovus, Kilsby Williams, Transport of Wales, Exemplar Health Care, SA Brains, Severnside Car Company and Williams Medical.
And, The Winner Of ‘Services To Accounting And Finance’ Is…
When introducing the award, Radio X host, Polly James, said: “This award celebrates the women who shine brightly in a largely male dominated sector. These women play an important role in our society and deserve all the recognition in the world for thriving in a challenging field.”
During her acceptance speech, McKenna said: “I want to say thank you to the team at TSW. We’re a fantastic company, a family, and we do really good things for apprentices and businesses in Wales.”
In the decade leading up to 2020, when she was nominated for Services To Finance and Accounting, McKenna’s every action pursued financial security. She runs TSW Training with logical clarity and caution that both prevented loss and ushered in success. She is known for her sharp grasp of economic prospects.
But since the nomination, McKenna faced the business impacts of the pandemic head-on, giving every ounce of energy she had into protecting her apprentices, business and people. She has proven her empathy, fairness, and community focus, protecting the education and livelihoods of hundreds of apprentices and staff in south Wales.
Apprenticeships Manager at Celsa Steel UK, Terry Collier, has worked with Sian for almost 10 years. Together, they have shaped the careers of many young engineers and developed a recognised and celebrated apprenticeship programme.
“I have had the pleasure of working closely with TSW over the past four years. Sian offers an incredibly strategic mind, with, for example, the wider apprenticeship streams, but also a depth of operational knowledge.
“Sian suggests relevant and pertinent directions as her knowledge of the steel industry, and Celsa is amazing. Sian is humble, she reflects and has a great memory for statistics, people, and past apprentices.”
The annual Welsh Women’s Awards was hosted at Portland House in Cardiff Bay on 28th July 2022.
nual Welsh Women’s Awards was hosted at Portland House in Cardiff Bay on 28th July 2022.
