Andover-based entrepreneur Lauren McManus is celebrating after being named a finalist for Entrepreneur of the Year at the CRN Women & Diversity Awards, while her business, Electric Bloom, has also been shortlisted for Best Channel Support Service at the Channel National Awards.
Both awards recognise achievement within the telecoms and IT sector – an industry in which Lauren has worked for more than 15 years.
Lauren founded Electric Bloom, a specialist marketing and PR agency, two years ago after spotting a gap in the market for smaller telecoms companies that wanted to raise their profile but often had limited budgets for marketing, events and PR.
Lauren said: “I am incredibly proud to be a finalist for these two prestigious awards. Being a small business owner can sometimes be a lonely space, so to have my hard work recognised in this way tells me I’m doing something right.
“It’s particularly special to see Electric Bloom recognised alongside some much larger businesses in the industry.”
Lauren began her career in Paris, working for Alcatel-Lucent, before returning to the UK to complete her degree in French and Classical Civilisation.
She subsequently held a number of in-house roles within the telecoms industry, progressing to Head of Department before taking the leap into entrepreneurship and establishing her own marketing agency.
Electric Bloom has since built a reputation for supporting smaller businesses within the telecoms and IT sector with practical, targeted marketing, events and PR activity.
Lauren will discover whether Electric Bloom has won Best Channel Support Service in September’s Channel National Awards ceremony. The winner of the CRN Women & Diversity Awards will be announced in October’s ceremony where Lauren will find out if she has been named Entrepreneur of the Year.