Guest Award Announcers

This year we have been fortunate in securing three ground-breaking women in print as our guest award announcers; Maria Breslin, Sarah Lester and Clare Mackintosh. Each of these phenomenal women will be sharing their thoughts with the audience before announcing the winners.

 

Maria Breslin: Editor, Liverpool Echo

Maria Breslin made history in July 2020 when she became the first woman to be appointed editor of the Liverpool Echo. A proud UCLan graduate, Maria began her journalism career at the Reporter weekly newspaper group in Greater Manchester before moving to the Press Association’s Northern Bureau, where she covered Merseyside, Cheshire, and North Wales.

Maria joined Reach plc (then Trinity Mirror) as news editor for the North Wales Daily Post and later took on the role of head of content at the Liverpool Echo. She went on to lead the newsroom’s digital-first transformation as digital editor, helping to shape the Echo’s modern, dynamic approach to journalism.

Beyond the newsroom, Maria is deeply committed to the future of journalism. She serves as an NCTJ industry adviser to City of Liverpool College, sits on the NCTJ’s accreditation board, and is a member of the Editors’ Code of Practice Committee.

Maria says: “I am hugely looking forward to being part of the 33rd annual Inspiring Women Awards. There is nothing more energising and life-affirming than being in the company of committed and motivated women who are making a massive difference on a local, national, and international level in their fields of expertise. I know how grateful I am for the wise words and the patient mentoring of women peers in my own profession and how much I rely on my own network of women friends for support and guidance. May 16 promises to be a fantastic day celebrating and recognising the achievements of many brilliant women and I, for one, can’t wait.”

 

Sarah Lester: Editor, Manchester Evening News

Sarah Lester is the editor of the Manchester Evening News, the UK’s largest regional news brand. Sarah began her career at the MEN more than 25 years ago as a reporter, later focusing on investigations that helped shape important local and national conversations. She moved through a series of senior news desk roles, eventually becoming Head of News, where she led the newsroom’s successful transition to a digital-first model.

Throughout her career, Sarah has championed impactful journalism, and is particularly proud of the Manchester Evening News’ campaigning work — including the powerful reporting that led to the creation of Awaab’s Law, protecting the rights of tenants across the UK.

Sarah says: “I am so pleased to be invited to present at the Inspiring Women Awards. It will be a privilege to be in the company of so many awesome women and I am really looking forward to it.”

Clare Mackintosh: Bestselling Author 

Clare Mackintosh is a former police inspector, a Cheshire Life columnist, and the multi-award-winning author of eight bestselling novels. With more than three million copies of her books sold worldwide and translated into over 40 languages, Clare is one of the UK’s most celebrated crime and thriller writers.

Her debut novel, I Let You Go, was a Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller, the fastest-selling title by a new UK crime writer in 2015, and winner of the Theakston Old Peculiar Crime Novel of the Year Award in 2016. Both her second and third novels, I See You and Let Me Lie, were also Sunday Times number one bestsellers and Richard & Judy Book Club picks.

Clare’s emotionally powerful novel After the End was published in 2019 and spent seven weeks on the Sunday Times hardback bestseller chart. Her 2021 locked-room thriller, Hostage, flew straight into the top ten.

In July 2022, Clare launched a new crime series set on the England–Wales border, featuring Welsh detective DC Ffion Morgan. The first book, The Last Party, became an instant Sunday Times bestseller, and the sequel, A Game of Lies, followed in July 2023. The series is currently being adapted for television.

Her latest crime novel, Other People’s Houses, is set in Cheshire and showcases Clare’s deep connection to the region. Altogether, Clare’s books have spent a combined total of 64 weeks in the Sunday Times bestseller lists.

Clare is also a dedicated patron of the Silver Star Society, a charity supporting parents experiencing high-risk pregnancies at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford.

Clare says:All my books feature strong female characters and I can’t think of anything more fitting than to be involved in the Inspiring Women Awards. I can’t wait to be in a room with all the nominees and guests, and know there will be some magical connections made as a result. Bring it on! 

The 33rd annual Inspiring Women Awards Lunch will take place at The Lowry Hotel, 16th May 2025. Tickets available here