ECWT is proud to announce that Bev Hurley, Director of Enterprising Women, CEO of YTKO and founding member of the ECWT was as one of the eleven pioneering British women honoured at the 2011 First Women Awards ceremony on 30 June in London. Bev scooped the Business Services award.

Bev has dedicated the past 30 years to promoting entrepreneurial skills in others. As CEO, Bev has grown the economic development and business support consultancy YTKO into new markets and regions, delivering outstanding growth in the public and private sector. She was recognized particularly for her commitment to improving the opportunities for female entrepreneurs and founders of business enterprises.

Under Bev's leadership Enterprising Women, a Women'­s Business Centre supports, trains and promotes a rapidly expanding national community of over 7000 women, and 250 stakeholder organisations. It has helped create over 250 sustainable new jobs and businesses in its first 18 months, trained over 2500 women, and was chosen as one of only three best practice UK SME support programmes to be presented at a European conference.

In 2010 Bev received the ‘Queens Award for Enterprise Promotion’.