Bank 'surprised' that more than half of awards entries from women

The Bank of Scotland has been ‘taken by surprise' that more than half of the entries to its social entrepreneur awards competition are from women.

Sam Kerr, head of specialist banking at the company said: ‘We already had an understanding that women tended to occupy more senior positions in the not-for-profit sector than in profit-making enterprises, but 51 per cent really took us by surprise. It's an interesting and emphatic statistic that proves what we had previously thought.'

The awards offer two prizes. First prize is an interest-free loan of £5m or a one-off cash donation of £500,000. Second prize is an interest-free loan of £1m or a one-off cash donation of £100,000.

Kerr would not reveal how many entries the awards attracted. She said: ‘Many profit-making businesses are experiencing some tough times but we've been seeing entries from not-for-profit organisations which are performing really strongly, growing and providing valuable social benefits throughout the UK.

‘The overall quality of the entries has been incredibly high and it's been fantastic to see so many entries and learn how the not-for-profit sector is thriving across different regions of the country,' she added.

The winners of the Social Entrepreneur Award will be announced at a ceremony on 21 June.

For further information, see www.bossocialawards.co.uk