Celebrating Sunderland in Spain and America - the inspirational school chief who is in line for a Wearside Women In Business Award

The inspirational work of Emma McDermott is making a real difference for pupils at the Castleview Enterprise Academy.

She has been heavily involved in a scheme known as the Gatsby project which aims to strengthen STEM skills in the workforce.

Thanks to Emma, children across Sunderland have gained key employability skills. She has travelled to Madrid and is about to head to Nashville, Tennessee to further spread the word about the project.

And now her work has won her a nomination for a Wearside Women In Business Award.

Her nomination said: “To have someone in the city that is helping lead on this helps put Sunderland on the map and the opportunities already open to the pupils of Castle View Enterprise academy are amazing.

“Emma knows the challenges faced by pupils throughout the region and is keen to be an ambassador for change and give them the career opportunities that they are all entitled to.”

After hearing she had been nominated, Emma said: “It is quite a surprise. This work is just something that I do and I enjoy it. It is my job and it is a job that I love.”

She told of the impact that Gatsby had had on the academy and said successes had included a first Oxbridge candidate.

Nominate someone for a Wearside Women In Business Award

Emma joins an ever-growing list of entries.

We have a line-up of six great organisations who are all sponsoring the first ever Wearside Women In Business Awards.

They are Sunderland BIC, Gentoo, Club Zest, MBC Arts Wellbeing, TCL At Home and UK Fostering North East, and they have all joined the Sunderland Echo in the quest to find the Mentor of the Year, Rising Star, Business Woman of the Year and lots more besides.

We are hoping for many more entries before the deadline arrives.

Perhaps you know a female who has launched a company and it has got off to a storming start. Then you should choose the ‘Start-up Business Woman of the Year category’

The Rising Star section is for those who are making people sit up and take notice of their rise up the entrepreneurial ladder.

And we want to hear about new starters who deserve to win the Apprentice of the Year category.

Then there’s the people who make a difference in their neighbourhood. They stand a chance of winning the Contribution To Community category.

We’ve got the Women In Education Award and the Mentor of the Year section for those who tirelessly give them time to help others.

If you’re the person who everyone looks up to, you could be our Inspirational Woman of the Year.

And if you’ve made a difference to the business world over a long time, you could be our first ever winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Do you know someone who deserves to be the Business Woman of the Year? That’s another of our categories.

Watch out for much more on all of the categories in the weeks to come.

For now though, we want your nominations.

You have until September 2 to send us your entries and the judges will meet to draw up a shortlist three days later.

Then it is on to the grand finale – a lunchtime awards ceremony on Thursday, September 26.

But for now, we need your nominations to make the event a big success. Email [email protected] and tell us the name, address, business of your nominated person and why you feel they deserve to win.

Or alternatively, send your entries to https://www.echowomeninbusiness.co.uk.