LIFELONG
I N S P I R AT I O N
Sponsored by Tees Valley
Business Compass
WINNER:
ANNE
PRESTON
MBE
Anne might be 81 but she is the same
sharp and determined lady who has
worked as chairman of haulage firm
Prestons of Potto for 58 years.
And she was the most popular winner
at the first Tees Businesswomen Awards
by a country mile, receiving a standing
ovation after being named Lifelong
Inspiration.
Since joining the family business in
1965, Anne has continually forged her
own path as a highly successful woman
in an ever-evolving male domain. Her
many outstanding achievements include
being the Road Haulage Association’s first
female chair, and she received the MBE
in 1989 for services to logistics. Prestons
has a £17m turnover, 235 staff operating
175 vehicles, and 500 trailers. With such
an impressive background, the award’s
destination came as a shock to no-one –
apart from Anne herself.
“It was a surprise because I thought I
was the underdog probably,” she said.
“I don’t know why but, at 81, to win it
is a great achievement. I’m a woman in
business in a man’s world, and that is quite
unusual, and I have supported women and
Teesside all my life. I had men mentors,
but I have done a lot of it on my own.”
Anne said being “mighty strong” is the
secret to her lasting success.
“I had a mentor, I was mighty strong and
I put the business before my two children,
but I’m so close to them it’s unbelievable,”
she added. “I’m still very hands-on with
it, five days a week, and was in London
the day before the awards, and left work
quickly to come to them on the night.”
Anne Preston (right) received a standing ovation before receiving her Lifelong Inspiration
award from Karen Jones of category sponsors Tees Valley Business Compass.
Jane Turner.
Katrina Morley.
RUNNER-UP:
RUNNER-UP:
Jane Turner Katrina Morley
Jane has selflessly dedicated her career to
improving people’s fortunes in the North-
East. Originally a leadership specialist and
head of HR, she has gone on to serve with
distinction two of the region’s universities,
Northumbria and Teesside.
Jane joined Teesside in 2015 to lead
and develop the university’s enterprise
and business engagement portfolio, with
a vision of becoming the UK’s prominent
business-facing university. Gender equality
champion Jane has masterminded
groundbreaking initiatives including the
Centre for Professional and Executive
Development. Despite being diagnosed
with ovarian cancer, she still works for
the university and is an ambassador for
charity Target Ovarian Cancer. Katrina is CEO of Tees Valley Education,
a multi-academy trust and sponsor
comprising five academies across
Middlesbrough and Redcar & Cleveland,
having played a major role in helping set
up the trust in 2015. Its aim is a shared
commitment to improving outcomes for
all children and their communities.
Katrina’s vision has enabled children
to perform on world class stages like
The Sage and Royal Albert Hall. She has
worked in and across schools and local
authorities for the last 20 years, having
decided to retrain as a teacher after
enjoying working with schools when she
was a chemical engineer.
SPONSOR’S MESSAGE
Gemma Walton, marketing and events manager for Tees
Valley Business Compass: “Anne was chosen as the winner
because she has been an inspiration for businesswomen in
Teesside for decades.
“Anne joined Prestons in 1965, with two young children,
successfully forging a career in a male-dominated industry
at a time when even to be a working mother was breaking
the mould.
“Prestons is now a nationally-recognised haulage firm
with a fleet of over 100 vehicles and a turnover of £17m.”