Galway Races’ marketing guru Sinéad Cassidy was this week named Rising Star of the Year at the 2019 Irish Women’s Awards.
Receiving her award for her role in raising the profile of the Galway Races, Ms Cassidy was honoured for her work on enhancing the Galway racing experience for every patron at Ballybrit.
The awards’ aim is to acknowledge and celebrate the success of female entrepreneurs, business women, professionals, civil servants, women in uniform, charity workers, and many more that contribute to making Ireland a greater place to live.
The awards embody the continuing strength, grit, and determination of women, honouring those who continue to thrive and excel at the forefront of their industries. The Irish Women’s Awards, organised by Creative Oceanic, also recognises the work women do in every part of society that can go “unknown or even unappreciated”.
Upon winning her Rising Star of the Year 2019 award Ms Cassidy said she was very surprised.
“I am gobsmacked. It’s truly such an honour to receive Rising Star of the Year Award. I have never won anything like this before in business. My son Seán was delighted his mum won a trophy. I could not do what I do without the support of my parents. I’m very lucky too to work with a fantastic, progressive, fun team at Galway Racecourse - Michael, Annette, Aisling, Rob, and a great committee. My motto is do what you love and the rest will flow from that. This I know,” she said.
A spokesperson for the Irish Women’s Awards said they were delighted to have acknowledged successful women from across Ireland who have managed to stand out among the rest in their profession. It is a pleasure to see that empowered women empower women, and this memorable ceremony highlighted exactly that.
“We hope that The Irish Women’s Awards provided a platform to encourage women at all ages to achieve their goals and spread the message that women can be successful leaders, entrepreneurs, influencers, scientists, and CEOs. The awards showcased examples of courage, passion, skill, commitment, and success that feature in women, and we would like to congratulate all finalists and winners for their impeccable achievements.”
Four women from Galway were finalists for awards, with Lisa and Vanessa Creaven of Spotlight Whitening in the running for Best Professional in Business, and Dr Carmel Malone of NUI Galway shortlisted for Services to Medicine.