An Ilkeston print solutions specialist, a Nottingham lingerie retailer and a Smalley based inventor of an ergonomic chair were the winners in this year's East Midlands Women of Worth awards, which took place at East Midlands Conference Centre on Tuesday 8th March, as part of the Women in Business conference, organised by KC Jones.

The winner of the main title, East Midlands Business Woman of the Year, was a Derbyshire business woman whose rapidly growing print solutions business has built up a turnover of almost £5 million in just four years. 

Lian Britchford is the owner and manager of Ilkeston based Encompass Print Solutions. The company was set up in 2006 in a small rented office with just two chairs and two desks. It now employs 19 staff in premises of over 26,000 square feet and Lian is already looking at further expansion, having secured planning permission for a future 6,000 square foot expansion.

Encompass boasts a client list which includes many leading high street retailers, and the company's service also includes creative and design solutions, as well as logistics and carbon reduction offsetting.

Speaking about her business, Lian said: "Encompass's success is down to a team effort from all the staff. I believe that our success is down to having a good business foundation and strong values, and recognising and praising the staff that make the success happen. We work hard on staff retention, from training and motivating, to ensuring that staff develop personally and have responsibility for areas that they can control and improve."

Encompass has received great praise for its client services, with one commenting: "Lian leads by example and Encompass is all about an encompassing team of great people with an outstanding leader of great integrity and passion who is always aiming to exceed expectations and going that extra mile for each and every customer."

The runners up in the East Midlands Business Woman of the Year Award were:

- Lindsay Nearn of Flying Hire in Lincoln, a plant and generator hire business which Lindsay helped to turn around after it experienced severe difficulties during the recession. It is now growing rapidly and winning major new customers, particularly in the generator hire market.

- Maninder Thakar of B-Fly Limited of Derby. Maninder established the Brow Lounge brand, an individually tailored eyebrow threading service which is now based in Debenhams stores across the UK and is moving into Boots branches nationally.

The winner of the Small Business of the Year Award was Nottingham based Emily Bendell, owner of BlueBella Ltd, a company retailing sensual products aimed at the 'Sex in the City' generation.

An Oxford University graduate, Emily hatched the idea after working for Ann Summers one summer, when she noticed that there was a gap in the market for those women who wanted to buy lingerie and other products that incorporated fashion, comfort and discretion.

In 2010, the business secured a six figure investment to aid its expansion, and the lead investor, 'LoveHoney', is one of the largest online retailers of sensual products in the UK, bringing a wealth of experience in product development, logistics and e-commerce. Other investors also included Addidi, a network of female investors and E-Synergy, who manage the emda financed East Midlands Early Growth Fund.

BlueBella has increased its turnover by 150% since the investment was made in the business last year and based on current growth figures, the number of BlueBella party-planners will increase to nearly 2000 in three years, generating an estimated turnover of around £9 million.

The runners up in the Small Business of the Year Award were:

- Lynne Montgomery the founder of Scented Willow, a shop in Ripley, Derbyshire, which offers ethical products and produces bespoke gift baskets for its customers.

- Hannah MacLeod, owner of Coulson Macleod in Northamptonshire, which specialises in producing typographic prints, printed onto canvas, oak, roof timbers, recycled paper and weather rusted steel.

The final award, for Most Innovative Business, went to Lorna Taylor, from Smalley in Derbyshire, who is the founder of Jolly Back Enterprises. Lorna, a former paediatric physiotherapist, invented an ergonomic chair designed for adults who work at low heights with children, such as teachers.

In just over a year, Lorna, who has three small children, has designed and brought the product to market, and the chair, which is manufactured in the region in Northamptonshire, is now being sold by a network of distributors covering the UK. 

Lorna, who received support from the Business Link and Healthcare and Bioscience iNet to get her idea off the ground, is now developing other products for adults who work with children, and is also offering back care consultancy to schools and nurseries, which is proving to be very popular. 

The runners up in the Most Innovative Business category were:

- Amanda Waring the founder of Nottingham based Mama Jewels - a range of safety tested jewellery aimed at mothers, but resilient enough to withstand the attention of children.

- Di Mayze of Bus 94 Ltd, the Nottingham based creator of BuggyTug - a special wrist strap for prams, designed to stop them rolling away if they are let go of by the parent. The product was launched at the Baby Show last year and won the 'Rattles to Riches' award.

John O'Reilly, Business Support Director at East Midlands Development Agency (emda), which supports the awards, said: "I would like to congratulate all the winners and nominees who were recognised this year. At these awards we have seen inspirational examples of women who have grown their businesses rapidly, becoming significant employers in just a few years, others who have used their entrepreneurial instincts and creativity to spot a gap in the market and go for it, and those who have used their skills and experience to successfully turn around and refocus their businesses after the recession.

"I hope the achievements of these women and the success they have each achieved, encourages others across the East Midlands to establish their own businesses."