Magna’s Trustee Janet Lister Wins Award for Inspiring Women

Janet Lister, co-owner of Contract Components and member of the Board of Trustees for Magna Science Adventure Centre won the prestigious ATHENA Award for Inspiring Women at a glittering award ceremony at Magna in Rotherham. The Rotherham and Barnsley Chamber Business Awards were held at Magna for the 5^th year running and saw Janet scoop to award for creating confident, motivated businesswomen, by facilitating inspiration, aspiration and development through her networking.

Janet was the pioneer behind the launch of Women in Business in March 2002 and since then has encouraged some of the brightest and strongest women in the region to be the best they can be, leading to an invite to the Queen's Garden Party in 2009 in recognition of services to women in South Yorkshire.

Janet's work with Women in Business was funded by Rotherham and Barnsley Chamber of Commerce and was in support of the redevelopment of Rotherham. Janet's approach to Women in Business ensured that the sessions were effective and efficient in supporting and developing women in the business community. As a mentor to numerous business women, Janet finds time to develop herself and others for the greater good of Rotherham.

Accolades came in from across the globe, including Martha Mayhood Mertz, Founder of ATHENA International has worked with Janet on the links between Rotherham and ATHENA, "Janet Lister is a person of great passion who saw an opportunity to enhance the credibility and visibility for women in the Rotherham and Barnsley area and stepped forward with a dedication that is exceptional beyond words.  Her vision, strength and courage gave inspiration to so many others, not only in her community but throughout the ATHENA International family of women and men.  We watched as she worked tirelessly to open leadership opportunities for others, particularly women, in order to achieve a balance in the voices of influence." 

Janet was the second woman admitted onto the Rotherham Chamber Board, where she was able to co-launch some exciting projects, including Gifts for the Elderly and the Dolly Parton Reading project, which came out of networking opportunities with Janet's American contacts.

Janet's involvement with the ATHENA awards, prompted her to look into the launch of the Young Athenian Awards in 2007/2008, a project with Leader of the Council Roger Stone. This project encouraged the youth of Rotherham (ages 3-18) to celebrate achievements in all walks of life.  Councillor Shaun Wright, Cabinet Member Children & Young Peoples Services for Rotherham Council worked with Janet on a number of projects "Janet is a lady of great passion, vision and commitment. She is always keen to make a difference to the lives of others and recognises how this can be achieved by rewarding success, through hard work and by overcoming hardships."

Working with a range of groups, from young people (for the Athenian Awards and Dolly Parton Reading Project), through to businesswomen both in Rotherham and overseas, Janet believes that women are extremely talented and simply need the confidence to get on and change the world, something which we believe she has dedicated herself to and which we believe she deserves recognition for.

Speaking on winning her award, Janet said Janet said "I have always supported inspirational women, so to win this award is a huge compliment to my work and supports my continued development of strong women leaders. Supported by Barnsley & Rotherham Chamber of Commerce, I have been able to open a path where others could follow to be inspired to achieve their full potential. I have had many opportunities to meet and work with the most amazing people, both in Rotherham and globally. The support I have received in being short-listed for this award is fantastic and to be praised by Martha Mertz founder of ATHENA, who is my mentor, is the greatest accolade I could get."