Dawn Gibbins MBE, founder and chairman of Barefoot is celebrating her SHE Inspiring Women award, as International Businesswoman of the Year – presented by Nancy Dell’Olio at London’s top venue, Claridge’s

Other famous names at the event included Denise Van Outen , Dame Kelly Holmes, and Tara Palmer Tomkinson.

Dawn’s award was given, in association with HSBC, for her global career achievements in the flooring industry. It was awarded for what judges described as her ‘unprecedented entrepreneurial spirit in her bid to achieve success in business, both here and abroad.’

The founder and chairman of luxury Floor Couture brand Barefoot, was thrilled to learn that she had won.

Barefoot was recently launched from its UK headquarters and multimillion pound showroom. It and already developing a global reach, with a presence in Germany and Brazil announced just this month.

Dawn is no newcomer to top business awards – she has, after all, already been crowned Veuve Cliquot Business Woman of the Year in 2003, followed by her MBE a year later (for services to British Industry) and a further royal recognition, ‘Pioneer to the Life of our Nation’, graciously awarded by Her Majesty the Queen.

She oversaw its growth to become a global market leader in commercial and industrial flooring with 23 offices worldwide and eight manufacturing sites of excellence in the UK, Asia, Sweden, Belgium, South Africa, US and Brazil. Dawn sold the company to New York Stock Exchange listed company RPM International in April 2008.

Just to show that women really are on top, she has pipped Richard Branson, James Dyson and Digby Jones, to be nominated the most influential person in UK manufacturing three years ago.

Find out more about Dawn at the personal website of our own Barefoot Entrepreneur