DENISE O’LEARY MBE WINS DOUBLE GOLD AS SHE AND CLIENTS SECURE 17 STEVIE® AWARDS AT 2026 INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS AWARDS®
The 23rd Annual International Business Awards® are the world’s premier business awards competition, recognizing outstanding organizations, executives, entrepreneurs, and teams worldwide.
CHIPPENHAM 12 August, 2026 – Denise O’Leary MBE was named the winner of two Gold Stevie® Awards in the Mentor of the Year and Lifetime Achievement Award – Business Service Industries categories in The 23rd Annual International Business Awards® (IBAs) today.The 23rd Annual International Business Awards® (IBAs)
The International Business Awards are the world’s premier business awards program. All individuals and organizations worldwide – public and private, for-profit and non-profit, large and small – are eligible to submit nominations. The 2026 IBAs received entries from organizations in 82 nations and territories.
Winners will be celebrated during a gala event at the Pullman Paris Montparnasse on Wednesday, 28 October.
More than 3,400 nominations from organizations of all sizes and in virtually every industry were submitted this year for consideration in a wide range of categories, including Company of the Year, Marketing Campaign of the Year, Best New Product or Service of the Year, Startup of the Year, Corporate Social Responsibility Program of the Year, and Executive of the Year, among others.
Denise O’Leary MBE won Gold in the Mentor of the Year category and Gold in the Lifetime Achievement Award – Business Service Industries category.
Denise received Gold in Mentor of the Year for “Denise O’Leary MBE: the mentor who turns mentoring into employment, income and independence,” recognising the impact of her mentoring work in helping people translate guidance into tangible economic outcomes.
She also received Gold in Lifetime Achievement Award – Business Service Industries for “Denise O’Leary MBE: thirty years turning bid and award expertise into results, and then into technology,” recognising a career spanning three decades in which she has developed her bid and award expertise into services, methodologies and technology designed to help businesses communicate their achievements more effectively.
The judges praised the Mentor of the Year nomination as “outstanding and well-evidenced,” highlighting measurable mentoring impact, scalability, inclusion and sustainable outcomes. Another judge said Denise’s mentoring creates “real opportunities for people,” particularly through employment, confidence, income and independence. They also noted that the nomination showed mentoring in action, supported by named examples and evidence.
For the Lifetime Achievement Award, judges described Denise’s career as an “exceptional lifetime achievement profile,” combining sustained business impact, professional expertise, mentoring, social contribution and technology innovation. One judge called her record of securing £4.8 billion in opportunities at a 92% win rate “an absolute masterclass in industrial marketing excellence,” awarding the nomination 10 out of 10. Judges also highlighted her long-term impact helping clients win, supporting smaller organisations and turning her expertise into tools others can use.
The two personal Gold awards form part of a wider success. O’Leary wrote 19 International Business Awards entries for herself, Purpol Marketing and her clients. Seventeen of those 19 entries won a Stevie® Award – an 89% win rate. Together, Denise and her clients secured eight Gold, three Silver and six Bronze Stevie® Awards.
The winning entries recognised achievements across mentoring, healthcare, construction, community care, publishing, digital entrepreneurship, sustainability, customer satisfaction, corporate social responsibility and business services. Gold-winning entries included nominations for Cheryl Laidlaw – My Medical Website, W.B. Griffiths & Son Ltd, Haverfordwest, Cherishers 811 CIC and SME Today, alongside O’Leary’s own two Gold awards and additionally a Bronze for Purpol Marketing in the Company of the Year Diversified services .
Denise said: “Winning two Gold Stevie® Awards personally is incredibly special, particularly because they recognise two things that have been central to my career: mentoring people to create meaningful opportunities for themselves, and thirty years of turning bid and award expertise into results.
“But I am actually more delighted that all clients I supported won a Gold in their respective categories and thrilled that seventeen entries have won Stevie® Awards, including eight Golds overall. Every organisation has its own story and its own achievements. My job is to uncover the evidence, understand what makes that organisation exceptional and communicate it in a way that enables the judges to see it too.
“For me, that is what awards are really about. They aren’t about inventing a great story – they’re about recognising the great work that is already happening and making sure it gets the recognition it deserves.”
Stevie Award nominations were evaluated by more than 300 business professionals worldwide serving as judges on 9 specialized committees. Stevie Award winners were determined based on judges’ average scores during the independent judging process in June and July.
“The 2026 International Business Awards winners represent the very best in business achievement from organizations of all sizes and across virtually every industry,” said Stevie Awards President Maggie Miller. “This year’s winners have demonstrated exceptional innovation, leadership, resilience, and results in a highly competitive global field. We congratulate every Stevie Award winner and look forward to celebrating their achievements together in Paris on October 28.”
Details about The International Business Awards and the lists of Stevie Award winners are available at http://IBA.Stevieawards.com
About Denise O’Leary MBE and Purpol Marketing
Denise O’Leary MBE is an award-winning business mentor, bid and award specialist, author and founder of Purpol Marketing. Drawing on 30 years of experience, she helps businesses and individuals identify, evidence and communicate their achievements through bids, awards, mentoring and technology. Purpol Marketing provides specialist consultancy and practical support designed to help organisations articulate their value, compete effectively and turn expertise into measurable results.
About the Stevie® Awards
Founded in 2002, the Stevie Awards are widely recognized as the world’s premier business awards programs, honoring outstanding achievements in the workplace worldwide. The name “Stevie” is derived from the Greek name Stephanos, meaning “crowned.”
The Stevie Awards include nine international business awards programs:
● Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards
● German Stevie Awards
● Middle East & North Africa Stevie Awards
● The American Business Awards®
● The International Business Awards®
● Stevie Awards for Great Employers
● Stevie Awards for Women in Business
● Stevie Awards for Technology Excellence
● Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service
Each year, the Stevie Awards receive more than 12,000 nominations from organizations in more than 70 nations and territories, recognizing organizations of every size and the professionals behind their success. Learn more at www.StevieAwards.com.
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