CEO Carolyn Currie Awarded an MBE

We are delighted to announce that Chief Executive Officer Carolyn Currie has been awarded an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) in His Majesty The King's New Year Honours List 2026. The honour is for services to Women's Entrepreneurship, Economic Empowerment, and Gender Equality.

This recognition honours Carolyn's outstanding leadership and tireless advocacy in advancing women's enterprise across Scotland and beyond. Under her guidance, WES has become a leading voice in championing the economic potential of women-led businesses and driving systemic change in enterprise support.

Carolyn Currie MBE: "I am deeply honoured and humbled to receive this recognition. The award reflects the collective efforts of our incredible WES team, our partners, and most importantly, the many talented, role model women entrepreneurs across Scotland who inspire our work every day. It is recognition for all in our community who refuse to accept that inequality is “just the way it is”, and work with us to achieve meaningful change. While we reflect with pride on this moment, our work to close the gender gap in enterprise participation and unlock the £17 billion economic potential of women's enterprise in Scotland continues with renewed determination."

Carolyn Currie has been at the forefront of work on gender equality in enterprise for over two decades and her influence extends well beyond Scotland's borders. Carolyn has contributed policy papers to the G20 group of nations and central banks, is a founding member of the UK Women's Enterprise Policy Group, and has addressed international audiences, including the Annual Leadership Conference of Women's Business Centers in Washington DC in 2025.

Under Carolyn's leadership, WES has:

• Championed evidence-based policy making to support women entrepreneurs at every stage of their business journey.

• Launched influential research including the WES Study of Women in Enterprise 2025, which exposed the alarming 61% attrition rate in Scotland's post-start-up pipeline for women-led businesses[1].

• Developed the award winning[2] Women's Business Centre digital platform, providing expert support to help women start up and thrive in business.

• Established the Women's Enterprise Scotland Awards, now a flagship event celebrating Scotland's women-led businesses and creating vital role models for future generations.

• Successfully advocated for increased government investment in women-centric business support

Despite significant progress, WES remains focused on addressing the structural challenges facing women entrepreneurs. Recent WES research[3] revealed that while women-led business start-ups have increased to 54% of all start-ups in Scotland, women-led employer businesses have dropped to just 20%, highlighting the urgent need for sustained, strategic support. A need which has accelerated as data just released finds women-led employer businesses have now dropped to just 16% of all employer businesses[4].

Lynne Cadenhead, WES Chair: "Carolyn's MBE is richly deserved recognition of her exceptional contribution to advancing gender equality in enterprise. Her strategic leadership, combined with her unwavering commitment to evidence-based advocacy, has positioned WES as a respected authority on women's entrepreneurship both nationally and internationally."

[1] Study of Women in Enterprise, Women’s Enterprise Scotland (2025)

[2] Gifted membership Winner: STV Growth Fund’s Inclusion Fund (2021)

[3] Study of Women in Enterprise, Women’s Enterprise Scotland (2025)

[4] Small Business Survey: SME Employers 2024, UK Government Official Statistics (2025)