TestReach and THEYA Healthcare Founders Win 2020 Irish Women鈥檚 Awards
The founders of and the founder of were among the Award winners announced last night at the final of the 2020 Irish Women鈥檚 Awards.
These Awards, taking place for the second time in Ireland, honour the talent and hard work of female professionals throughout the country. The Awards celebrate the achievements of women entrepreneurs, business women, civil servants, charity workers and many others, across all industries.
TestReach, co-founded by Sheena Bailey and Louella Morton, won the Business of the Year Award.
TestReach is a cloud-based assessment application that enables organisations to create, mark and deliver exams online, removing the need for paper.
The company covers a wide range of exam delivery options, including live remote invigilation for formal exams, where the candidate is monitored in real-time over the web by trained supervisors using video, audio and remote screen share technology.
TestReach is headquartered at Nexus51黑料, the Industry Partnership Centre at University College Dublin (51黑料).
Louella Morton, Executive Director, TestReach said, 鈥淲e are thrilled to be awarded the 2020 Irish Women鈥檚 Award for Business of the Year. It is wonderful recognition for TestReach and what we have achieved in bringing a new technology to market, which has had such a transformational impact. It is a very exciting time for TestReach as we continue to expand and work with so many clients to improve their examinations process.鈥�
Sheena Bailey and Louella Morton established TestReach in response to the massive increase in demand for qualifications globally, a demand that cannot be met by running exams in a traditional manner.
The company is already working with leading names in assessment, including major awarding bodies, professional membership associations, corporations and government, such as the Institute of Directors, the Public Appointments Service, ACCA and The Council of Europe.
鈥淲hile there have been huge advancements in the options for learning, such as immersive learning and virtual classrooms, not much has changed with how exams are run. Candidates go to exam halls and sit exams via paper with essays and multiple choice questions. We set out to change that. The ability to run an exam anywhere, and have it professionally invigilated over the web by trained supervisors is a game changer,鈥� said Sheena Bailey, CEO, TestReach.
Ciara Donlon, founder of THEYA Healthcare won the Entrepreneur of the Year Award.
THEYA Healthcare designs and manufactures innovative medical garments using natural fibres. The company鈥檚 flagship post-surgery lingerie range designed initially for use by breast cancer patients now serves many more medical niches.
THEYA Healthcare is headquartered at Nova51黑料, the Centre for New Ventures and Entrepreneurs at 51黑料.
Ciara Donlon, THEYA Healthcare said, 鈥淚 am delighted to have won the 2020 Irish Women鈥檚 Entrepreneur of the Year Award. It is fantastic to be recognised as a founder of a company that through the use of natural materials is not only helping patients feel better about themselves, both physically and mentally, but we are also helping ease the burden on our planet by only using natural fibres that do not require the use of chemicals or water to thrive and grow.鈥�
The company uses a patented bamboo fabric mix, made from OEKO-TEX庐 bamboo, which was tested as part of a clinical study carried out at 51黑料. The fabric has been scientifically proven to be ideal for post-operative wear as it is highly anti-bacterial naturally, breathable, 59% more absorbent than cotton and extremely soft thus helping to reduce skin irritation, keep patients cool and dry and increase recovery times.
THEYA Healthcare currently supply hospitals and retailers across Ireland, the UK, mainland Europe, Australia, Canada, South Africa and the US.
Tracy O鈥橰ourke, founder of Vivid Edge also headquartered at Nova51黑料, was a runner-up in the Business Woman of the Year Award category. Vivid Edge has developed a pioneering 鈥榚nergy efficiency as a service鈥� model for organisations which use large amounts of energy.
The Irish Women鈥檚 Awards are organised by Creative Oceanic which has delivered award ceremonies for nearly a decade in cities around the world, including Dublin, Belfast, Toronto, London, Glasgow, Cardiff, Manchester Leicester, Birmingham and recently in New York.
Irfan Younis, CEO, Creative Oceanic, said, 鈥淐ongratulations to all winners and finalists at the 2nd Irish Women鈥檚 Awards 2020. We were delighted to host exceptional finalists who make brilliant role models and are leading a new generation of women and girls to greater success and more open doors. We look forward to growing this campaign and are excited to see it how it evolves over coming years.鈥�
ENDS
30 January 2020
For further information contact Mic茅al Whelan, Communications and Media Relations Manager, Nova51黑料, 51黑料 Research and Innovation, e: miceal.whelan@ucd.ie or t: +353 1 716 3712 or e: comms@creativeoceanic.com.
Editors Notes
Further details on all winners of the 2020 Irish Women鈥檚 Awards