Katie Piper (left) and Jo Whiley arrive at the Awards
Yesterday's Red Magazine Hot Women Awards was a big celebration of female achievement and inspiration, featuring some of the most important female icons of our time. Charity workers, designers, scientists and entrepreneurs were among those picking up awards, with a few familiar faces alongside complete newcomers to the public eye whose important work had been until now carried out behind the scenes.
Angela Ahrendts, CEO of Burberry was honoured for successfully steering the label back on track after its unfortunate 'chav' associations; possibly one of the most incredible branding turn-arounds ever witnessed in the fashion world. Julie Deane and Freida Thomas, meanwhile, were praised for starting up a stylish brand on a much smaller scale that has recently become a huge business interest: the Cambridge Satchel Company. War correspondent Alex Crawford won an 'inspirational women' award for her brave and insightful coverage of the recent conflict in Libya.
There was also a bloggers' award, which was picked up this year by Sasha Wilkins AKA LibertyLondonGirl. Praised for her pioneering approach to digital publishing and her vision for the sometimes-overlooked medium, Wilkins has added charity work and cookery to her portfolio of skills; all of which she carried out alongside her fashion-focused blog.
Others taking awards are less famous for their work, but have come to public attention for reasons beyond their control; in some cases traumatic ones. Katie Piper, pictured above left, was the victim of an acid attack by a jealous ex-boyfriend who left her with facial scarring that destroyed her modelling career and left her housebound for a number of years. She looked stunning last night at the event, with a new brunette hairdo and an aura of confidence.
Check out a full list of the Hot Women Award winners 2011 over at Red Magazine
[Image: GETTY]