Ellie Cawdell, franchise owner at baby and child swim school, Puddle Ducks York, Hull and East Yorkshire, has been announced as a finalist at the EWiF Awards 2023.

The national awards celebrate the achievements of women across franchising in a number of categories, with Ellie named as a finalist for the ‘Woman Franchisee of the Year’ award.

Ellie has been a franchisee with Puddle Ducks for the last eight years and it’s her dedication right from the start that has made her so successful, having moved her family to York to purchase the available territory back in 2014.

Since then, Ellie has consistently delivered quality, often stepping out of her comfort zone to deliver TV interviews in order to raise awareness of the brand. She also acts as a mentor within the business, often advising others in the network and recently put herself forward as an area coordinator for Puddle Ducks’ national partnership with Children’s Hospital Pyjamas.

Ellie also encourages her team to follow in her successes, upskilling them as well as personally mentoring new team members, and goes above and beyond to ensure both her team and customers feel welcome.

Speaking of the nomination, Ruth Nelson, Strategic Brand & Marketing Manager at Puddle Ducks commented: “I nominated Ellie for this award because of how tirelessly she works for the business, her team and her customers. She is a rising star at Puddle Ducks and is a wonderful advocate for women in franchising. We believe Ellie is truly deserving of this award”.

Ellie said of the nomination: “I am proud of how far my business has come. I want to continue to raise the profile of franchising as a career path for women as well as continue to take my business and team to the next level”.

To find out more about the EWiF Awards visit https://www.ewif.org/2023-natwest-ewif-awards/