Dawn Esther has been named Most Influential Woman in Business Consulting in the UK.

The owner of Weymouth-based D52 – Business Toolkit won the accolade at the fifth Influential Businesswoman Awards 2020, organised by Acquisition International (AI), the monthly digital business magazine.

Dawn said: “It is incredible to receive this national award.

“Being recognised as an influencer within the business community is testament to the years of hard work I have given in supporting the business community.

“The recent weeks and months have brought about significant challenges for businesses across the globe, becoming increasingly reliant on the hard work and dedication of business owners.

“I am particularly thrilled to win this award for myself and the businesses I support in this current economic climate.”

Acquisition International said Dawn won the award for the excellence of commitment and dedication her business had shown in supporting her clients during 2020.

It added: “We wanted to recognise the influence Dawn has had not only on individual businesses but her commitment and influence on both a local and national level, working to raise the profile of the small and medium sized rural business, at the heart of the UK economy.”

Dawn said: “During Covid it has been especially tough for the businesses I support to adapt to this virtual and distanced world.

“It has been a privilege to guide them during this time.

“For one of them to take the time to nominate me for this national award was humbling.

“Becoming the UK’s Most Influential Woman in Business Consultancy 2020 is a wonderful achievement.

“I’m utterly thrilled.”

Dawn has also been selected as a finalist for the title UK Business Woman of the Year 2020 at the SME National Business Awards.

She will attend the awards ceremony at Wembey in December along with 14 other finalists in her category.

Dawn said: “Covid has presented many challenges, so to have won Influential Woman in Business Consultancy, and now be a finalist at Wembley for UK Business Woman of the year 2020, has made running a business, while homeschooling, worth it.

“2020 will be a year I will always remember not just for what it taught me about who and what matters, during Covid-19, but of celebrating the best of being both a mum and a business woman.”

D52 – Business Toolkit is a business consultancy focused on assisting people in starting and growing their businesses.

Its customers are based in Dorset but Dawn also works with business owners across the UK in a virtual capacity.