AN Isle of Wight entrepreneur has been celebrated by a campaign championing female business leaders.

Hammie Tappenden MBE, owner of Solent-based IntoBiz Limited, has been named as one of f:Entrepreneur’s inaugural #ialso Top 100, which celebrates the UK’s inspirational and multi-achieving female entrepreneurs.

On being listed in the #ialso Top 100, Hammie said: “This is an exciting acknowledgement of my achievements and a time to celebrate women’s entrepreneurship on the Island.

"I have been fortunate to work with some amazingly inspirational women on the Island and am presently working with 16 women of all ages looking to start their own business.

“#ialso for me, means continually taking on new things — adventures that extend my knowledge and abilities — and going the extra mile to help my clients.

"I lead by example and will never expect others to do something that I would not undertake myself. My best piece of advice is do what you love every day.”

f:Entrepreneur founder, Michelle Ovens MBE, who is also director of Small Business Saturday UK and chair of the Small Business Charter, said: “I am delighted to reveal f:Entrepreneur’s first ever #ialso Top 100 — the trailblazers demonstrating that entrepreneurialism is a space being reinvented by women.

"The stories of these women are incredibly inspirational and reach outside the traditional bounds of business. They do so much more than their day job.

"This is a campaign that highlights the work of incredible women, but it is not only aimed at inspiring other women.

"This is for men too; showing everyone that even in the toughest situations in life, it is entrepreneurs who are the people that not only survive, but thrive, creating purposeful small businesses and supporting their communities every day."

Hammie received the MBE in 2018 in recognition of her outstanding work in business start-up and women’s enterprise across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

For more than 25 years, Hammie has devoted her time to supporting more than 6,000 people wishing to start up their own business and has helped set up more than 800 businesses in the last ten years.