Merseyside Women of the Year Awards (MWOTY) has revealed Rathbones as its new headline sponsor, as nominations for the 2026 event open.
The partnership draws together the firm’s long-standing heritage in the city and commitment to championing local communities and playing its part in helping them to thrive.
Founded in Liverpool in 1742 as a family-run timber merchant, Rathbones evolved over the centuries and by 1912 its business focused solely on managing its clients’ wealth.
Today it stands as one of the UK’s leading wealth and asset managers, overseeing more than £100bn in assets and employing 3,500 people across over 20 offices in the UK and Channel Islands.
While 2026 will mark Rathbones’ first year as headline sponsor, the business is already a familiar supporter of MWOTY, having sponsored the ‘Entrepreneur’ category for the past two year, underpinning its commitment to supporting founders and business owners across the region.
Marion Reilly, Senior Director – Wealth Planning, said: “We are delighted to announce that Rathbones is the headline sponsor of the Merseyside Women of the Year Awards. These awards play a vital role in celebrating the remarkable achievements of women who inspire change and make a lasting impact in our communities. At Rathbones, we are passionate about championing diversity, leadership, and opportunity. This partnership reflects our commitment to recognising and supporting women whose contributions shape a better future for all.”
The firm will present the coveted overall “Merseyside Woman of the Year” award at the glittering 2026 event at the Crowne Plaza Liverpool, on Friday 26th June, with nominations now open.
The longest-running women’s awards on Merseyside, MWOTY provides a platform for exceptional women from across the region to be seen, heard, and found.
Renowned for shining a spotlight on changemaking women the region who do not seek the limelight, the awards pride themselves on being “a movement not a moment”, supporting winners and finalists to personally grow and expand their work through year-round events, networking, training and mentorship.
Its alumni include a host of high-profile business and charity leaders, multi-award winners, as well as recipients both the Kings Award for Voluntary Service and Enterprise, British Empire Medal and MBEs.
MWOTY founding director, Ellie Kerr, said: “Rathbones has been an incredible and supportive partner to MWOTY as category sponsor over the past two years, and senior director Marion Reilly is nothing short of an MWOTY veteran, having been a supporter since 2012, so we are over the moon to be welcoming the firm as our headline sponsor for 2026!
“Rathbones is a business rooted in our city and deeply committed to our communities, working to foster growth, support entrepreneurs and helping the region to thrive, which aligns with MWOTY’s vision and aims. We’re excited to see our partnership grow and support those mutual aims, and we can’t wait to see what this year’s nominations hold for us – so if there’s a woman you think deserves to be seen, heard and found, get nominating!”
Headline sponsor Rathbones joins returning category sponsors, the Community Foundation for Merseyside, FPC, McIver Scott Recruitment, Morecrofts, Auteur Media and Rise Construction Framework, as well as new additions The City of Liverpool College and Brownlow Health.
The final deadline for nominations is midnight on Monday 30th March 2026. There are a range of categories including Business Leader, Women Making a Difference, Community Leader, Young Entrepreneur, Social Impact, Inspirational Women and Women of Courage. The awards are open to anyone who identifies as a woman or non-binary.
The overall Merseyside Woman of the Year 2026 will be selected from all finalists, following a public vote (contributing 50% of the overall score) and being marked by the organisation’s judging panel against its criteria, which can be viewed here, contributing the remaining 50% of the final score.
Nominations can be submitted here: https://merseysidewomenoftheyear.co.uk/nominate/
The 2026 MWOTY awards will take place on Friday 26th June 2026 at the Crowne Plaza in Liverpool City Centre. Sponsorship opportunities are still available for 2026, please contact ellie@mwoty.co.uk for details. To find out more about the event, visit: https://merseysidewomenoftheyear.co.uk