The search to find the most inspiring female entrepreneur in history (1650-1950) begins with the launch of the Addidi Inspiration Award. Presented by Addidi, a boutique wealth management service, in partnership with The Sorority, an exclusive creative business club for women, and The Independent on Sunday, the national Award will honour exceptional businesswomen past and present.

Five businesswomen in history have been short listed with the assistance of Dr Nicola Phillips, a Research Fellow in the Dept of History at Kingston University, and five modern day entrepreneurs, including designer and creative businesswoman Lisa Tse, have been invited to champion each of these extraordinary women from history. A British Born Chinese, Lisa was selected as the modern day champion for entrepreneur Eleanor Coade (1733-1821). A brief summary of the women entrepreneurs and their champions can be found on the awards site www.addidiawards.com

The public is being invited to vote online for their favourite woman entrepreneur and champion. The closing date for voting is Tuesday 30th June 2009. The winner will be the entrepreneur and champion polling the most votes and will be announced at an Award Reception on Thursday 2nd July at Trinity House, London.

About Eleanor Coade (1733-1821)

A deeply religious woman from a simple Exeter family, Eleanor took over a struggling artificial stone business and turned it into the most successful of its kind. Pioneering new manufacturing techniques, she gained royal appointment as well as great financial success, and transformed both the economics and practice of classical architecture. She is credited with elevating craft items to artistic status, and with a talent for marketing and PR, her stone became internationally famous, decorating everything from chapels to palaces, and used by almost every recognised architect and designer of the day.

About Lisa Tse

Lisa is a dedicated supporter of creativity and women in business. She is Founder and President of The Sorority, an exclusive creative business club for modern women. Celebrating style and femininity, The Sorority seeks to nurture and sustain a collaborative network of excellence made up from the creative businesswomen destined to shape our future.

www.lisatse.com