The Secret To Success Series: Director of Sunday Times Top 100 Company and leading Businesswoman Avril Owton MBE talk to The Wow Network

Wednesday 20th May at The Holiday Inn, Eastleigh from 5.15pm - 8.15pm

Wow members can attend the event without charge, tickets are available for guests at £15+VAT. To book your ticket contact sian.jackson@thewowcompany.com or call Sian on 0845 201 1582

Avril Owton

More about our speakers:

Avril Owton MBE

Avril Owton is the owner of The Cloud Hotel at Brockenhurst in The New Forest, England. A former professional dancer with The Tiller Girls, she took over the running of the hotel when her husband died suddenly at the age of 45, leaving her with an ailing family hotel, four children and no life or mortgage insurance.

Her show business background provided no experience in management, administration, finance, or how to run a business, but that didn't stop Avril. She refurbished the hotel, began to make a significant profit and soon had increased her business turnover 800%.

Avril, a past Hampshire Business Woman of the Year, was awarded the prestigious Shine Woman of the Year Award in 2006. The Shine award is presented to the woman in the travel, tourism and hospitality industry who has achieved and inspired others. Her particular business experience and her passion for encouraging women to reach their full potential has made her a sought-after speaker in both professional and personal development.

In 2007, she became the local branch Chair of the Institute of Directors, an association for directors and Chief Executives. In the same year, Avril published her first book, ‘Delighting Your Customers’ as part of the ‘Business On A Shoestring’ series. 

Avril uses her hotel to hold community fundraising events and has so far raised over £25,000 for the Macmillan Cancer Support Charity. It is the continued efforts that Avril puts into charitable fundraising and her outstanding business skills that has seen her appointed an MBE in 2008.

Paul Thomas

Starting out at the age of 12 packing brochures within the marketing department of a local company, Paul worked up through the ranks to become a senior manager of the £35m business at the age of only 18. Having worked from the very bottom, right up through the business, Paul learned the art of building companies through successful direct marketing.

At the age of 21, Paul set up Market Makers. A one man band at the time and working from his bedroom, the company 6 years on, is now one of the leading direct marketing agencies in the UK, employing over 90 people and has been voted the Sunday Times Top 100 Companies to Work for along with winning HSBC business of the year award.

Market Makers client base includes SME’s through to the likes of HSBC, Barclays, Toshiba, GE, Microsoft and Samsung.

Wow members can attend the event without charge, tickets are available for guests at £15+VAT. To book your ticket contact sian.jackson@thewowcompany.com or call Sian on 0845 201 1582