Susanna Lawson wins Forward Ladies award

Susanna Lawson, cofounder and director of OneFile, has won the North West, Wales and Ireland Forward Ladies award for her digital achievements.  

The Forward Ladies Awards celebrate the exceptional work and inspirational achievements of the UK’s best business women, so we were delighted when Susanna won in the digital category.  

Susanna’s digital achievements are phenomenal. She’s the cofounder and director of OneFile – the UK’s leading learning software for vocational training. Since starting out in their Manchester home, Susanna and her husband Chris have built OneFile into a global brand, used by hundreds of thousands of learners around the world.  

And OneFile keeps on growing. We now employ over 80 members of staff, and are moving to new larger offices in Arndale House, Manchester city centre to support our growth.  

But it’s not just her business prowess that won her a Forward Ladies award. Susanna has pioneered edtech for over a decade, and is now renowned in the education sector. She regularly speaks at events across the UK, and uses this platform to promote learning, inspire others, and pioneer technology for apprenticeships. It’s this passion for a great cause that has fueled the business, and developed OneFile into the market-leader it is today. Our success is testament to Susanna’s business achievements – and this year we were given the royal seal of approval. OneFile is the proud winner of the 2017 Queen’s Award for Innovation – one of the most prestigious accolades for UK businesses.

Susanna and Chris collected the Queen’s Award from Her Majesty at Buckingham Palace in the summer, which wasn’t her only big trip this year – far from it!  

Susanna is also an ambassador for apprenticeships in the US. She’s a member of the Transatlantic Apprenticeship Exchange Forum – a collection of the most forward-thinking minds working to drive the new apprenticeship movement across the States. The Forum has created a new breed of apprenticeships to suit the American market – and OneFile is an integral part of the picture. Lots of apprentices enrolled on the new qualifications will complete their training using OneFile, promising a brighter future for young people across America. 

In the next few weeks Susanna is flying to Washington DC to help the US reach their 5 million apprenticeship target… she’s meeting other leaders at the upcoming AELP Autumn Conference… she’s heading to the Asian Apprenticeship Awards… and planning an office move into Manchester city centre.  

Susanna is a real inspiration, and we wish her the very best of luck in the final stage of the Forward Ladies Awards. National judging takes place on 8th November, and the awards ceremony will be held in Leeds on 1st December. 

About OneFile: Supporting over 600,000 users worldwide, OneFile is the leading eportfolio in the learning and development sector, and winner of the 2017 Queen’s Award for Innovation.

OneFile is more than a software company. We want to help young people reach their potential and be the best they can be. That’s why we’ve made it our mission to shape the futures of 1 million people by 2020.

To achieve this mission, we’ve developed OneFile into an all-in-one learning platform with more features than any other on the market. OneFile is a training eportfolio, assessment software, CPD tracker and virtual learning environment.