The Cat’s Mother of the Year Awards is returning for its second year next month.
The music and creative industries network and mentoring platform was founded by Natalie Wade in 2019.
The Cat’s Mother of the Year Awards will take place on Tuesday, October 1 at the Rosewood London, celebrating women in the creative industries. The evening will culminate with the presentation of The Cat’s Mother of the Year award for 2024, alongside a live performance from this year’s artist ambassador, who will be revealed on the night. Broadcaster Claudia Winkleman will once again host the event.
Amazon Music has confirmed support for The Cat’s Mother of the Year Awards, with several other in-person events across the UK planned over the next 12 months.
“Amazon Music and The Cat's Mother's vision for this collaboration is to make the creative industries more accessible, especially for young women in more regional areas outside of London,” said a statement.
Last year, the inaugural Cat’s Mother of the Year Awards invited over 100 women from across the creative industries to gather together at Audemart Piguet’s AP House in London. The Cat’s Mother award was presented to CAA co-head of global touring/London office Emma Banks, with that year’s artist ambassador Enny performing a short set.
The artist ambassador works with The Cat’s Mother to help with outreach to young women looking to access the creative industries and support in other ways over the course of the year.
The Cat’s Mother provides invaluable mentoring and networking opportunities for young women looking to start their careers in music
Laura Lukanz
Sara Lord, co-chair Cat’s Mother and chief creative officer at Hipgnosis, said: "Charlotte-Anne [Myler], the other board members and myself are over the moon that Amazon Music have chosen Cat’s Mother to support our upcoming regional programme rollout. Since our founder (and general all-round hero) Natalie Wade started this journey in 2019, we always wanted to make sure that just because you don’t live in London, doesn't mean you can’t get into the business, and now, Laura and the Amazon Music team are making that a reality - thank you Laura."
Laura Lukanz, head of music at Amazon Music UK, said: “The Cat’s Mother provides invaluable mentoring and networking opportunities for young women looking to start their careers in music. Working alongside Sara and the team, we’re thrilled to provide financial support that will extend the reach of their much needed services to young women across the country. The financial and geographical barriers to entry for a career in music remain high for many, which makes grassroots organisations such as The Cat’s Mother, which support young people in building their confidence and connections, even more important than ever.”
The Cat’s Mother is a network of women in the music and creative industries offering free business meetings for young emerging and aspiring creatives aged 18-25. They provide expertise, contacts, and guidance to transform career paths.
Since its inception, The Cat’s Mother network has created over 500 in-person meetings for aspiring young women, with over 150 beneficiaries, four full-time jobs and over 35 internships /work experience placements achieved so far.
