TWO businesswomen have been shortlisted for the Ultimate Green Queen category in a UK competition.
By Ashleigh Burns
TWO businesswomen have been shortlisted for the Ultimate Green Queen category in a UK competition.
Vivien Johnston, a Glasgow School of Art graduate from Lanark, and Amanda Jones, of Dumbarton, were chosen from hundreds of entries to reach the final of the Ultimate Women Of The Year Awards.
Ms Jones's nomination was for her invention of a new water filter, the Reverse Osmosis Sanitation System, which is undergoing safety tests by charities in Ghana, Zambia, Nigeria and India.
She is the commercial director of Red Button Design and teamed up with friend James Brown to create the filtering system, which will help provide water for Third World countries.
The 25-year-old, who is a qualified dance teacher, funded her way through university by starting her own dance school.
After graduating, she took a job in marketing, but lasted only six months before becoming frustrated by the feeling she was not doing anything meaningful.
After seeing an advert by Water Aid asking for ideas to help solve the problem of contaminated water in developing countries, Ms Jones decided to start up her own project that would have a lasting impact on other people.
Miss Johnston uses gold and gems sourced only from fair trading, co-operative mines with eco sustainability and the stones are prepared in workshops that do not use child labour.
She said of her nomination: "It is exciting that people have thought highly enough of me to nominate me. I am delighted."
The 32-year-old works 11-hour days and her store's turnover is about £250,000 a year. Following the success of Fifi Bijoux in Glasgow city centre, she plans to open a second shop in London next year - and marry her conservationist fiance, Edward.
She added: "It sounds like all I do is work, but I never get fed up with it. I walk my dog, do ballet and can dance for six hours straight in killer heels!"
Ms Jones and Mr Brown have appeared on TV shows such as Dragons' Den, where they were offered financial backing from all five dragons', which they turned down after winning Oxford University's 21st century challenge in 2007.
The Ultimate Women Of The Year Awards are run by Cosmopolitan magazine and will be held on November 11 at the Banqueting House in Whitehall, London.
The judging panel will include television presenters Fearne Cotton and Vernon Kay and singer Alesha Dixon.
