Nominee Stories

Katherine Bowen
Senior Director, Regulatory Affairs,Boyds, UK
Inspiration Award winner 2023

Katherine joined Boyds in 2022 and made a profound difference in a short space of time. Her support in highlighting where processes can be improved has been invaluable.


Q: How did you feel when you were nominated?
Well, if I'm totally honest, pretty surprised because I only found out I'd been nominated when I received the email saying that I was shortlisted as finalist. Presumably, my boss thought I'd try and talk her out of it. After it had sunk in, I was delighted and really humbled. 

I know some of the previous winners of the Inspiration Award and actually helped contribute to some of their nominations, so I know how much those people had achieved in order to receive their award and how much of an inspiration I have found them to be in my career. 

To be bucketed in with people of that calibre, I was just absolutely over the moon. I was also really, really humbled by it, and delighted that somebody felt that my achievements, and the way in which I go about doing my work, were worthy of a nomination. It was a great feeling.

Q: What did you enjoy about the awards ceremony?
It's just a brilliant event and everyone enjoys the opportunity to get dressed up and go to something like that. It's great to learn about the fantastic work that's being done in regulatory affairs and the breadth of it. Hearing about the things that people are nominated for and their achievements, it's a really nice feeling knowing what we're all achieving together in the industry.

It was also a fantastic opportunity to see people that I'd worked with years and years ago, and hadn't seen since. You have some heavy hitters from the regulatory affairs world there as well, so it's a great opportunity to get to meet some of those people; just a really wonderful experience all around.

Q: How did it feel when you won?
I was really worried that I'd heard incorrectly and that actually it wasn't my name that they'd read out. And then everyone looked at me, so I assumed I’d got it and was absolutely over the moon. I actually know the other finalist in my category and know what an amazing inspiration she is so I think I'd have been delighted either way, but I was just so excited and so touched. 

I remember walking up to the stage and being given my award, and then wanting to run away with it before anyone could take it off me and before too many photos were taken. And then hearing them read out the summary of the reasons why I'd been awarded it and thinking oh yes, actually I did do all of those things, and just feeling so immensely proud that I had achieved those things and that somebody thought that they were worthy of recognition. It was a such a fantastic feeling.

Q: What would you say to encourage people to nominate their friends and colleagues for the awards? 
I've been nominated, which was an amazing experience, but I've also nominated others and I'd say that they're equally rewarding. It's a great opportunity to recognise the things that you value in your colleagues and the achievements that we have made in this brilliant job. It's a fair amount of work, but I really think that it's so worthwhile to recognise people for the work that they do.


Q: How did you find TOPRA’s support during the awards process?
Whenever I had questions with regards to the process, TOPRA were really responsive and gave me quick answers that allowed us to keep moving forwards with the nominations. We received clear guidance which made it all really easy to do.