Bundoran student and business founder Katie McGloin has won a place among the top female role models in Ireland. 

The 18-year-old was named as Young Entrepreneur of the Year at the inaugural Irish Women’s Awards 2019 last night.

Katie is the founder of K.T. Clothing Co., Ireland’s first gender neutral clothing brand. The company began as Katie’s TY mini company in 2016. Since then, Katie has been an advocate for youth empowerment and gender equality and has won numerous awards.

The Magh Ene College student took a break from her Leaving Cert studies to attend the inaugural Irish Women’s Awards 2019 in Dublin, which welcomed over 200 guests in an exclusive celebration dedicated to women.

The awards ceremony aimed to showcase the contribution of women to various industries and professions such as Law, Medicine, Technology, Arts, Sport, Education and many more.

A Spokesperson for the Irish Women’s Awards 2019, said: “We are delighted to have acknowledged successful women from across Ireland who have managed to stand out among the rest in their profession. It is a pleasure to see that empowered women, empower women and this memorable ceremony highlighted exactly that.”

The Irish Women’s Awards sparked controversy last week when a Derry businesswoman was removed from the finals because she lives in Northern Ireland.

Bubblebum founder and CEO Grainne Kelly was told there had been a mistake in her nomination after she didn’t hear from the company before the event. She was told by awards company Creative Oceanic that only Republic of Ireland residents could participate and a separate ceremony for women in the North will take place this year.