Deborah Rowland nominated for prestigious award 

News

The Deborah Rowland Scholarship is a huge point of pride for everyone at IWFM, so we’re delighted to congratulate Deborah on becoming a finalist for Champion of the Year at this year’s Social Mobility Awards (SOMOs). The nomination recognises her incredible work setting up the Deborah Rowland Scholarship Programme, which provides financial and mentoring support to individuals starting out in their WFM careers. 

Deborah, who is Director of Public Affairs at Sodexo, set out to help more individuals establish themselves within the WFM profession – the Scholarship was set up to cultivate the next generation of WFM leaders who are struggling to get the support they need to drive WFM career progress. Diagnosed with carcinoma of the thyroid at 21, which progressed in 2019, Deborah has created this Scholarship as her enduring legacy. 

The SOMOs celebrate those making a real impact in creating opportunities for people from less-advantaged socio-economic backgrounds across the UK – and it’s an honour to be recognised. 

We’ll be eagerly awaiting the announcement of the winner on Thursday 2nd October 2025.