The Cat’s Mother has honoured Olivia Hobbs with its annual Cat’s Mother Of The Year Award.
The not-for-profit music industry mentoring and networking service co-founded in 2019 by Natalie Wade MBE hosted its annual gathering last night (November 4) at St. Clement, 180 The Thames in London. It brought together senior and established women from across the music industry to celebrate another successful year for the network.
Hobbs, founding & managing director of independent artist strategy and music marketing agency Blackstar, was presented with the gong by Claudia Winkleman.
She was chosen as this year’s recipient in recognition of her long-standing support and advocacy, helping The Cat’s Mother create connections and opportunities for young women pursuing careers in the music industry.
Hobbs, who won the Entrepreneur Of The Year award at the Music Week Women In Music Awards 2021, joins a roll call of previous recipients including Emma Banks, Sonia Diwan and Abi Leland.
I’m proud to be part of a network that gives its time so generously
Olivia Hobbs
Celebrating her win, Hobbs said: “Being named Cat’s Mother Of The Year means a huge amount to me. I support this work because access to a career in music should never depend on who you already know or whether you can afford to get started. Having someone take you seriously and share their experience can make an enormous difference.
“The Cat’s Mother turns that support into something practical for young women finding their way into the industry. I’m proud to be part of a network that gives its time so generously. Those of us already working in music have a responsibility to make it easier for others to find their place.”
Highlights from The Cat’s Mother network’s 2026 include: its first major fundraising dinner for International Women’s Day in March; a collaborative event with Universal Music Group UK Women’s Network, Universal Locked, which put the spotlight on some of the lesser-known but essential roles within the music industry; and the Not Just London series, which brought events to Nottingham, Manchester and Leeds.
The Cat’s Mother was also named Official Charity Partner of the Music Week Awards 2026, providing an opportunity to encourage wider industry support and investment in the network. At the Music Week Women In Music Awards last month, CAA’s Summer Marshall highlighted the network and the importance of mentoring during her acceptance speech for the Live Music Inspiration award, which resulted in 36 new mentor sign-ups.
Sara Lord and Charlotte-Anne Myler, co-chairs of The Cat’s Mother Network, added in a joint statement: “We are so excited to be honouring and thanking these exceptional women from across the industry for the fourth year running and Olivia is a wonderful role model of how the industry supports us.
“It has been a superb 2026 for The Cat’s Mother. From our first fundraising event in March, to being chosen as the charity partner for this year’s Music Week Awards, to our continued relationship with Amazon Music, and most importantly seeing consistent, repeatable success with the young women who use our service.”
PHOTO: (L-R) Charlotte Anne Myler, Olivia Hobbs, Natalie Wade, Sara Lord, Claudia Winkleman
CREDIT: Tina Korhonen
