The Daily Echo’s own Jo Richardson is up for two prizes in this year’s Venus Awards which celebrate women in business.

Promotions executive Jo has been shortlisted for the Heart Employee of the Year and the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Based at our offices in Redbridge, Jo is the ever-smiling face who promotes the Echo and its fellow Newsquest publications the Hampshire Chronicle, Romsey Advertiser, Basingstoke Gazette and Andover Advertiser plus their respective websites.

Jo does everything from organising events and awards ceremonies, like next week’s Curtain Call Awards, to arranging reader offers, competitions and selling papers at supermarkets. She even oversees the Find the Ball competition.

She is also chairman of the staff council and organises quarterly draw for Barnardo’s charity.

Jo, 51, said she was “honoured and surprised” to be shortlisted.

“I think I was nominated initially for this because of my passion and commitment for my job and the company I work for.

“I have been working for them for over 35 years I have worked in many different departments from a junior in advertising to sending out debt collection letters in accounts but I now work in Promotions and have done so for over 17 years, I love my job it is varied and very interesting – I get to work with many different people of all levels plus I get to see the many benefits of the projects I work on and raise lots of money for different charities through the events I organise.”

Jo joined the Echo straight from Redbridge School at the age of 16 and has never worked anywhere else.

Kerry Darwin, Newspaper Sales and Promotions Manager for Newsquest Hampshire, said: “Jo is an absolute delight to have on my team. She is dedicated, hard-working and always cheerful – a real people person.

“She would be very much deserving of these awards.”

The Employee of the Year award is one of two categories decided by a public vote ( the other is the Echo-backed Business Mother of the Year). To vote for Jo visit venusawards.co.uk/Southampton but hurry as voting closes at midnight on Tuesday (January 26).