Ambassador Theatre Group's Rosemary Squire named entrepreneur of the year

Rosemary Squire, the co-founder and joint chief executive of Ambassador Theatre Group, has been named UK entrepreneur of the year – the first woman ever to win the title.

She received the accolade at the EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2014 awards in London last night, and described it as an “enormous honour”.

“The arts – and particularly theatre – are too often overlooked as not making a significant contribution to the wider economy,” Squire said. “These awards, and ATG’s fantastic British success story, prove this is not the case.”

Earlier in the evening she also scooped the entrepreneur award in the private equity-backed category.

The EY Entrepreneur of the Year awards aims to celebrate “exceptional companies and leaders that display the confidence, quality and aspiration to grow and prosper.”

Squire – who has also topped the The Stage 100 for five consecutive years with her husband and business partner Howard Panter – will now go on to represent the UK at the World Entrepreneur of the Year awards in June next year.