Essex business woman wins at national awards

Business News: Carbon Numbers

Caroline Fright, Managing Director and Co-Founder of Essex-based energy performance company Carbon Numbers, has been awarded ‘Gold’ in the ‘Best Green Business’ category at the 2025 Best Business Women Awards. She also received a silver award as a finalist for ‘Best Business Woman in Business Services’, recognising her leadership, innovation and impact in the sustainability sector.

Now in their 11th year, the Best Business Women Awards celebrate exceptional female entrepreneurs from across the UK; those who combine innovation, resilience and commercial success with a commitment to making a difference in their sector or community. This year’s gala ceremony, held at the Daventry Court Hotel, saw Caroline recognised not only for the environmental impact, but also for her advocacy and leadership as a woman in a traditionally male-dominated field.

The judging panel commended Caroline as a “superb example of practising what you preach”, highlighting her “commendable focus on female engineer developers”, and the business’s transparency and performance through innovation. Judges also noted her leadership in accelerating Net Zero strategies.

Carbon Numbers

Founded in 2012 by Caroline and her husband Neil, Carbon Numbers is a Colchester-based business that helps organisations reduce energy consumption, achieve measurable carbon savings and build smarter, more sustainable environments. The company is female-led and values-driven, and it has already been recognised by industry bodies – including the BCIA, IWFM and Ambitious Essex – for innovation and impact in the built environment.

The company has delivered over £45 million in verified energy savings to clients across various sectors, including global retailers, universities, healthcare and financial services.

Celebrating success

Speaking after the win, Caroline said: “This was one of the highlights of my career. To be recognised on a national stage among so many inspiring female entrepreneurs is incredibly humbling. Winning the ‘Best Green Business’ award is a testament to the brilliant team behind Carbon Numbers that I am proud to lead. To be a finalist in both categories demonstrates the recognition the judges had for the pioneering energy-saving and carbon reduction services we provide for our customers.

“At Carbon Numbers, we are focused on innovation and attracting new talent to our industry. The development of people is as important as the development of solutions. I know the challenges that still exist for women in engineering and energy – but I also see the opportunities. We’re creating space for people to succeed.”

Debbie Gilbert, Founder of the Best Business Women Awards, said: “Each of our winners are exceptional women who demonstrate innovation, vision and a deep commitment to excellence. Caroline’s passion for sustainability, her impact on carbon reduction and her leadership in bringing more women into engineering make her a worthy winner and a role model in her field.”