Deb Leary from Staffordshire was named British Female Inventor of the Year 2005.

Deb won the award for the Forensic Anti-Contamination Stepping Plate, which she pioneered and developed, to allow forensic investigators to examine crime scenes in detail without disturbing vital evidence.

Deb‘s clear polycarbonate plastic stepping plates also enable officers to see the crime scene more easily than other alternatives on the market and are lightweight and stackable. Deb had the idea for the Stepping Plate whilst attending a conference in the USA with her husband Richard, then a police Chief Inspector.

Deb Leary, “It was a simple idea but I knew I could make it work and, more importantly, that it was needed,” she explained. Deb is Managing Director of award-winning forensic investigation company Forensic Pathways and said too many women were guilty of succumbing to ‘imaginary barriers’ which prevent them achieving business success and is urging women entrepreneurs to have ‘Courage in their convictions’.

"The simple truth is that to a large extent the only barriers holding back women from being successful are the ones in their own heads and how these illusionary barriers get there is a complex issue,” says Deb.

"If you have a good, marketable idea, and the belief and commitment to follow it through there is absolutely no reason why it shouldn¹t be successful ­ that is what I did and what I continue to do on a daily basis.

You have to be prepared to work extremely hard but having the courage of your convictions is nine tenths of the battle won.

I always had belief that I was doing something worthwhile that would be a success ­ the fact that I was a woman and a mother with no experience of manufacturing did not come into the equation.

I had to make sacrifices to follow my belief but that is no different to any other person striving to achieve success in business. Success cannot be gained without compromise.

I operate in a male dominated world but this has never presented me with any problems because I do not let it happen. Four years on, I have proved that believing in what you are doing is the number one indicator to success.

Also, having a philosophy of ‘things don’t go wrong, they go different’, ensures that I am comfortable in decision making.”

For more information about products and services available from Forensic Pathways visiting the www.forensic-pathways.com