Celebrity hair stylist Candy Shaw, owner of Atlanta’s 50-chair, 5,000-square-foot Jamison Shaw Hairdressers and CEO and founder of Sunlights Balayage, was named both "Female Entrepreneur of the Year" and "Woman of the Year" in the Women Helping Women category by the 2017 Women in Business & The Professions World Awards at a black-tie, red carpet awards ceremony in San Francisco on June 26. The Awards are sponsored by Silicon Valley.

Fondly referred to as "The Balay Lama," Shaw is credited with starting today’s balayage revolution and regarded among the world’s authorities on balayage education. She has nurtured thousands of stylists, predominately women, during her illustrious career. Her three-year-old company, Sunlights Balayage, offers balayage products and education. 

With more than 35 years' experience, Shaw started Sunlights with two goals in mind. First, she wanted to significantly increase the productivity of stylists (in the U.S., 84% are women) by helping them work "smarter not harder." Second, she aimed to significantly decrease hairdressing's environmental impact. Today Sunlights is available in eight countries.

Shaw has had an eventful year. In addition to these latest honors, she was named "Maverick of the Year," her business was awarded "Start-Up of the Year" at Cosmoprof’s Beauty Pitch and early this year she was the 2017 recipient of the Jerry Gordon Salon Business Leadership Award.