WHEN Dr Lesley Sawers stepped up to accept the Evening Times award for Scots Businesswoman of the Year last month, one woman in the audience was clapping harder than anyone else her mum May.
And May couldn't hold back the tears when Lesley went on to tell all these high profile women at the Scotswoman of the Year awards just how much she owed to her mum.
The normally cool and collected first woman chief executive of Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, formerly a Royal Mail and ScottishPower executive, and hailed as a role model for women in business, was on the verge of tears as she said: "My mum has been my role model, my mentor and the best friend a girl could ever have.
"She brought up a family of three, held down a full-time job and instilled in us those values of hard work and achievement."
Meeting the two of them in Lesley's West End home this week, it is obvious how close they are. There is a lot of laughter and a lot of reminiscing.
They are both good-looking women. Lesley, who takes up her new post as head of the Scottish Council Development and Industry in mid-March, must have a Dorian Gray portrait in the attic.
It's easy to see where Lesley gets her looks from - May is immaculately turned out and still attractive at 74 with sparkling blue eyes and a dazzling smile.
The importance of looking good is something she always instilled in her daughter.
Both happen to be dressed in black. "We tend to wear the same colours," says Lesley. "Blacks, browns and creams - and if we are going out together we usually ring up first to make sure we are not wearing the same thing."
Both are great talkers. Most days, they can be on the phone to each other for an hour.
Lesley says: "My husband, Alan, asks what on earth do you find to talk about for all that time?' We don't know.
"When I have major issues, she is the first person I would call. Knowing you have this anchor is important."
May remains a pivotal figure in all her children's lives even though Elisa, a former air hostess and now primary teacher and a mum of two teenage boys, lives in England, while Johnny, who has a baby daughter, has two dental labs in Canada.
"I think mum is a very warm person, but she is also very strong and very dependable and is the person within the family everyone turns to for guidance and support," says Lesley.
So how do you bring up a daughter who seems to have effortlessly broken through the glass ceiling?
As a child, Lesley, who was born in the East End and grew up in Cumbernauld, took it for granted that her mum held down a job in retail - she was area manager for half Scotland - and yet managed to run a happy home and family.
"You lead by example," says May. "I was brought up to learn that if you put the work in you get results and I think my husband came from the same kind of family.
"You had to do the best you could at school and at home and there were ground rules."
"You knew what was acceptable and what wasn't," says Lesley. "But there were never any barriers to what you could achieve."
She grew up in a creative home. Her father John, a railway signalling engineer who rose to become a contracts manager, painted and sculpted and the family attended theatre workshops.
May smiles and says: "We always insisted we ate together and we played together, even when we were all busy."
Lesley adds: "It was about realising education was the key and that would take you on to greater things."
May then points out: "We never set out what we wanted them to do. We set out to show them what you COULD do."
The family still chuckle about mum's notes'.
Lesley says: "Mum would put up weekly memos on the fridge with sayings she liked and these have stuck with us, like You'll never find an opportunity if you're looking for a lucky break'."
Her mum protests: "It was to give them a wee bit of inspiration when they were doing exams."
May and John are hugely proud of Lesley, the first of the family to go to university.
"It was something special for us," says May. "That was the pinnacle of achievement at that time, but after that it was always something else.
"Her dad keeps saying what next with this girl?' She's always thinking ahead."
May recalls only one period when they worried about her.
At the time, Lesley was working long hours as a management consultant in London and studying half the night for her PhD.
"I know it wasn't easy. She burned a lot of midnight oil. We tried to go up and down as often as we could and kept encouraging her," says May.
"But deep down we knew her strength of character would pull her through. If she starts something, she'll finish it.
"She won't let anyone down. She would not let herself down."
Lesley smiles across at May as she says: "Mum is my inspiration. She had a career at a time when there were not all the supports there are now, either at home or for child care.
"A lot of mum's generation blazed the trail and that is why I think the next generation has a responsibility to make sure they make the most of these opportunities.
"But I think you enjoyed working, mum."
May nods as she says: "On the mornings I went out to work I used to say I was a lucky person because I was going out to do something I loved and I was leaving my home that I loved.
"I did stop work for two years when Johnny was a baby, but I couldn't stand it. I needed something of my own. I would not have survived without it."
Lesley says they all loved Wednesdays, her mum's day off.
"We rushed home from school because there were freshly baked scones and she had been out to get our comics, the Judy for me, the Jackie for Elisa, and the Dandy and Beano for Johnny."
May laughs as she says: "I went through the family albums last week and I thought what a happy family we are'. But I wouldn't like anyone to think we were the Waltons, because we didn't think we were."
She also found an old Mother's Day card from Lesley and Johnny, which was prophetic. It said: Mother, some day I am going to do something really important to make you proud of me'.
