Local Enterprise Office Dublin City Women in Business Networking Event

Brigit 2024: Dublin City Celebrating Women in Business 

Date: Thursday 1^st February 2024

Time:  12.00-14.00

Venue: The Oak Room, Mansion House, Dawson Street, Dublin 2

The Brigit 2024 festival is a Dublin City Council organised celebration of the contributions and achievements of women past and present and includes a city-wide programme highlighting the stories of Irish women through the ages, promoting their immense contribution to our society, and welcoming the beginning of Spring. The Lord Mayor of Dublin Daithi De Róiste will open this celebration of the achievements and contribution of women in business to the life of the city. The focus of this lunchtime event will be brief talks by innovative women in business in Dublin talking about their business stories so far followed by a panel discussion on key issues and tips for other women in business moderated by entrepreneur and broadcaster Aine Kerr:

• Deirdre O’Sullivan, Kays Flower School
• Richella Boggan, Sandown Business School
• Madeleine Blaine, Silver Works and The Collective
• Paola Shanahan, Irish Weddings in Italy

Each of these women has a fantastic story to tell and Aine Kerr will lead them in a discussion that will give insights into their businesses, their motivation and their future plans. Please see profiles below.

There will be opportunities for attendees to network with other attendees at this celebration of women in business.  The lunchtime event will take place in the Mansion House and tea/coffee and soup/sandwiches will be available.

Bookings have now closed but please email leodcwomeninbusiness@gmail.com if you'd like to attend.

Speaker Profiles:

 Moderator: Aine Kerr

Áine was Co-Founder and COO of Kinzen; a technology company helping platforms detect and disrupt misinformation and disinformation.
Previously, Áine led global journalism partnerships at Facebook based out of NYC. She was instrumental in helping to create and execute on the Facebook Journalism Project and led the creation of the News Integrity Initiative (NII).
Before Facebook, she spent five years at Storyful, where she served as head of content and political editor before being appointed managing editor in December 2011 at the time of the company’s acquisition by News Corporation. Áine spent over 7 years working as a political correspondent and news reporter with The Irish Times, The Irish Independent and The Irish Examiner.
Áine is a member of the Gaisce council; the organisation overseeing the President of Ireland’s Award, chair of Rethink Ireland (multimillion social impact fund) and chair of The Shona Project. She is also a member of the Irish Women’s Museum Advocacy Group that worked with Minister Catherine Martin on the creation of a process in 2023 to examine the establishment of a Women’s Museum.
In 2018, she graduated as a Fellow of the Sulzberger Leadership Program in Columbia University in New York City. She has a Bachelor of Education (B’ED) and a Masters of Journalism (MAJ) with Dublin City University [DCU].
She has certificates with Cornell University and Harvard University in financial accounting and project management, an Advanced Diploma in Leadership and Executive Coaching with Kingstown College and two Professional Diplomas in Management and Organisational Transformation with Institute of Management (IMI). She is currently completing a Masters in Business with UCC.

Named as part of ‘100 women changing Ireland in 2021’ – The Irish Examiner
Named as one of “Ireland’s rising stars: the 50 ones to watch in 2023” – The Irish Independent

Deirdre O’Sullivan, Kays Flower School

https://www.kaysflowerschool.com

Deirdre has a legacy of training florists across Ireland for 37 years and when the challenges of the COVID pandemic arose, Deirdre along with her Sister Janette  fearlessly transformed their traditional school into a virtual powerhouse, reaching enthusiasts globally.

Although Janette is the face of their online platform, & renowned for her authentic Irish charm and no-nonsense training approach. Deirdre is the organizational backbone and technical wizard supporting the duo. With a background in adult education, she meticulously designs their innovative floristry programs, ensuring every student receives a comprehensive and engaging learning experience.  Deirdre and Janette  have revolutionised the floral education landscape, bringing their wealth of experience and passion to the forefront of the global market

Richella Boggan, Sandown Business School

https://sandownbusinessschool.com

Richella Boggan is a sought-after Pro Talent Development Coach/Mentor for senior business leaders. As the co-founder of Sandown Business School, Richella is creating a vibrant community of elite accredited coaches. With her innovative SAS Coaching Map, she's redefining the coaching approach to align with the complexities of our changing world. Richella's expertise in supervision is highly desired among leading coaches globally. Trained as an economist, she explored Interpersonal Neurobiology, Nutritional Therapy, and Applied Neuroscience and is expected to begin her PhD in Neuroscience by spring 2024. She's also an accredited Emotional Intelligence assessor. With the experience of building and selling three prosperous companies, and a 20-year tenure in global FMCG corporations at C-suite levels, she knows the intricacies of the corporate world. But what distinguishes Richella is her brave career shift, breaking societal norms to pursue her true passion for Coach Training.

Madeleine Blaine, Silver Works and The Collective

https://thecollectivedublin.ie/ 

Madeleine Blaine is the managing director of Silver Works and The Collective, both based on Drury Street in Dublin city centre. The Collective is a retailer of over 30 Irish and 5 European jewellery, gift and home accessories brands. A hub of beautiful, design led creations, at affordable prices. Madeleine's own jewellery brand - Gallardo & Blaine Designs, is also displayed within these walls. Silver Works runs short courses and classes in jewellery making. Best known for the award winning 2 hour " Forge a silver ring " class of which around 14 classes run a week and attract both Irish and tourists alike. Being such a fun class, and having over 3000 5 star reviews between Air B n B and Google, the class also attracts a lot of private, group events such as team building and hen parties and often ventures out to offsite venues as well. The other very popular class is " Make your own wedding ring" of which around 4 classes  are run a month. The couple make their own wedding bands and can have diamonds set in them afterwards. All 3 businesses work very well together and take over this beautiful, well preserved building in the heart of Dublin's creative quarter." 

Paola Shanahan, Irish Weddings in Italy

https://www.irishweddingsinitaly.ie/bio

Lord Mayor of Dublin Daithi De Róiste
Councillor Daithí de Róiste was elected the 355th Lord Mayor of Dublin at the Annual Meeting of Dublin City Council held on 26th June 2023 in the Council Chamber of City Hall. Councillor Claire O’Connor was elected the Deputy Lord Mayor. 

Daithí was born and raised in Ballyfermot, Dublin. He is the son of Michael and Catherine Roche and he has one sister, Emma. He is married to Amy de Róiste since 2016. A member of Fianna Fáil, he was elected to Dublin City Council (DCC) in 2014 at the age of 26 and was subsequently re-elected in 2019, representing the Ballyfermot/Drimnagh local electoral area. 

He is a member of DCC Strategic Policy Committees (SPC’s) on Finance and Planning and a member of the Citywide Joint Policing Committee since 2014. He is also a member of the budget consultative group of the Council. 

Councillor De Róiste graduated with a degree in History from University College Dublin and a Masters in Public Affairs from DIT (TUD). He has worked in marketing and communications for over a decade. He has been actively involved in his community since he was a teenager: leading young first aid groups, supporting Irish language youth clubs and GAA clubs, serving on the board of a local primary school, and campaigning on local issues such as suicide prevention. He is the honorary President of Ballyfermot United.