National Women’s Enterprise Day celebrated by local female entrepreneurs

‘From local to global’ was the theme for this year’s National Women’s Enterprise Day (NWED) which was celebrated by over 80 local business women at an event in Faithlegg House Hotel on Thursday October 18th.   The event, in its twelfth year, was organised by the Local Enterprise Office Waterford to celebrate female entrepreneurs from across the county through highlighting female entrepreneurs who have taken their ideas and turned them into success stories.

Those attending the NWED event welcomed the opportunity to hear from female entrepreneurs from the region as well as further afield. Guest speakers, including Gina London ex CNN anchor, journalist Jennifer O’Connell and Frances Roche of Training for Success, kept the audience enthralled with all acknowledging that events such as this are an important platform for aspiring female entrepreneurs where they can learn from experienced businesswomen. The panel discussion made up of Sinead Quealy (Virtual Vet); Bebhinn McGrath (Bebhinn); Claire Brennan (Parolla) and Saskia Kremer (Saskia) gave inspired and motivational stories on their business journey and advice on how women can make it in the business world.

Jacqui Gaule, Senior Enterprise Development Officer (LEO), said; “National Women’s Enterprise Day is a key milestone for Local Enterprise Offices around the country. Since it started twelve years ago, the popularity of NWED has grown and every year we have more female success stories in business to highlight. The events are as important as ever, as they connect female entrepreneurs and give them the opportunity to learn from each other and share business challenges and solutions. For any female entrepreneurs in business or starting one up, our advice is to come and talk to the team at the Local Enterprise Office and we will quickly put you on a path to the right enterprise supports. Just start conversation with your Local Enterprise office and we can guide you from there.”

In 2017, the Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) played a key role in supporting female entrepreneurs at all stages of their business journey. Over 18,500 female entrepreneurs took part in LEO-led training, mentoring and networking programmes, while the Local Enterprise Offices provided direct funding to 280 female-led businesses in 2017. Over 14,500 female entrepreneurs have already received training or mentoring through their Local Enterprise Office this year alone.

The National Women’s Enterprise Day initiative is led by the 31 Local Enterprise Offices nationwide and funded by the Government of Ireland, in partnership with Enterprise Ireland and Local Authorities.

Further details on the supports available to female entrepreneurs in Waterford are available from www.LocalEnterprise.ie/waterford or by contacting the Local Enterprise Office at 0761 10 2905 or by email to info@leo.waterfordcouncil.ie

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