WESTMEATH TO CELEBRATE 20 YEARS OF NATIONAL WOMEN’S ENTERPRISE DAY
Female entrepreneurs and budding businesswomen from across the Midlands (Westmeath, Laois, Longford and Offaly) are being encouraged to get involved and register for this year’s National Women’s Enterprise Day in what will be the 20th year of the event after the lineup was announced.
The Local Enterprise Office (LEO) initiative will take place on Thursday 15th October with events scheduled across the country. There are 16 events nationwide and they feature a range of successful businesswomen, up and coming female entrepreneurs and amazing speakers in areas of sustainability, innovation, networking and marketing in what will be one of the biggest National Women’s Enterprise Day’s since its inception in 2006.
This years’ Midlands Regional event will be in The Village Barn, Tyrrellspass and will bring together some of the region's leading businesswomen, entrepreneurs and creative leaders for an inspiring morning focused on entrepreneurship, innovation, leadership and business growth. Hosted by Midlands 103 broadcaster Courtney Callaghan, the event will feature keynote speakers Fiona Matthews of Applegreen, Denise Buckley of Wholesome Kitchen and Sugar Plum Sweetery, Helen Conneely of Celtic Roots Studio, and Sarah Jane Foster of The RAW Network, who will share their insights on building successful businesses, supporting local enterprise, creativity, branding, innovation and empowering entrepreneurs across the Midlands and beyond.
Christine Charlton, Head of Enterprise, LEO Westmeath “For two decades, National Women’s Enterprise Day has been about more than one day of events. It has been about creating space for women in business to connect, learn, share their experiences and access the practical supports that can help them move forward with confidence.
“Across the Local Enterprise Office network, we see every day the ambition, creativity and resilience of women entrepreneurs in every county. Our role is to help turn that ambition into sustainable businesses through mentoring, training, funding, expert advice and connections. As we celebrate 20 years of NWED, we want to recognise the businesses that have been supported along the way and encourage even more women to take the next step, whether they are starting out, scaling up or looking to reach new markets.”
Some of those involved in the events across the country this year include beauty entrepreneurs Marissa Carter of Cocoa Brown and Jennifer Rock of the Skin Nerd, broadcasters and entrepreneurs Sonya Lennon and Anna Daly, wellness influencer Mirenda Rosenberg, Lauren Murphy founder of Oatco Superfuel recently funded by Dragon’s Den’s Steven Bartlett and health entrepreneur Oonagh O’Hagan.
The national launch by Minister Peter Burke took place at one of the event venues for this year, The Village Barn in Tyrellspass, County Westmeath. It featured a selection of LEO supported female led businesses including Denise Buckley of National Enterprise Award winners Sugar Plum Sweetery, Sandra Thompson of AgTech company I/O Agri, Christina Foley of wellness brand Inish Living, Mags Morgan of bridal brand Mizz Rio, Claire Morgan of McWilliam’s Bags and Áine Devlin of education software platform ExamRevision.
Peter Burke, T.D., Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, said: “National Women’s Enterprise Day is a hugely important date in the enterprise calendar. It is an opportunity to recognise the real progress that has been made in supporting women in business across Ireland. It is also a celebration of the ambition, innovation and resilience of female entrepreneurs who are building successful businesses in sectors from agtech and manufacturing to fashion and food.
“These are business leaders with the drive and confidence to grow beyond Ireland and compete on the global stage. As we look ahead, we must continue to ensure that women entrepreneurs have access to the supports, networks and opportunities they need to start, scale and succeed.”
This year’s events will cover a wide range of topics for women at every stage of business. That might be those who have an idea they want to develop or those who have been in business for a while and want to diversify or enter new markets. There will be experts in all areas involved from funding and networking to marketing and upskilling.
The Local Enterprise Offices also run a number of initiatives to foster entrepreneurship across the country. These include Local Enterprise Week, the National Enterprise Awards, the Student Enterprise Programme, the Local Enterprise Village and the National Ploughing Championships and Local Enterprise Showcase. The Local Enterprise Offices in local authorities are funded by the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment through Enterprise Ireland.
Established in 2014, the Local Enterprise Offices are the essential resource for any entrepreneur looking to start a business or any small business that is looking for support or advice to help them grow. Since their inception eleven years ago, the Local Enterprise Offices have helped create over 80,000 jobs across the country. The LEOs work with thousands of client companies across Ireland in a diverse range of sectors offering mentoring, training, expert advice and financial supports to small businesses.
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