National Women's Enterprise Day 2026 - Cavan Celebration
An inspiring evening celebrating women in enterprise across Cavan, featuring leadership stories, lived experience, and meaningful networking opportunities.
Event Details:
Date: Thursday 15th October 2026
Time: 6.00pm - 9.00pm (includes a finger buffet supper)
Venue: Farnham Estate Golf & Spa Resort, Cavan H12 H6Y8
Theme: "Her Enterprise, Her Impact - Cavan 2026"
One evening. Inspiring women. Powerful stories. Meaningful connections.
Join Cavan Women in Business Network and Local Enterprise Office Cavan for a very special evening celebrating the ambition, resilience and achievements of women in enterprise across County Cavan.
Hear from an exceptional line-up of women who are building businesses, leading organisations, embracing change and making an impact — in Cavan, throughout Ireland and beyond. Through honest stories and lived experience, our speakers will share the challenges they have faced, the lessons they have learned and the courage it takes to turn ideas and ambitions into reality.
Whether you are an established business owner, a woman in leadership, growing a new enterprise or simply exploring what might come next, this event will leave you inspired, encouraged and better connected.
There will also be plenty of time to meet other women in business, exchange ideas, build valuable relationships and enjoy a finger buffet supper in the beautiful surroundings of Farnham Estate Spa & Golf Resort.
Come along to celebrate how far women in enterprise have come — and the exciting impact we can create together.
Be inspired. Make connections. Celebrate success. And take your next step.
Guest Speakers:
Conor Craven, Head of Enterprise, LEO Cavan, hosting the event.
Niamh Smyth TD, Minister of State, Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment will officially launch the event
Keynote Speaker: Regina Bushell
Founder & Managing Director, Grovelands Childcare
"Making It Happen: Courage, Resilience and he Lessons Learned Along the Way"
We are delighted to welcome Regina Bushell as our keynote speaker for this year’s Cavan Women in Business Network & LEO Cavan’s celebration of National Women’s Enterprise Day.
Regina is an accomplished entrepreneur, business leader and longstanding advocate for Ireland’s early learning and childcare sector.
After opening a small preschool in Athlone, Regina went on to develop Grovelands Childcare the Midlands’ largest independent childcare organisations. Today, Grovelands employs more than 140 people across three counties and supports over 750 children and 1,450 parents each week.
Regina is President of Athlone Chamber of Commerce, a position she has held for three consecutive terms, and Founder and Chair of Seas Suas, the national representative organisation for independent early learning and childcare providers. She is also a Council member of Childhood Services Ireland IBEC and has contributed to numerous national forums and working groups.
Throughout her career, Regina has combined entrepreneurship with advocacy, championing quality, opportunity and sustainable employment while working to ensure that the voices of independent childcare providers are heard.
In her keynote address, “Making It Happen: Courage, Resilience and the Lessons Learned Along the Way,” Regina will share her personal and business journey—the courage it took to begin, the challenges and setbacks she encountered, the lessons she learned and the resilience and determination that helped her continue moving forward.
Regina’s honest and inspiring story promises to resonate with women at every stage of their business journey.
Making It Happen: A Conversation on Leadership, Growth and Impact
Stephanie Leonard, CEO of Kyte Powertech, and Sandra Thompson of I/O Agri will join facilitator Margaret McKeon-Boyle for an engaging conversation about their business journeys, the challenges and opportunities they have encountered, and the leadership lessons they have learned along the way.
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Stephanie Leonard
Chief Executive Officer, Kyte Powertech
“Making It Happen: Leadership, Growth and Navigating Change”
We are delighted to welcome Stephanie Leonard, Chief Executive Officer of Kyte Powertech, to this year’s Cavan Women in Business Network celebration of National Women’s Enterprise Day.
In a special in-conversation interview with event MC, Margaret McKeon-Boyle, Extensive PR, Stephanie will share the story of her career and her experience of leading one of Ireland’s foremost manufacturers of electrical distribution transformers—an international business headquartered here in County Cavan.
In 2020, Stephanie led the Kyte Powertech management team through a significant management buyout, securing the future of the Cavan operation and its workforce following a period of considerable uncertainty. Since then, the business has experienced substantial growth and has developed into a leading European manufacturer within its industry.
Today, Kyte Powertech employs almost 500 people and supplies electrical distribution transformers for critical energy and infrastructure projects across Ireland, the UK and mainland Europe. The company is playing an important role in supporting the transition to renewable energy and the growing demand for sustainable electrical infrastructure.
In 2024, Kyte Powertech entered another important chapter when it was acquired by the Swiss-based R&S Group. Stephanie and the company’s senior management team remained in place, continuing to lead the business from its Cavan headquarters and build on its strong record of growth, innovation and engineering excellence.
During this wide-ranging conversation, Stephanie will offer an honest and practical insight into what “Making It Happen” has meant throughout her career—from navigating uncertainty and making difficult decisions to managing change, building a strong team and leading a major international business.
She will also explore resilience, workplace culture, developing people and talent, and the importance of encouraging more women to pursue leadership roles and careers within manufacturing, engineering and other traditionally male-dominated sectors.
Stephanie’s experience promises to provide valuable lessons and practical advice for women who are building or growing a business, leading a team or taking the next step in their careers.
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Sandra Thompson – Award-Winning Co-Founder of IO Agri
Sandra Thompson, A Local Enterprise Office Cavan client, is an award-winning entrepreneur, innovator and Co-Founder of IO Agri — an ambitious Irish agri-climate technology company tackling one of the greatest challenges facing agriculture today.
Together with her co-founder, Shane O’Reilly, Sandra is developing pioneering technology that helps farmers and food producers reduce emissions without compromising productivity or profitability. IO Agri’s patented AgDAC™ technology captures livestock emissions at source and transforms them into valuable by-products that can support renewable energy production.
Sandra’s entrepreneurial journey has involved turning an innovative idea into a growing business, navigating the demands of a highly regulated industry and balancing the realities of business and family life. Along the way, she has learned the importance of resilience, adaptability, collaboration and having the confidence to keep pursuing an ambitious vision.
Supported by Local Enterprise Office Cavan, IO Agri represented the county at the National Enterprise Awards 2026, where the company won the prestigious National Innovation Award.
Sandra will share the honest story behind the business — from identifying a real-world problem to developing a solution with national and international potential — and the lessons she has learned while building an innovative, purpose-led company.
Margaret McKeon-Boyle - Event MC and Facilitator
The event will be hosted and facilitated by Margaret McKeon-Boyle, Founder and Managing Director of Extensive PR & Training and Coordinator of Cavan Women in Business Network on behalf of LEO Cavan
With more than 30 years’ experience in public relations, communications, training and event management, Margaret is passionate about connecting people and creating opportunities for businesses to learn, collaborate and grow.
Through her work with the CWBN network, she supports and promotes women in business throughout County Cavan and helps deliver its busy programme of events and initiatives.
Margaret will guide the evening’s conversations, introduce our speakers and ensure plenty of valuable insights — and a little fun — along the way.
