Over 400 attend National Women’s Enterprise Day
By William O'Connor
THE largest-ever event for National Women’s Enterprise Day (NWED) in the country saw over 400 female entrepreneurs attend the Dublin Region event.
The theme for this year’s event was “Making It Happen” in what is NWED’s 13th year, run by the LEOs nationwide and supported by Enterprise Ireland, with funding from the Government of Ireland.
Niamh Sherwin Barry (Director of Irish Fairy Door Company), Julia Melia (Enterprise Ireland), Amanda Mills (Senior Enterprise Development Officer, LEO South Dublin), Minister of State for Trade, Employment, Business, EU Digital Single Market and Data Protection Pat Breen TD, Cllr Emer Higgins, Jessica Conlon (Co Founder of Twigs) and Tom Rooney (Head of Enterprise, LEO South Dublin)
An initiative of the Local Enterprise Offices (LEO), the event was opened by Pat Breen TD, Minister of State for Trade, Employment, Business, EU Digital Single Market and Data Protection, in the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Blanchardstown.
The Dublin NWED event was funded by the LEOs in the Dublin Region and Enterprise Europe Network.
The event has grown year on year with 17 events taking place across the country and over 1,700 female entrepreneurs attending.
This growth in popularity has been reflected in the national growth in female entrepreneurship.
There was an 18 per cent increase in female entrepreneurs taking LEO training programmes last year as almost 22,000 female entrepreneurs engaged with their LEO on supports in 2018.
Some of Ireland’s best-known female entrepreneurs shared their experience at the event.
These included; Caroline Keeling, CEO of Keelings; Siobhan Murray, author and resilience coach; Krissy Gibson, CEO of Take the Cake; Niamh Sherwin-Barry, Director of the Irish Fairy Door Company in Clondalkin and Melanie Boylan, Director of STOMP Social Media Training.
A line-up of female business panellists also featured, Jo Harpur, CEO of Jo Harpur Jewellery; Emer Cleary, Founder of Emu Ink Publishing; Aimée Madden, CEO of Clinishift; Jessica Conlon, Founder of Twigs in Killinarden; and Jenny Melia, Business Development Manager at Enterprise Ireland.
The Dublin Region NWED Ambassador for 2019 was Ann McGee, Director of MIAS Pharma.
Deputy Pat Breen said: “It is important for Ireland as a country that there should be a far greater participation of females in our entrepreneurial landscape and it is very positive to see the stats moving in the right direction.
“Events like National Women’s Enterprise Day play a key role in continuing that momentum.
“Ireland has a marvellous entrepreneurial culture that is evident across the world and we need more females to become part of the journey.
“Today is about celebrating those who have already done it and encouraging others to take the first step.
“I would encourage all budding female entrepreneurs to contact their Local Enterprise Office and check out the range of supports that are available.”
