Photos: Jenny Callanan Photography
International Women’s Day was celebrated early by Network Ireland Louth who, together with Local Enterprise Office Louth, held a joint event during Local Enterprise Week. The event took place on Thursday March 5th in the Gateway Hotel Dundalk and was entitled “From Start Up to Scale Up”, celebrating women in business at every stage of their journey.
The evening was hosted by Geraldine Johnston, founder of Boyne Communications, and was opened by Cathaoirleach of Louth County Council Councillor Sean Kelly.
The programme featured two panel discussions. The first outlined the key supports available to female entrepreneurs while the second panel brought together four female founders at different stages of their businesses who shared their entrepreneurial stories with the audience.
Enterprise Ireland was represented by Sarah Mallon who spoke about the Shared Island Enterprise Scheme. Lavinia McGahon from Dundalk Institute of Technology Regional Development Centre gave details of the Thrive for Women Programme. Denise McQuaid of Awaken Hub and Awaken Angels told the audience that 2% of funding globally goes to solely women founded businesses but their mission is to change this and try to ensure every founder’s journey is equitable. Grainne McKeown from LEO Louth outlined the business advice, mentorship, supports and training courses available from their office.
The four female founders who took part were Joan McCann of The Code Lab, Orla Drumgoole of Irish Mammy Cooks, Grace O’Shaughnessy of Brodericks and Cathy Chiduza of Holistic Healthcare Ireland. They spoke about their journeys into business, having first followed different career paths before starting their own ventures.
Each of the speakers spoke about balancing family life with their careers and the passion they have for the work they now do. Their stories were described as both enlightening and encouraging for the women in the audience, with Grace O’Shaughnessy reminding those present that they “have a right to be at the table and have the right to win”.
Nikki Campbell, Head of Enterprise with LEO Louth, encouraged those attending to contact the office to explore the supports available to them. Pauline Clarke, President of Network Ireland Louth, also spoke about the strong sense of community within the organisation and encouraged women to join the network to benefit from its supports.
Network Ireland is a progressive organisation supporting the professional and personal development of women. With more than 1,200 members and a strong nationwide presence, the group hosts regular events, workshops and networking opportunities that promote empowerment and leadership for women in business.
The organisation welcomes new members at all stages of their careers, whether they are established businesswomen or just beginning their entrepreneurial journey.
Anyone interested in joining can find more information at www.networkireland.ie and select the option to become a member.
