The Women’s Enterprise Steering Group is a coalition of organisations dedicated to supported women’s enterprise in the UK and around the world.
Formed to share insight, knowledge and expertise, the Group is invaluable in identifying key areas to focus on during Women’s Enterprise Day (17 November 2010).
The Partners
Alex Ritchie, Enterprise UK (Chair of the Steering Group)
Alex has been working with entrepreneurs and SMEs for eleven years and has a background in business support for SMEs and start-ups, women’s enterprise and business support to disadvantaged and under-represented groups. Alex joined EUK in 2006 to head up the Women’s Enterprise campaign, where she created and managed the Girls! Make Your Mark Ambassador programme and national awards scheme, profiling positive female role models to young women and girls. She also led a team to co-ordinate Spark, the National Women’s Enterprise Ambassador Network, on behalf of BIS and the RDAs. In 2009 she led the team that won a Special Recognition award from GWIIN for ‘building the capacity of innovative women within the Ambassadors programme’. Last year Alex moved across to head up a new area of work developed to tip those closer to start-up and those under-represented in enterprise into being entrepreneurial in the short term. Alex sits on the advisory board for Astia, a global organisation for high-growth, women-led businesses and has been training as an executive and corporate coach having coached and mentored start-up entrepreneurs and others helping them achieve their business and personal goals.
Giulia Corinaldi recently joined the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women as Project Manager for the “Mentoring Women in Business” project. The Foundation works to provide women entrepreneurs with access to business development support, technology, finance and networks. The Foundation’s mission is to strengthen the capacity of women entrepreneurs in countries where they lack equal opportunities so they can grow their businesses and become greater contributors to their economies. Working in partnership with Google, Giulia is currently developing an e-mentoring programme where experienced businessmen and women mentor women entrepreneurs from low and middle income countries. Giulia previously worked for TIE UK, as the Chapter Manager where she was responsible for launching two new mentoring programmes in the UK. Giulia holds a Masters degree in International Politics from SOAS.
Dr Rebecca Harding, founder and managing director of Delta Economics and the World Entrepreneur Society, is an academic researcher, a business economist and an entrepreneur. Amongst other things she has been a Senior Lecturer at the University of Sussex, a Senior Research Fellow at London Business School, Global and UK Director of the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM), an Associate Director of Research at Deloitte and the Work Foundation’s Chief Economist. She was Specialist Adviser to the Treasury Select Committee and Chief Economic Adviser to the All Party Parliamentary Group on Entrepreneurship. She is author of nine books and over 150 reports and refereed articles. Her research has influenced policy and thinking about enterprise, most recently through her input into the Women’s Enterprise Task Force and the Women’s Enterprise Centre of Expertise in the West Midlands. In 2008 she was awarded the Prowess Women’s Researcher of the Year award.
Sabila Din is the founder and CEO of Din Consultants – Growth and Marketing practitioners – who provide Corporates and Entrepreneurs, with experienced support to accelerate and realise growth plans in domestic and global markets. Wealth management sector is a key focus and Din Consultants has worked with a number of the major global banks. Sabila also works with entrepreneurs, helping shape their ideas for investment raising and growth. Prior to starting Din Consultants, Sabila was Commercial and Marketing Director for ABN AMRO, Asia – a retail bank start-up. Her early career was in the marketing and advertising sector, where she helped to build and manage JWT Dialog (Hongkong). She was also board director of CDP (UK) and part of the Streets Financial communications team in the UK. She is also in the process of setting up her first collaborative venture targetting the female economy.
Sandy Plange leads Enterprising Women, a community of over 7,000 women in enterprise, seeking specialist business and growth support in the UK. From industry conferences to stakeholder best practice seminars, Sandy delivers presentations raising awareness of the importance of women’s enterprise and its contribution to UK GVA. Her focuses include the creation and delivery of a wide range of project management, marketing, networking and new business development activities and CRM. This has delivered excellent results, demonstrated through the continuing national growth of the community by this under-represented enterprise group. Sandy is an active member of the East of England Women in Enterprise steering group, a member of the East of England BME Taskforce and its BMEs in Enterprise sub group. Sandy is also one of Enterprising Women’s mentors, currently mentoring women new to enterprise.
Etta Cohen founded Forward Ladies in 2000 as a small group of professional women who met and shared their experiences. The mission of Forward Ladies is to promote and celebrate the engagement and participation of women in economic success by enabling women to be more confident in life and business through knowledge, contacts, support and friendship. Since the initial launch in 2000 it has grown to become the North’s largest women’s networking and business support organisation. With a database of over 11,000 women across Yorkshire, the Humber and M62 corridor Etta, truly is the queen of business networking.
Bola Olabisi, GWIIN
Bola Olabisi, LLM, FRSA, is the Executive Director of European Union Women Inventors & Innovators Network (EUWIIN) and CEO of the UK based Global Women Inventors & Innovators Network (GWIIN) covering various regions in Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America. She is also the Vice President of the British Association of Women Entrepreneurs (BAWE). Bola sits on the European Commission’s Network of Women in Decision making in Brussels to assist with the promotion of women’s empowerment and gender balance in decision making positions. She continues to work to build opportunities for creative and innovative women in the workplace, at home, in the business context and in learning environments. She is a longstanding Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and a Senior TED Fellow. In 2008, Bola was awarded The International Alliance for Women (TIAW) World of Difference Award in recognition for her efforts to advance the economic empowerment of women locally, regionally and worldwide. Bola works with Government departments, industry experts, voluntary organisations, enterprises and educational departments in finding effective ways of bringing the support, assistance, tools, advice and information that assist innovative women in achieving significant growth in their businesses.
Gill is Consultant Director of the Women’s Business Centre, the first purpose built Women’s Business Centre in the UK, which was launched by Stephen Timms in May 2008. The centre has held Prowess Flagship quality standard for 7 years and in 2009 won Flagship of the year making it the best provider of women’s enterprise start up support in the country. The centre won its award because of its innovative use of coaching and NLP with the most disadvantaged and diverse clients. Gill set up the support and supervises the award winning team of coaches and trainers. Gill recently completed her Masters Degree in Counselling and Psychotherapy (Distinction), which researched the fine line between coaching and counselling. She is accredited to the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy and is a Certified Trainer of NLP. She delivers a range of personal development workshops and trainings to business women and men.
Alli Price, mum of two and Aussie living in London, is founder of Motivating Mum, a business offering support and advice to Mumpreneurs and those just setting up. Initially a coach, helping mums in every stage of motherhood, Alli quickly realised how isolating it was to work from home whilst looking after a child. So she developed the Businessmums’ Networking Lunches, attended by over 500 mums, as well as peer-to-peer business support sessions, Brainstorm in a Teacup. Alli has just launched a nationwide mentoring database, providing Mumpreneurs the opportunity to get business advice from other mums that are experts in their field. Motivating Mum also offers articles and features, an online forum and opportunities for mums to learn about diary and event management. Alli’s aim is to help Mumpreneurs achieve their business dreams and she continues to do this even with a newborn baby!
Heidi Mallace is a Director at Project Associates which she joined in 2004. Her focus is on creating and implementing the company’s Marketing strategy as well as managing HR and servicing select clients. Heidi is an ambassador for Project Associates and builds and maintains the business’s extensive network, which includes leading individuals from the worlds of business, media, law and politics. She has also managed and coordinated a number of high profile events and campaigns. She was previously at Brunswick Financial PR and its sister company Merchant, a corporate design consultancy. Whilst at Brunswick Heidi worked on accounts including Camelot, Mothercare and Selfridges. Heidi is a Council Member of the Media Society.
Cally Robson is Founder of She’s Ingenious! an online network and library of resources for women developing and taking innovative product and businesses to market. Grown out of her career in the media and product development, developing her own crockery product, her role in e-commerce and web marketing since the 90s and a workshop and coaching partnership with the British Library’s Business & IP Centre since 2006, Cally’s mission with is to create more successful women entrepreneurs with profitable, scaleable businesses built around their natural ingenuity and talents. Cally is also a recently appointed Portfolio Director to innovative high-growth companies in Oxfordshire, working for the SEEDA-funded South East Business Innovation & Growth initiative. Cally is a member of the International Coach Federation, a Fellow of the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA), and nominee for a First Women Award 2010 for her pioneering work in business services.
Elizabeth Varley is a communicator and entrepreneur with a background in technology, content and events. She is currently launching TechHub collaboration spaces around the world for technology entrepreneurs, starting in London. Elizabeth has also worked with small business advice site Smarta, with Germination on the SHINE unconference for social entrepreneurs, and heads the team for Twestival London. For six years from 2001 she ran Online Content UK, an editorial and content agency and has previously been a judge at GeeknRolla, the Association of Online Publishers Awards, the Information Management Awards and sat on the London College of Communication’s Digital Media Advisory Forum. Elizabeth is committed to supporting the wider technology industry and was one of the founding steering committee members of the DigitalEve women in technology organisation in the UK. In 2002 she was a consultant on ITbeat with e-skills UK – a project to encourage girls to get involved in IT and new media.
Sue is the Chief Executive Officer of WEConnect Europe and is responsible for its overall development. WEConnect Europe is the leading global supplier diversity initiative spearheading the connection of women-owned business and multinational corporations. It is Europe’s leading advocate of women-owned businesses as suppliers to global and national corporations and government bodies. Sue is the primary contact for corporate membership and is a member of the WEConnect International development team. She has extensive experience in enterprise development and has worked within the UK, the USA and Central America. She has an MA Human Resource Management, an MA Social Enterprise Management and is a Chartered Member of the Institute of People Management. Sue is also a Visiting Fellow at the Small Business Research Centre at Kingston University.
Fiona Davies, WiRE
Fiona Davies is Growth Manager at WiRE - the only national UK organisation to promote, support and develop rural businesswomen. It serves its 2000 members across the UK by offering members a package of practical business services including: WiRE Local Network Groups which offer the chance to network and do business with like-minded women, a glossy magazine with a readership of 20,000, monthly e-newsletters and countless marketing opportunities. Fiona is responsible for commercial development on behalf of WiRE & Members, continued development of the website, e-commerce, publicity and marketing, milestone member events – conference, trade mission, road shows and events and contract development and delivery. Fiona has been managing WiRE Growth for the last year and has been with WiRE since its inception. She has considerable marketing and PR experience and has the advantage of having run her own business.
Julie launched Women Unlimited, the UK’s fastest growing organisation focused on supporting women business owners in September 2008 following 8 years running her own business, Springmedia, a boutique design agency based in south west London. Julie’s background and experience on the internet has enabled her to quickly build a loyal customer base of female entrepreneurs who wish to share their knowledge and expertise with other business owners. She determined that women learn best through sharing stories and communicating with each other and has developed a number of avenues through which new and existing business owners can benefit from each others experience. Since its inception, Women Unlimited has held a number of inspirational events including the three national conferences and Extraordinary Entrepreneurs evening. In the coming months Women Unlimited will be launching a membership site and running evening networking meetings.
