EYE OPENER
Continuing to support women in business
I was honoured to be invited to attend NatWest’s national Women in Business conference aimed at internal staff taking on the role of Women in Business ambassadors. It was a very vibrant event with some excellent (and very senior) presentations aimed at building the network, and signaling a serious commitment to supporting the women in business market, which according to Avon UK research “… found the number of women starting their own ventures has significantly risen in the past 12 months. The economic downturn has certainly had an impact; starting a new business is no longer deemed such a high-risk in comparison to the job market. It's women who are stepping up to bat in helping to improve our economy.”
Jeremy Baker, consumer trend specialist at the ESCP Europe Business School, suggests that "according to the growth rates in women-owned start-ups this year, the next 10 years could see 100% growth" as well as pointing out that a shake-up could be on its way in the FTSE 100. He predicts the number of number of female CEOs in the FTSE 100 could reach 50 within the next 10 years (in 2008 there were just five), while the number of female MPs could rise from 126 to 252. (Source: Everywoman)
This was followed by an excellent day at the National Everywoman Conference, the highlight of which was Allegra McEvedy MBE, chef, broadcaster and co-founder of the LEON restaurants. Despite her protestations that she wasn’t a keynote speaker, she was hilarious, and offered a down-to-earth honesty and openness about her route to success. She was both refreshingly unconventional… and riveting!
And in early December I was invited to join friend Andi Keeling, RBS Head of Learning Corporate Banking UK, to the fabulous NatWest Everywoman Awards dinner and ceremony at the Dorchester. Wow, what an experience… made even more fascinating as Sarah Brown kindly pitched up to take the place of the absent Harriet Harmon MP, to deliver the opening address, and was very well received.
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