Sincere thanks to our sponsors Addidi for generously supporting the event, to our hosts Warwick Business School and Enterprise Research Centre, and to Marketing Nest and The Sourcing Team for the goodie bags.
After a warm welcome from Professor Stephen Roper on behalf of WBS and ERC, we were inspired by Alan Mak MP who is not only a strong advocate for female enterprise he also stressed the importance of STEM subjects.
After
an introduction from Pink Shoe Founder Helene Martin Gee delegates heard from
the ERC's Mark Hart with fascinating facts and figures on women's
entrepreneurship in the UK.
Jill
Pay, chairman of the Pink Shoe Senate then outlined the work of the Economic
Blueprint and how vital this is to encourage and support more UK women to
establish and grow their businesses.
We
were honoured to be joined by our US Partners WIPP International with a powerful
keynote from President Jennifer Bisceglie, herself a successful business owner.
Lively
and informative presentations followed from two of the workstreams. The Access
to Markets team of Maggie Berry, Ishreen Bradley and Marianne Schoenig shared
with us their work on supporting procurement initiatives and the creation of a
business hub so that women can cluster to win more contracts. We then
heard from Anna Sofat, founder of Addidi and a passionate advocate of women investing
in women.
The
prestigious panel of Sarah Anderson CBE, Derek Browne, Dinah Bennett OBE and
Julia Elliott Brown, was chaired by Jennifer Bisceglie and moderated by Sue
Lawton MBE. Closing remarks from Baroness Burt of Solihull brilliantly captured
the upbeat mood of the day.
During
the Champagne afternoon tea we were delighted to be joined by Business
Minister Anna Soubry, who said: “In
the 21st century,
women-led businesses should get a fairer share of the market. That is why I
welcome the development of the UK Economic Blueprint and the work of the Pink
Shoe Foundation to give talented women a strong, influential voice.”