Lunch & Learn: Innovation

As part of its work on the UK Economic Blueprint for Women Pink Shoe is co-hosting a series of Lunch & Learn interactive seminars with Olivia Cooper from the award-winning law form DMH Stallard and transformation expert Lan O'Connor. These seminars in the City are especially designed to help women-led businesses scale-up.

The first in the series was Innovation – watching out for the sharks! 

We  heard from two extraordinary keynote speakers Deborah Leary OBE, CEO and founder of Forensic Pathways and Libby Mawhood, COO of L Marks. The roundtable then opened up to Q&A. A full report on the seminar will be published in November

With thanks to DMH Stallard for generously supporting this event.

International Women's Day Tea with Baroness Burt

Lorely Burt was again a brilliant host for our IWD Afternoon Tea in the grand surroundings of the Peers' Dining Room of the House of Lords. 

This annual event is a focus for Pink Shoe Ambassadors during the ever-growing list of wonderful events celebrating women. 

The IWD theme this year #BeBoldForChange is the perfect motto for Pink Shoe as being bold is something our members are always happy to embrace!

EU Lunch Debate: Ready for Business

The Women's Entrepreneur Platform (WEP) along with the European Interest Group for Female Entrepreneurs hosted a lunch debate in the European Parliament 'Ready for Business: Women's Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Europe'. 



Chairman Sirpa Pietikainen MEP opened the debate to praise women and the great contribution they make to the European economy.


WEP Chairman Grazia Rendo then highlighted the importance of education and training to enable more women into entrepreneurship and especially how vital STEM subjects. Dr Ulla Engelmann spoke about the importance of research, which has been mirrored by the work Pink Shoe is doing on the UK Economic Blueprint for Women. 


The debate ended with positive news from Kirsi Haavisto of the European Commission's Research & Innovation that PhD students have achieved gender parity; however this is not yet the case with research funding where women have some way to go.

Women in Leadership Breakfast

WIL Europe hosted a breakfast debate at the EU Parliament to mark International Women's Day. Pink Shoe was represented by its founder Helene Martin Gee. The debate was on 'Women in Leadership' and speakers were all inspiring women leaders. 









As we'd expect, it was encouraging to hear from a leading recruiter that the proven business case for wider diversity in organisations and how much it benefits at board level and throughout a business is now widely espoused. 

The speakers were living proof that women are now at the top in a vast range of careers. 





It was refreshing to pick up on the theme of 'being true to oneself' and to be genuine, to which all the inspiring speakers referred.

Commented that women in business don't feel compelled to conform to thankfully now outdated views of how women 'should' behave in business.

The 'Most Important Room in Britain'

Pink Shoe members enjoyed a unique experience with a visit to the Act Room in the Parliamentary archives, along with Parliament's Artist in Residence Mary Branson. 

We were also accompanied by Parliamentary Archivist Melanie Unwin who made the whole event possible. 

After an engaging introductory talk about the centuries of historic Acts contained in the archives and a bird's eye view of the Sovereign's entrance to Parliament we entered the room itself. Smaller perhaps than we'd envisaged nonetheless the sense of history packed into the shelves lining the walls was awe inspiring.

The Act Room is home to 64,000 parchment rolls which hold the legal and constitutional basis of the UK. Hence its description as  ‘the most important room in Britain’. 

These Parliamentary records are at the very heart of our democracy, and have embodied our liberties, rights and responsibilities for over five hundred years. They include some of the most important documents in British history, such as the Bill of Rights and the Great Reform Act. 

After the tour we were treated to a fascinating presentation from Mary, who explained to us how the Act Room inspired 'New Dawn' her amazing new art installation in Westminster Hall. 

It was incredible to get a sense of every step, as Mary took us through the process of creating New Dawn from inspiration through the actual making of the glass and then to its installation in Westminster Hall.

We then enjoyed wine & cheese to round off a very special day.

Find out more about the artwork and see a film of Mary talking about New Dawn here: www.parliament.uk/newdawn