Pink Shoe LiberTea

To our delight we had the chance to hold a LiberTea in commemoration of the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta on Monday the 15th of June- the only LiberTea celebration that was held in Westminster on the anniversary of this momentous event. 

We all wrote what we were thankful for or inspired by and created our own Pink Shoe thought board! 

We heard from Parliamentary Archivist Kirsty Fife on the century long battle for female suffrage in the UK. We learnt that by the time the ‘Representation of the People Act’ was passed in 1918 parliament had received no fewer than 1600 petitions on this subject containing the signatures of some 3 million women. We were also intrigued to find out that 4 of the 63 clauses of the Magna Carta written on the 15th of June 1215 are still in fact law today.

We also had the pleasure of hearing from Parliamentary Curator Melanie Unwin on the stages involved in designing a wonderful piece of artwork to commemorate the fight of our grandmothers and great-grandmother’s for female suffrage in the UK. 

The artwork will be revealed in early 2016 and will sit in Westminster itself. We are very much looking forward to seeing this at the big unveiling! (See the sneak preview to the right)

Hong Tan concluded the addresses with a short discussion on the ‘Likeness of Justice’ art exhibition which will focus on contemporary issues of justice. The project aims to develop images for individuals, institutions and bodies concerned about the justice system.

Then we all enjoyed tea and scones hosted by Baroness Jenkin of Kennington in the Peers' Dining Room. Pink Shoe would like to thank Lady Jenkin and each of our wonderful speakers, as well as everyone involved for making the day such a great success.

#ScaleUpEurope

We were delighted to support a stunning event at the House of Lords, when Alex Mitchell of the Young Brits Network brought together The European Confederation of Young Entrepreneurs, StartUp Europe and The European Youth Forum with the support of the IoD and his own company Causarma.

Graciously hosted by The Earl of Erroll, the debate focused on the key issue of youth entrepreneurship and was organised in collaboration with The All-Party Parliamentary Group for Entrepreneurship.

Lord Erroll and Shadow Business Secretary Chuka Umunna played leading roles, speaking passionately about the importance of entrepreneurship and how to design a financial eco-system that would enable businesses to thrive. Their speeches captured everyone’s attention- so much so by the time the event started it was standing room only!

Successful young entrepreneurs came from the UK, the EU and much further afield. Guests shared their stories and business strategies. We even had flags to represent the many diverse countries represented by the young entrepreneurs.

At the end everyone enjoyed a question and answer session, before sharing nibbles and wine along with plenty of international networking.

Huge thanks to everyone involved for organising such a successful event. 

State Opening of Parliament

Its become a tradition for Pink Shoe Ambassadors to attend the State Opening of Parliament and 2015 was another memorable event. Resplendent in gorgeous hats and summer finery members gathered to watch the arrival of HM The Queen and the royal procession.

After the Queen's speech and procession back to the Palace we adjourned to the House of Commons dining room for the special State Opening luncheon. 

We were then able to hear opening debate on the Queen's speech in the House of Commons chamber from both the Prime Minister and the Leader of HM Opposition.

Afternoon Tea for International Planned Parenthood Federation

Pink Shoe Ambassadors joined other guests at the Attlee Room for an Afternoon Tea in support of International Planned Parenthood Federation. 


This global charity works in most countries to support the choices of women over birth control, to improve reproductive health and to fight and educate to end FGM.






Baroness Tong hosted the event and welcomed us with a powerful speech on the importance of IPPF - reminding the audience that not so long ago women in the UK didn't have access to birth control. 

The IPPF Director then related some of the excellent work the charity does around the world before co-host Saira Khan spoke with genuine passion about her own mother's experiences and why the work of IPPF is so vital. 



Saira is setting up an Executive Committee for IPPF and our founder Helene is helping with this. Many of the ambassadors and guests offered to help the charity with fund raising activities or other practical assistance.

Election Reflection

Exactly one week on from an extraordinary General Election we held a high level roundtable to discuss and assess the results, especially in relation to entrepreneurship and women in business.

After introductions from Helene Martin Gee we received a warm welcome from Lord Taylor. John commented on the progress being made in Parliament where we now have 30% women MPs. As Lord Taylor said, great progress but we still have a way to go. 

We then gained first hand experience of what it means to fight an Election as we heard from the truly inspirational Mina Rahman. Mina was PPC in Barking - her first time fighting an Election and thus in an unwinnable seat for the Tories. Mina however fought a good campaign with much support and is determined to stand again in five years time.

Jill Pay then shared with us what happens behind-the-scenes when new MPs enter Westminster for the first time. 







She unveiled some of the historic customs and how these are relayed to the new intake. There is a lot to digest along with getting to grips with the new role.

For the second part of the event we focused on the economy and the impact on business. 

First hearing from Sarah Fink, head of research for the Centre for Entrepreneurs on how women are seeking Government policy that specifically addresses some of the issues they face when running their own business.

This was followed by an excellent presentation from Shaun Richards, leading economist and blogger (notayesmaneconomics.wordpress.com).

After the roundtable we enjoyed refreshments and networking.

Global Women of Influence

For the first time outside Canada and in their 20th Anniversary year Global Women of Influence held a dinner in London sponsored by Thomson Reuters and Bank of Canada. 



At Soho's  Groucho Club a hand picked group of female leaders met to discuss and share their experiences as women at the top. 

Pink Shoe founder Helene Martin Gee along with Ambassador and Addidi founder Anna Sofat were delighted to be invited as guests of Jan Frolic.

Ambassadors' Drinks on St George's Day

The latest Pink Shoe Ambassadors' Drinks were held on St George's Day at our favourite Westminster haunt.

We were delighted to welcome many longstanding ambassadors along with some more recent members, also that more and more gentlemen are joining Pink Shoe events - what we'll refer to as the 'Pink Shirt' club.

In honour of this English celebration we rebranded the usual 'Aperitivo' and enjoyed a selection of English nibbles rather than tapas.