Belfast City Hall recently buzzed with energy as over 300 enthusiastic young women, many undoubtedly from our local North Belfast schools and wider city, gathered for the 'Inspiring Entrepreneurs' event. This significant occasion celebrated female entrepreneurship and was a highlight of the SistersIN programme, generously supported by Danske Bank.
The SistersIN programme is dedicated to enabling, empowering, and developing female pupils aged 16 and 17 from schools across Northern Ireland. Its core mission is to help these young women reach their full potential and build confidence by honing specialist skills crucial for driving innovation, economic growth, and social change.
Attendees had the unique opportunity to hear from successful female leaders who openly shared their personal journeys, recounting both their achievements and the challenges they overcame. Their invaluable advice provided a clear path for young women considering entrepreneurship as a future career.
Councillor Ian McLaughlin, chair of 's City Growth and Regeneration Committee, extended a warm welcome to all participants, noting their remarkable interest and eagerness to forge their own business paths. He highlighted a crucial point: "While Northern Ireland has seen the early-stage business set-up rate rise for women, there’s still a gap between men and women launching and scaling businesses and in accessing investment. That means that young women have a real opportunity to start something of their own and help shape an environment where female entrepreneurs aren’t the exception, but the norm."
Councillor McLaughlin added, "I’ve heard great ideas at this event which has assured me that innovation is very much alive and well with our young people, and the future is bright for female entrepreneurship in Northern Ireland. Our city’s community plan, the Belfast Agenda, emphasises the importance of encouraging and supporting young people to realise their potential, and to drive innovation and small business. I have no doubt that many of the pupils gathered here today will be strong business leaders in the years to come."
The event featured inspiring insights from keynote speaker Alice Thompson, co-founder of Social Bite, who shared her incredible story of leveraging business for positive social impact. Ashleigh Averell, Managing Director of iBrand and the Women in Business Young Businesswoman of the Year 2024, also spoke passionately about the power of building a supportive community on one's leadership journey.
Aisling Press, MD of Personal Banking at Danske Bank and a SistersIN board member, reaffirmed Danske’s commitment: "At Danske, we have an ambition to inspire and support the female leaders of tomorrow, not just within the bank, but across Northern Ireland. SistersIN has created a unique ecosystem where schools, businesses, and leaders collaborate to unlock the potential in all these future leaders. This 'Inspiring Entrepreneurs' event has truly motivated the girls and helped develop those essential leadership skills to ensure they can thrive in tomorrow’s workplace and beyond, whether as a future leader within an organisation, or at the helm of their own venture."
This event marks another positive step in fostering the next generation of female innovators and business leaders right here in Belfast.