First-ever Doncaster women in business conference to spotlight female entrepreneurs and explore timely Issues

Organised by the local Chamber of Commerce, and kindly sponsored by Polypipe Building Products, it promises to be a thought-provoking event that will cover important issues like overcoming adversity, breaking down gender stereotypes and striving towards equality in the workplace.

These themes have, of course, been touched upon before (including at the Chamber’s popular Women in Business lunchtime sessions) but the half-day conference will present an opportunity to go into far greater depth and to build upon these earlier conversations.

Throughout the event, attendees will get to hear from a diverse line-up of influential leaders, executives and entrepreneurs — hailing from all over the country — as they share their respective insights and experiences with the crowd. Among others, there will be representatives from the likes of Mastercard, First Bus and Unipart Rail, not to mention a number of intrepid female SME owners who started their very own, home-grown companies right here in Doncaster.

Looking forward to the conference, Jade Dyer, Business Director at Doncaster Chamber, enthused: “We are thrilled to be introducing this event for the very first time in 2023, as it will allow us to unpack serious issues that don’t always get the attention they deserve in the fast-moving world of business.

“It’s a particularly relevant conversation for us in Doncaster, where females are underrepresented in terms of entrepreneurship. Data from the Office of National Statistics shows that only 2.5% of women in our local population are self-employed, a relatively low figure when compared to other places around the UK, while a comprehensive study from Money.co.uk found that we are also one of the country’s most challenging districts for female business owners.

“Despite this, we have assembled a fantastic line-up of speakers for the conference — spanning different backgrounds and sectors —who we believe will really inspire the community. For example, we have Rebecca Dickenson; an internationally-acclaimed hairdresser who recently won our Self-Employed Person of the Year award and who is, with good reason, recognised as a true leader in her field.

“She will be joined on the day by other amazing guests, including: Leana Coopoosamy-Pearson, Global Inclusion Business Partner at Mastercard and owner of her own Boutique; Julie Carrier, Chief Commercial Officer at Unipart Rail; Zoe Hands, Managing Director in the region for First Bus Midlands; Amelia Banful, Head of Business Strategy at Enviro Electronics; and many, many more. We cannot wait to hear from all of these intrepid professionals, and from those who attend on the day itself, about how we can make Doncaster a more friendly environment for women in business.”

Taking place on Wednesday the 24th of January, Doncaster Chamber’s inaugural Women in Business Conference is being sponsored by Polypipe Building Products.

Layla Young, HR Director for Genuit Group (the umbrella under which Polypipe Building Products falls), said: “At Genuit Group, we believe a diverse team of talented people, who truly feel they belong, will enable us to deliver our strategic goals.

“We work to create working environments which are engaging for our employees, where they are safe to bring their whole self. We constantly work to embrace diversity in all areas. Equally, we are passionate about our local communities and the villages, towns and cities we operate in. Together our drive for equity in the workplace and our commitment to our community make this event an important one for us and one we are honoured to be part of.”

More details about the Women in Business Conference, its full list of confirmed speakers and the panel discussions that will be held on the day can be found on the Doncaster Chamber website.