A total of 55 women entrepreneurs have completed the 16th cycle of the Going for Growth programme.
The 16th cycle of Going for Growth came to a close at a special celebration in Dublin yesterday (Tuesday, 11 June).
Going for Growth is an award-winning programme for ambitious female entrepreneurs determined to grow their businesses.
“Building on this fertile ground, we want to introduce the possibility of an entrepreneurial career to particular groups of ambitious women who may not have considered it previously, and where we believe untapped, entrepreneurial potential lies”
A total of 55 female entrepreneurs completed the six-month Going for Growth programme this year. Another 30 female also competed the Starting Strong programme, which is for more recently established, ambitious businesses. They will be celebrated at a separate ceremony later this week.
At the beginning of the cycle, the Going for Growth participants had a turnover in excess of €93m, employed over 800 people and more than half of them were exporters. All set ambitious targets and built on these impressive numbers over the last six months.
Growth journey
Thanks to the continued support of Enterprise Ireland and KPMG, Going for Growth is free for participants who are supported on their growth journey by voluntary Lead Entrepreneurs.
This year’s voluntary Lead Entrepreneurs for Going for Growth were: Anne Cusack, formerly Critical Healthcare;Jeananne O’Brien, Artizan Food Co.; Louise Phelan, Phelan Energy Group; Monica Flood, formerly Olas IT; Oonagh O’Hagan, Meaghers Pharmacy Group, serial entrepreneur Hannah Wrixon, most recently co-founder of Kella Hannah Wrixon, and Tara Beattie, Prepsheets.com.
Speaking ahead of an Irish Management Institute event to inspire women entrepreneurs on 21 June, the founder and national director of Going for Growth Paula Fitzsimons said that key to the overall programme itself is the panel of inspiring women entrepreneurs who have all volunteered their time and have been selected based on their professional experience, their backgrounds in corporate life and academia, and their experience of building innovative companies across a range of sectors.
“The objective of this compelling and inspiring initiative is to increase the number of female- led innovative businesses of scale, focused on export markets,” Fitzsimons said.
“Through the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) research, we know that more women in Ireland are aspiring to start new businesses and that the rate of early-stage female entrepreneurs that aspire for significant growth is also increasing.
“Building on this fertile ground, we want to introduce the possibility of an entrepreneurial career to particular groups of ambitious women who may not have considered it previously, and where we believe untapped, entrepreneurial potential lies.”
The IMI event follows events at University of Galway and DkIT aimed at inspiring future female entrepreneurs and informing them about the supports available. Tickets are free but those hoping to attend are requested to register in advance as spaces are limited. Places can be booked here.
Speakers include Softco co-founder Susan Spence, Andrea Doolan of Atlantia Clinical Trials, and Kate Scott of HoloToyz.
A further Inspiring Women Entrepreneurs event will take place with Chartered Accountants Ireland set to host its own information evening at its headquarters on Pearse Street in Dublin city on Wednesday, June 26, from 6.30pm to 8.30pm.
Main image at top: Carley Donegan, Grey Dog Events and Communications; Sinead Lonergan, Enterprise Ireland; Helena McMahon, Seabody; and Olivia Lynch from KPMG
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