Inspiring Fifty, who hosted the opening, announced on 8 March (International Women’s Day) its latest annual listwww.inspiringfifty.com/
Following the opening, and in the spirit of women supporting other women, Founders4Schools organised a unique mentoring session where some of its key business leaders who volunteer in schools were given the opportunity to be mentored and network from women who have successfully scaled their businesses.
Janneke Niessen, Inspiring Fifty co-initiator said of the event: “We are honoured to open the market in the week of International Women’s Day. Our aim is to celebrate and showcase awesome female leaders, to provide role models that can inspire young girls and women to build a successful career path in technology – ultimately to help address the gender imbalance in the sector. We are delighted to be joined by many of these fantastic role models today.”
“We were delighted when Sherry Coutu, the chair of Founders4Schools and one of our Inspiring Fifty reached out to us to organise a mentoring session as part of our event. We had 70 amazing women in the room, sharing their experiences with each other on scaling a business. A truly unique and inspiring moment”, added Inspiring Fifty co-initiator Joelle Frijters.
Founders4Schools chair Sherry Coutu CBE added: “As a non-executive director of the London Stock Exchange who floated my company here fifteen years ago, it is fabulous to host these inspiring women who in addition to growing their companies 30-50x faster than ‘normal’ businesses also take time out to inspire young girls in schools. Today we celebrate their accomplishments and contemplate what else they have yet to achieve, and what the girls they are role models for will in turn achieve as a result of their volunteer activities in their communities. Together, we will ensure that the UK continues to be a magnet for ambitious women to scale their global companies in.”