4 business women in focus this International Women’s Day
March 8th marks an extremely special occasion in our yearly calendar. International Women’s Day is a day to celebrate the social, economic, political and cultural achievements of women from all walks of life.
Having been celebrated since its inception in 1908, International Women’s Day remains to be a day to reflect on inspirational female figures throughout history who have strived for change and have paved the way for future innovators to push for further progress.
This year’s theme, #PushforProgress, challenges people to help commit to one of a number of positive steps which can be undertaken within their professional and social lives. These include maintaining a gender parity mindset, challenging harmful gender stereotypes and trying to influence the thoughts and beliefs of others.
We here at Glandore, a company managed and operated majoritively by women, are proud to be backing this year’s campaign. To celebrate, we’ve put together a list of four individuals who we consider to be excellent female leaders in their respective industries.
1. Michelle Fogarty—Peptalk
Michelle Fogarty, a former Glandore member with Twitter, is now running her own business called Peptalk, a company delivering a solution to real-time workplace wellness through in depth data analytics and intelligent technology.
As one of the businesses co-founders, Michelle is driving innovation in the field of corporate development and is passionate about helping businesses develop their ideal workplace culture.
Prior to co-founding the company, Michelle acted as the Head of Human Resources for Twitter in Europe; an incredible accolade in anybody’s career and one which shows Michelle’s exceptional skills and abilities. She is a true innovator and an inspiration to Irish business women across the country.
2. Sarah Friar—Square
Sarah Friar is a prime example of the fulfilment of the ‘American dream’. Growing up in Co. Tyrone, Sarah emigrated to America at an early age and quickly became one of Ireland’s most successful tech executives.
She climbed the ranks at a variety of international heavyweights including Goldman & Sachs and Salesforce before landing her current role. Sarah is now working as the CFO and operations lead at Square – the international mobile credit card machine company – jointly run by Jack Dorsey, the founder of Twitter.
She also find times to sit on the board of directors for Slack, the corporate communications tool. Not a bad run for somebody who labels herself as the “disappointment’ in her family!
3. Roseann Kelly—Women in Business NI
Roseann Kelly is the current chief executive of Women in Business NI, a position she has achieved following years of working in a plethora of different roles in the company.
Women in Business NI acts as a business support network for women working in Northern Ireland, hosting a variety of workshops, events and training seminars for their members every month. Roseann has been commended for her work numerous times throughout her years of service and was even recently given an award by Northern Ireland First Minister Arlene Foster for Services to Enterprise at Young Entrepreneurs Awards.
Through her continued work to help support business women in Northern Ireland to reach their potential, Roseann has become a focal point for female empowerment in business and is definitely one to watch in the coming years.
4. Áine Maria Mizzoni—SoCapso
Finding the time between being a Managing Director for Socapso and sitting on the board of directors for Fantom, Áine Maria Mizzoni is a highly experienced leader in the world of business and enterprise.
Boasting an impressive CV spanning the past couple of decades, Áine continues to be an inspiration to business women all over the country with her energetic approach and positive work ethic, and to that we salute her.
You can check out the website for International Women’s Day here.