On this day 5 years ago I was filming the final sequence for my first documentary, Barefoot in Business, in Uganda. I had gained exclusive access to the Uganda Women Entrepreneurs Association (UWEAL) and was filming their Female Entrepreneur of the Year Awards. As an entrepreneur myself, I was really interested in finding out what life is really life as a business woman in 21st Century Uganda, and what it takes to be the best. Is it a matter of making millions and building a business empire? Or simply making ends meet and making a difference in the face of incredible adversity? I was encouraged and inspired to see that it is in fact the latter, so through Barefoot in Business my aim was

The Women in Finance Awards returns to the Royal Lancaster London Hotel on 27 June 2018. After the huge success of this year's awards, with over 500 of the UK's top finance professionals gathering to celebrate leadership in diversity and inclusion, you won't want to miss next year's event. Of all the industries in which women are poorly represented at a senior level, finance and financial services have the biggest challenge to address. With this in mind, we've teamed up with the Savvywoman, Innovate Finance, Voice at the Table, Women's Enterprise Scotland, UK Business Angels Association and other leading advocates for gender parity in the sector to celebrate a new tranche of leaders and risi

A host of Scotland’s leading female business leaders have joined Women’s Enterprise Scotland’s prestigious Ambassador programme, following funding announced last month by the First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon MSP. The announcement of 25 new Ambassadors joining the programme is being made during Global Entrepreneurship Week (13-17 November) and brings the total number of Women’s Enterprise Scotland (WES) Ambassadors to 39. WES Ambassadors represent businesses of all sizes, sectors and locations across Scotland, providing accessible, relatable role models for women who are considering starting a business or are growing an existing business. Names who have joined the Ambassador programme include

Our Ambassador, Leah Hutcheon, CEO and founder of Appointedd, has won Small Business Entrepreneur of the Year at the Scotland and Northern Ireland round of the Royal Bank of Scotland Great British Entrepreneur Awards. The award was presented to Leah, last night (Thursday 9 November) at the Gogarburn Conference Centre in Edinburgh. Leah was also runner up in the Innovation Entrepreneur of the Year award category. On receiving the award, Leah said: “This award comes at a really exciting time for Appointedd as we continue to grow and evolve from start up to scale up. Although we are a small business, we work with companies and organisations all over the world. Thank you to the amazing team Appo

Entrepreneurial Scotland launches its Global Entrepreneurship Week celebrations on Monday 13 November with a very special appearance by Professor Heather McGregor in Edinburgh. Professor Heather McGregor wearing an orange fedora, which she donned for her Channel 4 series ‘Superscrimpers’ – one of the many ‘hats’ she wears as an international entrepreneur. Pictured with Cathy Craig, Commercial & Memberships Director at Entrepreneurial Scotland. The business guru used her experiences to entertain audiences in a popular weekly column in the Financial Times between 1999 and 2016 under the moniker, Mrs Moneypenny. Professor McGregor has had an incredible impact on the corporate communications and

Edinburgh, 15th November 12.30 - 1.30pm Business Gateway Edinburgh and the Lothians is to hold its annual week-long celebration of business support for start-ups and growth businesses, as part of Global Entrepreneurship Week 2017 from 13th - 17th November. In partnership with Business Gateway Edinburgh, Women's Enterprise Scotland are hosting a networking event with Dr Margo Thomas ex Chief Secretariat to the UN Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on the Economic Empowerment of Women. Dr Thomas will speak of her work with the opportunity for questions and networking with other businesses, including the WES Ambassadors. The independent High-Level Panel on Women’s Economic Empowerment wa

Our Chairman and leading entrepreneur Lynne Cadenhead is set to share her extensive experience in governance and enterprise as a visiting professor within Edinburgh Napier’s Business School. An alumni of Edinburgh Napier University, Lynne has over 20 years’ experience in enterprise and investment having mentored and nurtured numerous early stage technology and retail companies throughout the UK. She has worked with a wide portfolio of technology companies, started up her own board game company and served on over 30 boards. Lynne is also a long-standing member of the Edinburgh Napier University Campaign Advisory Board, Chair of UNICEF Scotland Advisory Board and Chair of Women's Enterprise Sc

The importance of collaboration, role models and mentoring were consistent themes at the Business Women Scotland Awards in Glasgow, held for the first time in collaboration with Women’s Enterprise Scotland. The Finalists (c) George Monaghan, Monapix Jackie Brierton was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award, whilst business and social entrepreneur, Marie Macklin collected the award for Business Woman of the Year. Evelyn Toma, Managing Director of Re-Tek, collected the Business of the Year Award. Currently Enterprise Manager at GrowBiz in Perthshire, Jackie Brierton is an active mentor for a wide range of businesses and has been influential in women’s enterprise development, policy