Each of the members of the Fund Her North collective has already made a lasting effect on female entrepreneurs in the North, with a combined investment track record of over £75 million invested in female-led, start-up businesses.
Fund Her North provides support and advice to female-owned business, from start-ups to scale-ups. It is the go-to destination for female founders in the North seeking funding advice.
Sarah Hex has worked within financial services since leaving college and currently within Mercia Asset Management PLC as Head of Business Development, working across the range of venture, debt and PE funds they offer. She is passionate about supporting small and medium-sized businesses and helping them to achieve their growth ambitions and fulfil their potential.
Previously working in Corporate and Commercial banking at Santander, RBS and HSBC, she was responsible for establishing and managing the business development strategy for the investment teams.
When the opportunity to work with like-minded investors on Fund Her North came up in 2020, her passion and great support of diversity within business could finally find a call to action.
Sarah is also a keen trail runner, mum and volunteer for a charity for abused women.
As females we are very good at creating our own barriers, in addition to those inflicted on us whether conscious or unconscious. The best steps to smashing through these barriers is adopting the right support, using the right network, being aware of our own limitations and staying true to our own ambitions and skills, something we believe in strongly at Fund Her North. For any founder or leader looking for funding, my advice would be to find a partner, a funder you can really work with and to be open to all possibilities.
Charlotte Ashton is a corporate finance accountant who led the origination team at mid-market private equity fund Palatine since 2014 prior to setting up her consultancy in 2021. Implicit works with SMEs, focusing on stakeholder management, investment and exit readiness.
Charlotte is an advocate for removing barriers to investment through promoting education and effective communication between entrepreneurs and investors.
Essential. It is an opportunity for continuous development and if approached strategically can be an extension of sales and marketing and competitive analysis efforts. When approaching fundraising, a strong network can deliver board advisers and investors.
Chi-chi Ekweozor is a software engineer who developed one of the UK’s first ‘social media for beginners’ training courses, first delivered in October 2008 and was nominated for a Channel 4 4Talent Multi-Platform Award in October 2008.
Chi-chi developed and launched social question board service, Assenty in August 2016. Assenty is an interactive question board platform that helps event organisers make a personal connection with their audiences before, during and after an event. A keen techpreneur, she recently launched business intelligence platform Attendist to help marketers identify warm leads from existing event tools.
I certainly think that female business leaders in London have access to a larger pool of potential funders than those in the North. As an example, the support ecosystem for startups based around London and Cambridge is significantly larger and potentially better connected to similar ones on a global level than startup ecosystems in other parts of the country.
Having said that, the fundraising landscape in the North is at an exciting point of inflexion and growth with organisations like Fund Her North able to support female founders throughout the entire process from startup to scale up – now is the time to back their support of the founders and co-founders of the decades next unicorns.
Jordan Dargue is a senior business leader operating across the investment, finance and business growth landscape. Jordan is also a mentor and advisory board member, helping start-ups, early-stage and high-growth businesses across the UK connect with the right investors and then supporting those to and grow and scale.
A huge advocate for driving diversity across the business and innovation landscape, Jordan works collaboratively with partners and government funded initiatives to help promote both Women in Innovation as well as Women in Investment across the UK.
Across the UK there is a serious need for female-led businesses to receive the necessary support to run a successful business. Female founders bring equal skills and experience as men and have the potential to run excellent businesses. We need to give women the opportunity to innovate, and this can be achieved through investment.
As investors, we have a responsibility to bring female founders forward and show other women that there is a place for them in the start up space. However, the lack of support for female founders is causing a lack of confidence. Additionally, women face many unique problems that have not been addressed, such as finding a balance between work and other responsibilities like childcare. These women need to be better supported, creating diversity across the start up landscape and in turn boosting the UK economy.
Jess Jackson is Head of Investment at GC Angels, an investor focussing on digital, creative & tech with over 300 associate angels, institutional capital partners and in-house co-funds. It supports SME’s to raise early-stage, scale-up and growth risk capital ranging from £25k – £2m. Since 1 September 2020, Jess Jackson has supported on 12 deals, delivering £7.4m to market and creating over 30 high value jobs in GM.
Jess is an advocate for female entrepreneurs and is passionate about inspiring women to break down the barriers they face in order to raise investment. Since launching in 2018, GC Angels has completed 33 early-stage investments. 50% of all rounds have been female founder-led. This is something Jess is incredibly proud of through her work raising female entrepreneurs’ profiles.
Access to funding can be especially challenging for women seeking to establish and grow their start-ups. This is the sad result of a number of systemic issues; from lack of diversity present in investment teams, to the decision-making level of funding committees, within angel investor communities, and even visibility of female entrepreneurs who have “made it” already. When these issues are layered on top of under-networked entrepreneurs, it is little wonder that women struggle to scale their companies to the same extent as male counterparts.
With data showing time and again that diverse founding teams outperform their peers on the FTSE, it is difficult to accept the low levels of investment for these teams at the vital early stages. This is why platforms like Fund Her North are so important as they help to create spaces where underrepresented founders have exposure, increasing the likelihood of accessing funding and chances of success later down the line.
Helen is a Founding Board Director of NorthInvest, a not for profit, early stage investment connector for Northern based tech start-ups. In 2020 she founded Fund Her North.
Helen is also a NED, advisor, mentor, investor, and Chair of the Trustees for Smart Works Leeds, a charity which provides coaching and clothing to unemployed women.
Helen has a passion for supporting female entrepreneurs, leaders and Northern based SME’s to reach their potential; helping them to shape and deliver ambitious growth strategies, through simple, actionable steps.
Prior to the launch of NorthInvest Helen was the Managing Director of The Yorkshire Post and The Scotsman.
Surround yourself with people who can help you grow rapidly, from both a personal and business perspective. People who’ve been on your journey and been successful, who have the contacts, and more importantly, the mindset which you need to develop to take your business to the next level.
Ideally this should be a close group of 3 to 5 people who can become both a sounding board and cheerleader for you when things get tough. Start by identifying the areas of your business where you need the most help, aim high and use the opportunity to expand your network and thinking.
February
20feb12:0012:45Creating a menopause-friendly workplace | Free lunch & learn with Menospace
20/02/2025 12:00 - 12:45(GMT+00:00)
This free Lunch & Learn event is designed to provide an introduction to supporting menopause at
It’s a great opportunity to learn how small changes can make a big difference.
Hosted by Haley White, Founder of Menospace, this session will cover key topics such as understanding the impact of menopause in the workplace, recognising common symptoms, and exploring practical strategies for fostering a menopause-friendly environment. Attendees will gain actionable advice on how to implement policies, open conversations, and ensure that those experiencing menopause feel heard, valued, and supported in their professional roles.
This informative and engaging session will take place on Thursday 20th February 2025, from 12.00pm to 12.45pm via Zoom, making it accessible for professionals across different locations. The 45-minute session is structured to fit conveniently within the workday, allowing participants to join during lunch and walk away with key takeaways that they can apply immediately in their workplace, helping to drive meaningful change.
By attending this session, participants will better understand why menopause awareness is crucial, how to implement small but impactful changes in the workplace, and how organisations can create an environment where employees feel comfortable discussing menopause-related challenges, leading to improved wellbeing and productivity.
Whether you’re a business leader, HR professional, line manager, or employee interested in learning more, this session is an excellent opportunity to gain practical knowledge and be part of the movement towards greater workplace inclusivity and better support for menopausal employees.
Join the conversation, learn from an expert, and take the first step towards making your workplace menopause-friendly and empowering your team!
25feb09:0017:30International Women's Day Conference & Exhibition 2025 | ThinkFest IWD
25/02/2025 09:00 - 17:30(GMT+00:00)
Millennium Point - Birmingham
Curzon Street, Birmingham, B4 7XG
Join us for a kick-ass International Women’s Day Conference & Exhibition, celebrating and empowering women from all walks of life! International Women’s
Join us for an inspiring and empowering event celebrating women’s achievements and promoting gender equality. The International Women’s Day Conference & Exhibition will take place at Millennium Point – Birmingham. This in-person event brings together influential speakers, thought-provoking discussions, and a vibrant exhibition showcasing the talents of women from various fields. Don’t miss this opportunity to connect, learn, and be inspired by remarkable women from around the world. Come and be part of this incredible celebration of women’s accomplishments and the journey towards a more inclusive society.
The Event is split in two, a ticketed Conference and a free to attend Expo.
FREE TO ATTEND EXPO – This part of the event will feature a number of exhibition stands as well as seminar stage delivering content to individuals, small businesses and young females. This is completely free to attend and we have content running throughout the day.
For more for more information about all of the sessions we are running, please take a look at our website. www.IWDExpo.com
We look forward to welcoming you all there, don’t forget it’s not just for women, we need more men in the room to create a greater alliance for gender parity.
10:00 AM Welcome & Introduction
10:30 AM Motivational Networking
11:00 AM How to Start and Scale Your Business
11:30 AM The Magic of Writing Your Book
12:00 PM Funding Females
12:30 PM Mental Health & Wellbeing
1:00 PM Women In STEM
2:00 PM Women in Media
3:00 PM Empowering Girls for Career Success
4:00 PM Building Your Personal Brand
4:40 PM Monetise your Passion
5:10 PM Finish
PAID TICKET CONFERENCE – The content delivered at the conference will be targeted towards senior leaders across business and corporate as well as third-sector organisations. We will be exploring a range of different topics, looking at key issues that women face and what we can do to improve the experience for women in the workplace. A key part of the conference will focus on how we increase the number of male allies for females and have a dedicated panel of speakers discussing this. To top it all off we will be hearing from fashion entrepreneur Karen Millen OBE, founder of Karen Millen.
25feb10:3011:30The FTSE Women Leaders Review | Report Launch Tuesday 25 February 2025
25/02/2025 10:30 - 11:30(GMT+00:00)
We are delighted to extend to you a special invitation to the live broadcast launch of the FTSE Women Leaders Review report on Tuesday 25 February 2025 from
The FTSE Women Leaders Review has made remarkable strides, with the FTSE 350 achieving over 40% women’s representation on boards ahead of the target. However, our work is far from complete. Achieving gender balance and diversity on boards and leadership teams has never been more crucial to harness the wealth of experience, expertise and skills essential for business to navigate complex issues successfully.
With just one year remaining to reach our recommendations, realising genuine equality and enabling further progress will require a united commitment from us all to achieve the 40% women in leadership target and to drive more appointments of women into the ‘four key roles’; the Chair, Senior Independent Director, CEO and Finance Director.
We therefore warmly invite you to join us for the 2024 report launch, where we will share new and exclusive findings on the progress made in achieving gender balance during the year. We are delighted that the Secretary of State for the Department of Business & Trade and the Minister for Women & Equalities will be sharing their support for the Review, and we are excited to host a panel of distinguished guests who will share insights on how they are accelerating progress.
Our panellists include:
– Allison Kirkby, CEO BT Group Plc
– Lee Chambers, Business Psychologist, Speaker, Author
– Yetunde Hofmann, Non-Executive Director Cranswick Plc
– Mary Ann Sieghart, Author of ‘The Authority Gap’
Please confirm your attendance at this virtual event by completing this registration form. If you encounter any difficulties during the registration process, our team is available to assist you at [email protected]
This year, our event will be exclusively a live broadcast, and so we encourage you to share this invitation with your network.
27feb08:3014:00Clarity Connect International Women's Day Conference | Clarity Leadership Ltd
27/02/2025 08:30 - 14:00(GMT+00:00)
Bloomsbury Ballroom
Bloomsbury Square, London, WC1B 4DA
Ahead of IWD2025, please join Clarity Leadership as we hear from leaders and generate discussion around the key themes of gender equality. Ahead of International Women’s Day
Ahead of International Women’s Day 2025, please join Clarity Leadership as we invite you to join us for an open and inclusive morning of presentations and lively debate. To follow the IWD 2025 theme, #AcclerateAction, the speakers will be generating discussion and debate around female leadership, gender equality and the creation of an inclusive and more gender-equal world.
We will be joined by two exceptional leaders, Lee Chambers, Founding Director of Male Allies UK, and Riham Satti, Co-Founder and CEO of MeVitae, Creating Fairness in the Workplace. They will share their experiences, challenges, and the obstacles they’ve overcome in their efforts to create a more equal world.
We also invite you to hear research, experiences, and views from a group of leaders who identify as women from several leading organisations, including Pfizer, Microsoft, Vodafone, Reckitt, and Bayer. The speakers join us from all over the world and around the UK, providing a global perspective on their discussions. This is the culmination of six months’ work by 16 leaders who identify as women, who have been through our Women in Leadership Programme. The final part of their journey has been the design and delivery of this event.
This is an event for everyone and we look forward to welcoming you!
Free
27/02/2025 12:30 - 13:30(GMT+00:00)
We are delighted to be joined by Laura Bates, Best-selling Author, Keynote Speaker and Founder of the Everyday Sexism Project.
Laura will be setting out the existing and potential ways in which emerging technologies can have unintended negative impacts on women and marginalised groups, both in and outside the workplace. From the metaverse and deepfake technology to AI and adult robots, these technologies are fast becoming the building blocks of our future societies, so it is vital that we understand the risks and act now to prevent them from reinventing existing forms of inequality in our brave new world.
Laura Bates is a best-selling author, keynote speaker and founder of the Everyday Sexism Project. Her books include Everyday Sexism, Girl Up and Fix the System, Not the Women. Laura writes regularly for the New York Times, Guardian and others, and is a frequent media commentator and consultant for TV productions tackling issues around gender inequality.
She works closely with government, schools, businesses, police forces and bodies from the United Nations to the Council of Europe on sexism and inequality.
In recognition of Laura’s work surrounding sexism and gender inequality, she was awarded a British Empire Medal in the 2015 Queen’s Birthday Honours List and has been named Woman of the Year by Cosmopolitan, Red Magazine and The Sunday Times Magazine. She is also an Honorary Fellow of St John’s College, Cambridge, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.
Please note, this event will be hosted as a Teams Town hall. Please register your place on Eventbrite and we will share the Teams meeting link.
We look forward to seeing you!
free
27feb18:0020:30Planning and Goals Workshop | WeAreTheCity
27/02/2025 18:00 - 20:30(GMT+00:00)
Nomura
1 Angel Lane, London, EC4R 3AB
Join Dr Vanessa Vallely OBE to discover why and how to create your career strategy and plan in order to
This interactive session is aimed at injecting the “va va voom” back into your career.
Dr Vanessa Vallely OBE, CEO of WeAreTheCity, will share why leaving your career solely in the hands of your line manager is no longer enough. Vanessa will provide insights on how to take charge of your career, create a strategic plan, and actively seek opportunities to propel your professional growth.
The workshop focuses on why and how to create a career strategy and plan, to unlock your potential and path to success. This session is not about theory, science or blue sky thinking, it is about a realistic look at what you want to achieve and actions to take in order to get where you want to go!
Session includes:
By the end of this session, participants will have the foundation of a career plan they can continue to develop and implement throughout 2025.
We will close the evening with networking and drinks/canapés.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Please note that on arrival at Nomura guests will be asked to provide photographic ID, a passport or driving licence.