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LBU joins key roundtable aimed at supporting women-founded businesses
Natalie Allen speaking at the recent roundtable discussion
Natalie Allen, Head of Business Partnership, spoke alongside business leaders with the Mayor and other regional stakeholders at a roundtable hosted by Lloyds Bank during the West Yorkshire Innovation Festival.
Despite more than half of women-owned businesses across Yorkshire and the Humber reporting an increase in annual revenues over the past 12 months, almost four in five are concerned about not having equal opportunities compared to their male equivalents.
The roundtable followed research commissioned by Lloyds Bank which explored the issues impacting women-owned businesses across the North, Women Entrepreneurs: the Northern Perspective.
Natalie Allen said: “Embedding support like role models, mentors or peer-to-peer networks is crucial. To go into a room and ask for another woman’s help, or feel that their idea is valued, can make a huge difference to their career path.
"That’s where support like the ESF funded #WECAN project led by Leeds Beckett can help.”
THE panel
Chaired by Nancy Fielder, Editor-in-chief of National World, the specialist panel included:
- Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire
- Catherine Rutter, Lloyds Banking Group’s Ambassador for Yorkshire and the Humber
- Natalie Boswell, Regional Development Director for the North East at Lloyds Banking Group
- Natalie Allen, Leeds Beckett University, Head of Business Partnership
- Louise O’Brien, Greyhound Box, Managing Director
- Ali Gordon, Eat Out Round About, CEO
- Dr Sophie Dale-Black, British Business Bank, UK Network Director for the Midlands and the North of England
- Olga Watterich, CBI, Associate Regional Director, Yorkshire and Humber
- Sheena McDermott, Be the Business, Head of Leadership and Management Programmes
Mayor of West Yorkshire, Tracy Brabin said: “We know that investments in women start-ups are not where they should be. It's important that we stand together to make the argument that this is about [everyone working together to give] opportunities to women who want to set up their own businesses.”
She continued, highlighting the importance of supporting innovation: “[These] companies survive longer, they survive economic shocks, and they bring new ideas that bring new investment. That’s why we’ve launched the West Yorkshire Business Accelerator Fund worth £22m, so we can offer women entrepreneurs a front door where they can come and get advice, guidance, and mentoring, and connect with other businesses.”
The group unanimously agreed that mentoring and encouraging each other is one of the most important ways to support women-owned businesses.
Led by Leeds Beckett University, the three-year #WECAN (Women Empowered through Coaching and Networking) project aims to enhance the resilience and growth of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by building the leadership skills, capabilities and opportunities of women in the Leeds City Region.
Read Lloyds’ full report here.
