Women, are you Going for Growth?
If you’re a female entrepreneur or business owner and want to get to the next level, it could be time to apply for a long-standing business development programme that has benefitted the likes of Andrea Doolan of Atlantia Clinical Trials and Sinéad Timoney of Fehily Timoney & Co.
The call for applications for the 18th cycle of Going for Growth is now open. The programme to aid female business owners in all sectors is supported by Enterprise Ireland and KPMG and is free for those selected to participate.
Application forms can be requested from goingforgrowth.com. Completed applications must be returned by midnight 21 November.
60 places are available for the new six month cycle, which is due to begin with a one day launch forum on 14 January. The programme will run from January to June, with one round table session each month.
Past participants from Cork include Andrea Doolan of Atlantia Clinical Trials, a world leading clinical research organisation that specialises in conducting ground breaking clinical trials for nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals, cosmetic products, and medical devices.
Andrea, who was a participant on the 9th cycle of Going for Growth said: “I recognised I had gaps in my knowledge, and also in my network. Going for Growth filled these for me in a unique way – the sharing of experiences and perspectives, all of us in the same boat although running very different businesses – was eye opening.”
Past participant Sinéad Timoney of Fehily Timoney & Co, which is headquartered in Cork, has just completed the 17th cycle of Going for Growth.
She said: “The civil engineering industry is traditionally male dominated, and it is easy to be influenced by the majority.
“What I loved about the programme was that it took me out of my comfort zone and surrounded me with the most inspirational and confident women. They taught me that as women leaders we are exceptional. We are resilient, we have the skills, and we are not alone and that every day we are breaking boundaries to no longer be the minority.”
Going for Growth brings together female entrepreneurs for monthly peer-to-peer roundtable discussions, facilitated by successful businesswomen, known as Lead Entrepreneurs, whose participation is completely voluntary and is done in a spirit of altruism. 9 of the 11 lead entrepreneurs on this year’s programme are former participants in Going for Growth.
They include: Anne Cusack, formerly Critical Healthcare; Hannah Wrixon, Kella and formerly WrkWrk; Jeananne O’Brien, Artizan Food Co. and Leonora O’Brien, formerly Pharmapod.
Going for Growth has been repeatedly recognised by the EU, OECD, and European Institute of Gender Equality as a key initiative in helping to foster greater ambition among female entrepreneurs and to support their growth aspirations.
Jenny Melia, CEO, Enterprise Ireland, said: “Enterprise Ireland is committed to increasing opportunities for women entrepreneurs and supporting them at every stage of their business journey. This includes working with colleagues and partners from across the ecosystem, to ensure we foster the skills, ambition and talent, and ensure that Ireland is a great location to start and scale a business.
National Director of Going for Growth, Paula Fitzsimons, said: “The end of cycle survey shows how positively the programme is received by its latest participants and the impact that it has had on them personally and on their businesses.”