Newly formed women's business club is launched this week
Two dedicated female founder networks have announced a strategic merger creating a larger, stronger and more impactful community for women-led enterprise in Ireland.
The Irish Women in Business Network (IWBN) and The Club Women's Network announced this week that they were joining forces. The newly formed Irish Women in Business Club brings together the combined memberships of both organisations, uniting their communities to deliver greater reach, deeper support and increased opportunity for female founders, entrepreneurs and business owners nationwide.
As part of the transition, Denise Whitmore, founder of the Irish Women in Business Network, will take on the role of CEO of the Irish Women in Business Club, leading the next phase of growth and development for the community. Sian Horn, founder of The Club Female Founders, will step down from her role following the merger.
Founded in 2020, The Club was established as a social enterprise with a clear objective: to support female founders through connection, collaboration and access to practical resources. While this structure enabled The Club to deliver meaningful impact, its social enterprise model also presented natural limitations in terms of scale and long-term growth.
Sian Horn said: “Handing the reins to Denise feels like the right next step, at exactly the right time. Our visions are closely aligned, and I am confident the community will continue to grow, evolve and thrive under her leadership. The Club was created to support female founders at a time when very few communities were built specifically for them, but as a social enterprise, I was always conscious of the limits that structure placed on future growth. "I am extremely proud of the work carried out by myself, the Club committee and board over the past number of years, and of the impact The Club has made in supporting women founders across Ireland. While I will always be the founder, I am genuinely looking forward to experiencing the next chapter of the community as a member.”
Under Denise Whitmore’s leadership, the Irish Women in Business Club will focus on expanding access, strengthening peer support, and creating meaningful opportunities for members at every stage of business growth.