Region’s leading women in tech and business help boost number of entrepreneurial females

Some of the most prominent women within the region’s technology and business sectors have been helping to inspire more females to be entrepreneurial.

It was the fifth time Aston University ran its annual Innovation Women Conference in honour of International Women’s Day on 8 March.

Topics covered included improving gender diversity within the fields of cybersecurity and automated vehicles, and helping women invest better and increase their wealth.

The event was hosted by Debbie Assinder, West Midlands enterprise champion for Enterprise Nation, which supports businesses across the region. 

Speakers included Carol Rose Burke, managing director of Unipart Manufacturing Group and Professor Zoe Radnor (pictured), Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Executive Dean for the College of Business and Social Sciences, Aston University, who spoke about her model of leadership and the personal values that guide her in decision making.

The conference was designed to provide inspiration and direction to the audience, which was made up of company owners, business support specialists and technology experts. 

Attending the event held at Conference Aston on 6 March was Siobhan Lauder, founder of Learning Innovation For Elevation CIC.

Her enterprise supports people dealing with gynaecologically induced mood disorders and uplifting community mental health and wellbeing. She runs the organisation with her mother Carol Lauder.

Siobhan said: “My enterprise aims to innovate to make a better world a reality.

“But running a small enterprise, especially as a single mum, can sometimes feel isolating.  I’m so happy I attended Innovation Women Conference 2024 because I came away feeling elevated and re-energised.  

“The conference is a great networking opportunity. In addition, I was already in pursuit of doing my PhD but am now considering doing my studies at Aston University as I've felt empowered by the two last women’s days.”

Organiser Gosia Dzierdzikowska, of Aston University’s Advanced Prototyping Facility project said: “The conference was packed with thought-provoking discussions, networking opportunities and the chance to learn from some of the brightest minds in the industry. 

“Events like the Innovation Women Conference are vital to help support women achieve their potential. 

“Despite challenging conditions, the number of female-led companies has grown significantly. They represented a fifth of all businesses in the UK in 2022, up from 16 per cent in 2018. However, men are still three times more likely to start a new business than women, and this is something we need to address.”

The day ended with a talk from Dr Laura Leslie about Design Factory Birmingham, based at Aston University. The Design Factory launched in February aimed at sharing University expertise in areas such as 3D printing to boost the local economy.