A series of female leaders from across the South of Scotland will come together for a virtual event to celebrate International Women’s Day.
The event will be hosted by South of Scotland Enterprise (SOSE) on Tuesday 8 March from 9.30am to 11.30am.
The virtual session is open to all and will focus on celebrating the achievements of women through inspiring talks and discussions. Audience members will also be given the opportunity to ask the panel their questions.
The event’s keynote speech will be delivered by SOSE’s Chief Executive, Jane Morrison Ross, who will be joined by:
- Joanna Campbell – Principal & CEO at Dumfries and Galloway College,
- Angela Cox – Principal & CEO, Borders College
- Professor Fiona Waldron – Executive Dean at the Heriot-Watt School of Textiles and Design
A focus group will be held after the main event, from 11.30am to 12.30pm for any attendees who wish to take part.
SOSE is keen to ensure women across the South of Scotland are given equal access to resources and opportunities to help them excel as entrepreneurs – as at present, only 20% of businesses in Scotland are owned by women.
Despite this, female entrepreneurs still contribute around £8.8bn into Scotland’s economy every year – which is more than many growth sectors including Food and Drink (£5.6bn), Creative Industries (£4.6bn), Sustainable Tourism (£4.1bn) and Life Sciences (£1.5bn).
International Women’s Day (IWD) is celebrated globally, and recognises the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women’s equality.
The day has existed for well over a century, with the first IWD gathering in 1911 being supported by over a million people. Since its foundation, the event has covered several different themes to address issues faced by women globally.
This year, the IWD campaign theme is #BreakTheBias, and will focus on encouraging people to eliminate the inequalities women face in schools, colleges, universities, workplaces and communities around the world.
Jane Morrison-Ross, CEO of SOSE, said:
“There is no doubt that supporting women to get the resources and the support they need to succeed is a key priority for SOSE.
“This event will allow attendees to hear from some inspirational female leaders in the South of Scotland.
“It will facilitate important conversations which will make it easier for us to know how to help more women reach leadership positions or begin their own entrepreneurial journey.
“I would encourage anyone who has an interest in forging gender equality, eliminating bias and encouraging women in business, to sign up to join us at our virtual event on 8 March.”
To sign up for SOSE’s IWD event, please visit the following link: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/soses-international-womens-day-event-tickets-249251436757
Or, to find out more information on International Women’s Day, visit here: https://www.internationalwomensday.com/
