Women across Carlow encouraged to register for this year’s National Women’s Enterprise Day

Female entrepreneurs and budding businesswomen from across Carlow and Kilkenny are being encouraged to register for this year’s National Women’s Enterprise Day after the lineup for the event was announced.

The Local Enterprise Office (LEO) initiative, now in its 19th year, will take place on Thursday October 16, with events scheduled across the country. There are events nationwide and they feature a range of successful businesswomen, up and coming female entrepreneurs and amazing speakers in areas of sustainability, innovation, networking and marketing.

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Some of those involved in events across the country include Minister Peter Burke, Noella Gabriel Co-founder of Elemis Limited, Entrepreneur Norah Casey, Sarah Butler from Supervalu, Oonagh O’Hagan Meaghers Pharmacy group, Laura Dowling Founder of the Fabulous Pharmacist and Kellie Fennell Founder of KF Fitness to name a few of the speakers taking part around the country.

They will be joined at the events across the country by a host of female led small businesses and start-ups are telling their story of how they began and made it happen with their ideas.

The theme of this year’s event, she means business will encourage businesswomen to think about self-employment and start their entrepreneurial journey or for those already self-employed to start thinking about scaling and get some insights one taking the next step forward in their business.

The events will outline the key supports that are available from financial and consultancy to training and mentoring to help them along the way from starting out right through to bringing a business to global markets.

This year the Carlow Kilkenny event is taking place in The Parade Tower in Kilkenny. The event is in collaboration with the Wonderful Network Ireland Kilkenny which is a non-profit, voluntary organization dedicated to supporting the personal and professional development of women in business. The event will be hosted by Eimear Ní Bhraonáin.

The keynote speaker for the day will be Laurie Winkless, Laurie is a bestselling author, science journalist, and entrepreneur currently based in New Zealand. Growing up in Dundalk, she dreamed of becoming a scientist. After her degree in physics from Trinity College Dublin, Laurie moved to London, where she did a postgrad and then worked in the world-famous National Physical Laboratory.

But in her early 30s, she took a ‘temporary career detour’…and it ended up changing her life. Laurie has since had two books published worldwide by Bloomsbury (and she’s working on a third). She has written for outlets like Forbes and Wired, spoken at festivals all over the world, appeared on TV shows, and is a regular guest on radio and podcasts.

Laurie’s NZ-based communications company has supported Nobel laureates, scientific institutes, engineering companies, universities, and astronauts, amongst others. Her current client book includes organisations from across Europe, UK, Asia, Australia, New Zealand and Canada.

The panel will also feature Margaret Valette O’Connor is an award-winning Irish businesswoman, Business Consultant, and an Executive Life Coach. She is the former Managing Director of Quigley’s, Café, Bakery, Deli – a bakery and coffee shop chain based in the Republic of Ireland which Margaret and her team grew from one location in 1988 to eighteen, employing 195 staff.

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Our ambassador for the event is Emma Butler Founder of White Meadow Interiors. Emma qualified as an interior designer from UCD and is also a qualified project manager. Prior to working as an interior designer, Emma worked in marketing & communications, from which she brings a wealth of knowledge & skills to her commercial project.

Emma founded White meadow Interiors which focuses on providing a personalised service to their clients. They are committed to surpassing expectations and ensuring that every design phase aligns with the client’s preferences, resulting in spaces that truly reflect their style

Speaking about the event, Cllr. Ken Murnane, Cathaoirleach of Carlow County Council, said: “National Women’s Enterprise Day is a powerful celebration of the talent, creativity, and determination of women entrepreneurs across our country.

Women-led businesses are driving innovation, creating jobs, and strengthening our communities every day. This day is not only about recognising those achievements but also about inspiring and supporting more women to take the step into enterprise.

Through collaboration, mentoring, and targeted supports, we are working to create an environment where women in business can truly thrive. I want to commend every participant for their vision, resilience, and commitment—you are shaping a stronger, more dynamic, and more inclusive economy for us all.”

Paula O’Brien, Director of Services for Economic Development with Carlow County Council, said:

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“We are delighted to support National Women’s Enterprise Day, an event that highlights the remarkable achievements of women entrepreneurs across every sector of our economy.

“Here in our region, we are witnessing women build businesses that are not only innovative and resilient, but also ambitious in their vision for the future. This day is about celebrating those successes, while also inspiring the next generation of female leaders to take that important first step into enterprise.

“Through our Local Enterprise Offices, we are committed to providing the right supports – from expert advice and mentoring to tailored financial assistance – to ensure that women in business have every opportunity to grow, scale, and succeed.”

For more information on National Women’s Enterprise Day and what events are on go to www.LocalEnterprise.ie/NWED