The 22nd of September will mark ‘American Business Women’s Day’ celebrated in the US. Business Connect Magazine has put together a feature in support of women Internationally and across the UK, and would very much like to showcase achievements in championing diversity by British businesses.
In a government report released earlier this year figures showed nearly 40% of UK FTSE 100 board positions are now held by women, comparing to only 12.5% ten years ago, which puts the UK 2nd in international rankings. The features below celebrate women and the businesses they represent.
Name: Lyndsey Roll
Business: Truity Wealth Management
Position: Founder and Director
“Truity Wealth Management is founded upon two core values – Trust and Integrity. Our clients are at the heart of everything we do. Building long lasting relationships and turning people’s dreams into reality through strategic financial advice. It is so important to us that our clients seeking financial guidance and support should feel they can place their absolute trust and faith in our processes. We offer a very personal but professional experience.” Founder and Director, Lyndsey Roll, brings over 18 years of knowledge and a strong passion for behavioural finance, conventional economics and wealth management. “At Truity Wealth Management we listen and understand an individual’s goals and dreams. We offer a bespoke service to help you realise those dreams and help you live the life you want to live. Services & Advice Investment Planning Retirement Planning Protection Corporate Services Wealth Management.”
Truity Wealth Management Ltd is an Appointed Representative of and represents only St. James’s Place Wealth Management PLC (which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority) for the purpose of advising solely on the groups wealth management products and services more details of which are set out on the group’s website: truitywealth.co.uk 07533 504 946
Name: Helen Bennett
Business: The Business Network
Position: Owner and Director
Helen Bennett is owner of The Business Network, a networking organisation for business owners and directors, with franchisees across England. Having personally run groups for a number of years, Helen then purchased the company, but still hosts the Business Network Manchester group. “A key role for a Business Network Host is to be a business ‘connector’, linking companies when the need arises. I feel it is important to remain ‘hands-on’ and connected, so when I am asked – ‘do you know anyone who can help with xy or z,’ I am in a position to provide a relevant contact.
“Across our groups we have some very knowledgeable members who are ideally positioned to be solution-providers, and for any company, having access to a network of experienced and supportive contacts is invaluable. We took the decision to invest heavily in the business during the pandemic – an upgrade to our bespoke event management system and a new integrated website means that we are now perfectly placed to move the business forward. As well as hosting a monthly in-person event, we now also offer an on-line event that brings together business leaders from across the London, Exeter and Manchester business communities.”
business-network.co.uk 0161 823 1384 helen@business-network.co.uk
Name: Janine Friston
Business: Female Business Network
Position: Founder
Janine is a Mum of 2 and founder of the Female Business Network, which she launched in October 2021. She felt there was a gap between the more corporate networking and really informal meetings. Having hosted local in-person events since 2018, Janine now hosts UK-wide online networking and accountability meetings for female business owners. “I know how daunting attending networking events can be. Female Business Network events are welcoming, friendly, fun yet still professional. I want our members to support each other, collaborate, grow their business and achieve their goals.”
As Janine advocates, networking doesn’t have to be stuffy and obviously about selling. Passion, dedication and an openness to meet new people is networking; To learn, have conversations and challenge yourself is about being a business owner. All these attributes are what the Female Business Network members have. October sees the launch of the Female Business Festival, an event to help women take practical steps in their business. With expert and inspirational speakers as well as the Female Business Network Awards.
janine@femalebusinessnetwork.co.uk
Name: Leanne Finnigan
Business: Jobwise Ltd
Position: Managing Director
Jobwise were established in 1979 to provide local businesses with temporary and permanent staff. Managing Director Leanne Finnigan explains: “The business has expanded to cover the whole of the North West with offices in Bolton, Stockport, Liverpool, Warrington and Altrincham. Consisting of a near 90% female workforce, we are proud to lead the way for women in the workplace. Offering opportunities for an exciting career, with world class training, the Jobwise vision is of ‘A world where everyone loves their job’ and this starts with our own team.”
Leanne started her Jobwise career at grass roots level in 1993 as an administrator, experiencing every Jobwise role as she rose through the ranks, culminating in her becoming Managing Director in 2009. She has previously been Corporate leader of the year at the Women in Business awards, shortlisted for the She Inspires awards 2022 and won Business Person of the Year at the North West Business Awards 2020/21! Leanne’s positive and supportive attitude is infectious, and results in people embracing challenges and creatively overcoming them. This was particularly evident during one of the biggest challenges of a generation – the pandemic.
jobwise.co.uk leanne@jobwise.co.uk 0345 313 7450 / 07968 751 066
Name: Win Edmondson
Business: The Business Network South Manchester
Position: Co-Director
Just over three years ago my husband Simon rang me and said: “We have bought a networking business! We both realised there was an opportunity to grow the group. Although we work together we both have separate roles. I look after the back office, bookkeeping and general admin through the month and on the day I am meet and greet. Our target was to increase the membership to 100 businesses and we were doing well until Covid hit which some people would have thought would have been a disaster. Instead we switched to online, brought in speakers we may not have got had we been face to face and ensured our members knew we were there to talk, help and of course refer business.
“The group has 85 members now and we are so near to our target, we have businesses with 1,000s of staff through to sole director firms and they all know that each one is just as important as each other to us. We have now taken over the Chester group and we are looking forward to increasing the numbers there too.”
business-network-south-manchester.co.uk 0161 503 5000
Name: Christiane Hutchinson
Business: Biramis Management Partners
Position: CEO
As the Founder of Biramis Management Partners, a multi award winning business, Christiane and her team focus on providing specialist services to increase the value of clients’ businesses. Her career in Strategy spans 25 years, working throughout all businesses’ growth cycles. Christiane addresses the culminating point of any business strategy: value building to achieve a future state of exit readiness. She found throughout her career that business owners confuse exit strategy with exit date. With over 60% failure rates in exit strategies, she felt she wanted to contribute to creating wealth and capital value for hard working clients. Over time, she developed and evaluated a capital value growth model, and herself and her team have just completed phase one of a software application with university partners, and phase 2 will start in the autumn.
“Making money is vastly different from creating wealth: while the former is transactional and owner focused, the latter is a compound holistic approach: in the process of creating wealth for the owner, it also looks after creating more value for employees, customers, suppliers, providers of finance and society at large. It is about a total connected approach to business, to grow and distribute wealth.”
biramis.com christiane.hutchinson@biramis.com 0161 817 8052 / 07497 849757
