We are pleased as Women In Business to be able to offer a discount to our members of 20% off the GEC Standard ticket.  The code to quote when booking is WIB20 and this link will take you to the booking page GEC2012.  Please note a credit card is required.

The Global Entrepreneurship Congress – GEC2012 - www.gec2012.com

Highlights taking place at the Summit on Tuesday 13th March.

The Global Entrepreneurship Congress will provide a festival for business where people, passion and potential will be celebrated, inspired and accelerated.  It is a festival for entrepreneurs, a celebration of enterprise, an inspiration for those with the ‘can-do’ spirit to turn dreams into an ambitious reality.  The Global Entrepreneurship Congress will be a powerhouse of business brilliance that inspires people, excites potential and celebrates passion with the aim of “unleashing the will to win”.  The event is hosted by Liverpool Vision, Global Entrepreneurship Week and The Kauffman Foundation.

At the event entrepreneurs and aspiring business leaders will experience an inspiring journey through three sessions of speeches, panel discussions and debates centered on three themes that explore the concept of winning in business.

By coming to the Arena and Convention Centre in Liverpool (ACC Liverpool) on the 13th March you will listen to world leaders, economists and other experts about programs, policies and research aimed at advancing entrepreneurship, gain valuable insight and advice from successful and experienced entrepreneurs in various speeches and workshops. Keynote speakers include: 

Sir Richard Branson - Founder of Virgin 
Martha Lane Fox - Founder of lastminute.com 
Sir Terry Leahy - former CEO of Tesco 
Rt Hon the Lord Heseltine - Founder of Haymarket Publishing and former Deputy Prime Minister 
Steve Felice - President, Consumer, Small and Medium Business at Dell Inc. 
Paul Lindley - Founder of Ella’s Organic

Lara Morgan - Founder of Company Shortcuts and previous CEO of Pacific Direct
Doug Richard - Founding Dragons’ Den Panelist and Founder of School for Startups 

Meet and network with delegates who can help you take the next step in starting and growing your own business. It is a festival for entrepreneurs, a celebration of enterprise, an inspiration for those with the ‘can-do’ spirit to turn dreams into an ambitious reality. 

Book your place at www.gec.2012.com

THE HILTON in Gateshead will be playing host to two events celebrating International Women’s Day.

The Achieve conference is organised by The Entrepreneurs’ Forum on March 8 and will feature speakers such as World Rally driver Penny Mallory, entrepreneurs Judy Naake and Sara Murray, Worthenshaws founder Kristy Henshaw and pharmaceutical industry figure Fiona Cruickshank of SCM Pharma.

It is being sponsored by Gentoo Group and supported by Women Into The Network, and will run from 9am to 4.30pm.

Vice chairman of The Entrepreneurs’ Forum Lorna Moran said: “This conference is about inspiring and connecting female business leaders, encouraging them to think bigger, and providing them with all the key knowledge and experience they need to grow.”

For more information contact The Entrepreneurs’ Forum on 0191 500 7780, log onto www.entrepreneursforum.net or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Representatives from a North East family butchers business and a women’s health organisation will also be delivering their thoughts about women in business a week later.

The 2012 International Women’s Day Networking Lunch will run from 12.30pm on March 15 and will be supported by Deloitte. This year’s speakers are Dicksons Family Pork Butchers marketing director Elena Dickson and Tyneside Women’s Health chief executive Kate Mukungu. It is in aid of the Women’s Fund at the Community Foundation.

Mukungu said: “My aim is to ensure that each guest can get a sense of how funds raised can make a difference to women’s lives. The event is also an exciting opportunity to meet women from the world of business.”

Tickets are available at an early-bird rate of £30 each or £300 for a table of 10, rising to £35 each and £350 a table, from February 16. Call 0191 222 0945 or email Katy Vanden Hehir.

Article from Ne Business 17/2/2012

Women are being hit hardest by job redundancies.

A recent report shows the number of women out of work is now at a 25 year high, with twice as many female's losing their job in the last three months of last year.

Anna Bird, Acting Chief Executive of the Fawcett Society has commented on the latest unemployment figures:

"The number of women unemployed now stands at a record 25 year high. Twice as many women as men lost their jobs in the final quarter of 2011. 1.12 million women are out of work. More than half a million are claiming job seekers allowance.

"Since the final quarter of the recession - the 3 months to October 2009, men's unemployment has increased by just under 1 per cent, though it has fluctuated. Women's unemployment has increased by more than 18 per cent.

"These new figures must act as a wakeup call to government - we are in a time of crisis. Cuts are threatening women's equality, as jobs dry up, benefits are slashed and vital public services disappear.

"Women will make up two thirds of the estimated 700 000 public sector workers expected to lose their jobs by 2015. Women are shouldering some 70 per cent of the cuts to benefits, while it is women who are picking up the pieces as councils are forced to slash support services such as meals on wheels and after school clubs.