Celebrating digital trail blazers on International Women's Day
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Cavan Women Celebrate International Women’s Day with Focus on ‘The Digital Advantage’. From left: Lynda McGavigan, Director of Services, Cavan County Council; Margaret McNally, Head of Finance, ICT, and Emergency Services, Cavan County Council; guest speaker Caroline O’Neill, Digg Mama; Minister Niamh Smyth, Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment; guest speaker Michelle Rankin, Michelle Rankin Marketing; Cllr Patricia Walsh; chair, Cavan-Belturbet Municipal District; Senator Pauline Tully (SF); Conor Craven, Head of Enterprise, Local Enterprise Office Cavan; Margaret McKeon-Boyle, Extensive PR, Co-Ordinator Cavan Women in Business; Cllr Carmel Brady (FG); Tara McGovern, Business Advisor, Local Enterprise Office Cavan and Cllr Niamh Brady (FG).Image 2 of 15
Linda Scott, Amatino Partners; Margaret McKeon-Boyle, Extensive PR, Co-Ordinator Cavan Women in Business, and Cllr Carmel Brady (FG).Image 3 of 15
Martina McGrenaghan, Home Alone Away Together and Patricia Ronayne, The Anglo-Celt.Image 4 of 15
Margaret McKeon-Boyle, Extensive PR, Co-Ordinator Cavan Women in Business; guest speaker Michelle Rankin, Michelle Rankin Marketing; Conor Craven, Head of Enterprise, Local Enterprise Office Cavan; guest speaker Caroline O’Neill, Digg Mama and Tara McGovern, Business Advisor, LEO Cavan.Image 5 of 15
Suzy McEvoy, Skin Rejuvenation Aesthetics, Hannah Murphy, Hannah M Dance; Rosemary McGovern, Glantech Staffing and Kasia O'Reilly, Sana Naturals.Image 6 of 15
Lorna O'Neill, PTSB Bank; Orla Shanaghy, Breda McHugh, Compliplus and Kay Patton, PTSB Bank.Image 7 of 15
Sorcha Coyle, Beyond Class; Karen Mayes, Sally West; Ruth Leddy, Sally West and Elena Brennan, Elena Brennan Jewellery.Image 8 of 15
Guest Speaker Caroline O’Neill, Digg Mama; Emer McVeety. Laochra Academy; Senator Pauline Tully (SF); guest speaker, Michelle Rankin Marketing and Sylvia Stafford, Apridata.Image 9 of 15
Melinda Gold, Melinda Gold Photography and Davina Lynch, Davina Lynch Millinery.Image 10 of 15
Margaret McKeon-Boyle, Extensive PR, Co-Ordinator Cavan Women in Business; Cllr Patricia Walsh (FF); chair, Cavan-Belturbet Municipal District; Linda O'Reilly, Managing Editor of The Anglo-Celt and Cllr Niamh Brady (FG).Image 11 of 15
Guest Speaker Michelle Rankin, Michelle Rankin Marketing speaking with Lisa Pepper, Off The Rack and Cootehill Chamber of Commerce and Connie Whelan, Cootehill Chamber of Commerce.Image 12 of 15
Senator Pauline Tully among the faces enjoying CWBN International Women's Day Celebration.Image 13 of 15
Cllr Niamh Brady and Helen McCartin, The Purple Orange.Image 14 of 15
Minister Niamh Smyth, Minister of State at Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, with responsibility for Trade Promotion, Artificial Intelligence and Digital Transformation.Image 15 of 15
Guest Speaker Caroline O’Neill, Founder of Digg Mama.There was an air of celebration in the Cavan Crystal Hotel last Friday morning as 85 female entrepreneurs gathered to celebrate International Women's Day.
The breakfast event, hosted by Local Enterprise Office Cavan (LEO Cavan) in collaboration with the Cavan Women in Business Network, focused on 'The Digital Advantage'. Themes of digital marketing, social media and the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools taking centre stage.
It was apt that the event was opened by Cavan's newest Minister, Niamh Smyth, Minister of State with special responsibility for Trade Promotion, Artificial Intelligence and Digital Transformation. TD for Cavan–Monaghan.
"It's fantastic to be here with so many inspirational businesswomen from right across the county. It is through your hard work, your entrepreneurial spirit that you serve as trail blazers and as female role models to those who are starting out," she said.
In her new role, Minister Smyth assured women in business of her support and emphasised how increased female participation in the workforce is vital for the economy.
"We need to ensure that women can realise their full entrepreneurial spirit and I take very seriously the responsibilities that I carry as Minister within the Department of Enterprise that it incumbent on us to create the atmosphere, to create the supports, to create the right environment for women who have dreams, who have ideas, who have the get up and go to create their businesses, that we need to go and put the measures in place and the environment in place for you to do so," pledge Deputy Smyth.
She urged those in the room to embrace Artificial Intelligence tools to improve efficiency and reduce administrative burdens for small businesses.
"I really think that AI is going to provide incredible opportunity, and I do think that it is going to actually focus our minds more on taking away maybe the drudgery that's involved, particularly for small businesses. I know when you're a smaller business and you don't have huge teams in PR or huge teams in HR, you're the one person that does it all, and my hope and my vision for AI particularly in government is that it helps people who are small businesses and medium sized business, that it helps to give you greater capacity within your jobs that you're not so bedded down doing that administrative piece and other parts of the work," said Deputy Smyth.
Conor Craven, Head of LEO Cavan, also addressed the ladies outlining the many supports, mentorship programmes and grants available to them through the local LEO.
Among the guest speakers was Michelle Rankin, a leading digital marketing expert from County Louth, who led a mini workshop on ‘Empowering Women in Business through Social Media’. The audience also heard from Caroline O’Neill, a renowned entrepreneur and social media influencer with over 250,000 followers.
Caroline shared her inspiring journey from founding Digg Childrenswear in 2008 to creating the Digg Community, which encompasses Digg Mama, Digg for Success, Digg Podcast, and the charitable initiative Digg Deep for Kids. To date, Digg Deep for Kids has raised over £700,000 to support families in need.
Expert MC was once again Margaret McKeon-Boyle of Extensive PR, who also co-ordinates the Cavan Women in Business Network on behalf of LEO Cavan.
The Cavan Women in Business Network and LEO Cavan remain committed to fostering opportunities for women to grow and thrive in business.