Make It Your Business Tunbridge Wells is moving to a bigger venue to accommodate a larger audience, with past events having a waiting list of women from across the South East eager to attend.
From the next meeting on Friday 27 June, the events will be held at Town Hall Tunbridge Wells, powered by Townsq.
Siobhan Stirling, director of PR and marketing agency Sharp Minds Communications, who chairs the events, said: “We’re excited to be taking Make It Your Business to such a vibrant venue in the centre of the town that celebrates and nurtures small businesses and entrepreneurs.
“The alignment with Town Hall and Townsq is a perfect fit for Make It Your Business, which was founded to encourage and support female entrepreneurs.
“Plus, we have room for an even bigger audience, which is fantastic news as we normally have a waiting list for the events, with businesswomen travelling from across the South East to hear our amazing panellists share their business stories.”
Lucie Merkl, hub manager at Townsq, added: “We are thrilled to be the new sponsor for the Tunbridge Wells Make It Your Business events. Providing support to start and grow businesses aligns perfectly with our values; it’s core to what we believe at Town Hall and Townsq.
“Our mission is to create inspiring spaces where people come together to connect, collaborate and find the support they need for their business to flourish.
“Hosting these events in the beautiful council chamber feels like the perfect fit – where big ideas meet big ceilings!
“It’s a chance to celebrate entrepreneurship, champion local talent and be part of a network that’s genuinely changing the business landscape for women. We’re proud to play our part.”
The keynote speaker on 27 June is Victoria Symons, head of corporate Law at Cripps, who has championed Cripps’ research into female leadership and how we can achieve gender parity in mid-market businesses.
The panellists include Jessica Bunce, co-founder and chief operating officer of Sapio Research, an award-winning, full-service market research agency based in London specialising in providing research and insights for PR and marketing, B2B businesses, technology-first companies and not-for-profits.
Two of the three co-founders of Cliq Accounting, Leanne Terry and Katie Clarke, will share how, over the past nine years, they have developed a team of tech-driven accountants and bookkeepers in the UK’s first Climate Neutral certified accountancy practice.
Katie Whittingham will be explaining how her career in corporate finance and teaching eventually led to her current role as the CEO of Glasshouse, which reduces re-offending through horticultural training and employment of women on day release from prison.
Alison Dry, operations manager at Sharp Minds Communications, said: “We have to say a huge thank you to Gillian Palmer for so generously sponsoring Make It Your Business Tunbridge Wells by hosting it at The Finance Hub since we came out of lockdown.
“Her support and enthusiasm, together with her modern space on The Pantiles, have been a key part in securing the ongoing success of the events.”
