‘A Tees Valley-wide effort to help women find their voice’

Jun 20th, 2018 | WRITTEN BY: Tees Business Correspondent

Laura Woods, director of The Forge, Teesside University’s business hub, introduces the Summer 2018 issue of Tees Business – the Tees region’s quarterly business magazine – with a guest foreword…

It gives me great pleasure to provide the guest foreword for the 14th issue of a publication that’s always a “must read” for the region’s business population.

Click here to read Tees Business online 

I’m particularly delighted to see Tees Business leading the way for our area’s women, with the launch of the very first Tees Businesswomen Awards, set to take place at Wynyard Hall on November 8 this year.

In too many cases, women are the silent stars of the Tees Valley economy.

We have some brilliant female talent and knowhow behind business successes of every complexion – exactly the talent and know-how that will help us to seize the great growth opportunities we now face.

This is recognised by some stand-out female leaders in the area, who work hard to promote and celebrate the achievements and potential of the region’s women.

What we need is a concerted, Tees Valley-wide effort to help women find their voice and get it heard.

If we can bring that collective contribution to the fore, I believe we’ll make a massive impact on the opportunities the Tees Valley is creating right now.

Teesside University has a central role to play here. Raising educational attainment and skills levels can only happen if we raise aspirations, confidence and ambitions – and our own students and prospective students are where we start.

We’re ideally placed to make sure that the girls and women who come on campus to study our programmes are aware of the opportunities that are there for them, and have the self-awareness and self-belief they need to grasp those opportunities and make a real difference, to their own future and the future of the Tees Valley.

That’s why the Tees Businesswomen Awards have struck such a chord with Teesside University.

Professor Jane Turner OBE, our pro vice-chancellor for enterprise and business engagement, and a passionate advocate for women in business, will be the keynote speaker at the awards.

We’re also delighted to be sponsoring an award category – the very first Tees Businesswoman of the Year.

Find out more details about some of the category sponsorship opportunities by clicking here.

One last thing. This is an event about women, for both women and men. We want everyone to come together, for one night in the year, to celebrate success in celebrating some of the brilliant women we have in the Tees Valley.

We’re looking forward to being a part of the awards night, and we applaud Tees Business for taking the initiative to launch this statement event.

Laura Woods
Director of The Forge
(Teesside University’s business hub)

 

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