Inspiring Women Entrepreneurs

Date: 21st June, 2024

Time: 10.30 – 12.30 followed by networking light lunch

Venue: IMI Conference Centre, IMI Campus, Sandyford Road, Dublin 16, Ireland, D16 X8C3

About this event

Are you a woman who is considering a change in career or interested in exploring the world of entrepreneurship? The Irish Management Institute is hosting a launch event for Inspiring Women Entrepreneurs 2024 for women who are interested in exploring the possibility of an innovative entrepreneurial career. Come join us!

The Inspiring Women Entrepreneurs initiative, which is supported by Enterprise Ireland and KPMG, is designed to introduce the possibility of an entrepreneurial career to particular groups of women that may not have considered it previously and where there is untapped entrepreneurial potential - women in senior corporate positions, those with doctoral and post-doctoral academic qualifications, professional women, women seeking a change in their life, among others.

At this inspiring event we will be joined by the following Inspiring Women who will share their entrepreneurial stories:

Kate Scott

Kate, CEO and Founder of HoloToyz, studied Graphic Design and while working at senior level in Advertising and Brand Management firms, bringing digital innovation to campaigns and creating digital marketing strategies, she developed a real interest in Augmented Reality (AR). This passion and interest in AR became Kate’s own reality when she and her husband, Declan Fahy, started their own toy business, HoloToyz in 2020.

HoloToyz is based in Co. Meath and successfully blends AR with traditional toys for children aged between 3 and 10 years. The company offers an interactive lineup of educational books, puzzles, temporary tattoos, stickers and wall decals in a range of themes that all come to life in 3D animation when scanned with the HoloToyz app. With a vision to establish a child-safe AR category that connects physical and digital play and learning in both toy and publishing, this award-winning company is poised for further growth and success.

Andrea Doolan

Andrea Doolan is CEO and Co-founder of Atlantia Clinical Trials, a world class provider of human clinical studies to the functional food, nutraceutical, medical food and live biotherapeutic sectors.

Andrea has over 27 years’ experience in the industry. She has a BSc in Microbiology and Higher Diploma from NUIG. Her early career experience as Clinical Trials Coordinator for the Harvard AIDS Clinical Trials Group at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston was formative in establishing her future professional direction. Thereafter, she returned to Ireland as Clinical Trials Manager with the APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork wherein she played a leading role in the development of Atlantia, fully transitioning the business out of UCC in 2012.

Andrea was awarded the Matheson WMB Female Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2018. Andrea leads Atlantia sales and operations from their headquarters in Cork, managing the US and Irish clinic sites and an expert team of medical professionals, nutritionists, business development and operational personnel.

Susan Spence

Susan Spence was Co-founder and President of SoftCo, one of Ireland’s most successful software companies. In March, 2024, SoftCo was acquired by private equity firm, Keensight Capital. With offices in Ireland, US, UK and Finland, and a million users worldwide, Susan and her co-founder, Jim Coffey grew their company into a leading global provider of finance automation solutions that increase productivity, reduce costs and ensure that organisations meet their compliance obligations.

Susan is the Irish Tatler Entrepreneur of the Year 2018 and is a former recipient of the Veuve Clicquot Businesswoman of the Year and Irish Exporter of the Year awards. On her initiative, SoftCo sponsored the Irish women’s hockey team that won silver in the World Cup in the summer of 2018.

Before co-founding SoftCo, Susan held senior management positions with Hewlett Packard, McDonnell Douglas, and Phillips BV. She is a former non-Executive Director of CIE and member of the Government Enterprise Advisory Group. Susan is a member of the Institute of Directors in Ireland.

Limited places are available so book early on the link below to avoid disappointment:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/inspiring-women-entrepreneurs-tickets-906141773437