ACHIEVE: International Women's Day North East Conference

With special guest speakers including serial entrepreneur and female internet hero Sara Murray, the founder of award winning confused.com and buddi; Britain's most inspirational young businesswoman, Kirsty Henshaw, founder of frozen dessert business, Worthenshaws and Fiona Cruickshank of SCM Pharma and the woman who brought St Tropez Tan to the UK and co-founder of Airbase. Conference hosted by Penny Mallory, the first woman to drive a World Rally Car.

Today, inspirational women of influence can be found in various sectors, at all levels.  Their route to success isn’t always a conventional one and often lies in having the courage to believe in yourself, sticking your head above the parapet to see what’s going on, taking action and seizing opportunities.

The Entrepreneurs’ Forum, in partnership with Women Into the Network, is proud to celebrate International Women’s Day 2012 with our own unique conference aimed at like-minded business women at all levels of business. 

There are literally hundreds of women in business in Britain today, whose achievements have made them role models, and they are inspired and inspiring and we are privileged to have opening this year’s Achieve conference for us, Entrepreneurs’ Forum Vice Chair and Chief Executive of NRG, Lorna Moran MBE.

If you are keen to experience a day of inspiration, work on your professional development, spend a day with members of your team and encourage them to network, or if you need some encouragement and confidence to grow your business, then this day is for you.

An unmissable event open to people running businesses of all sizes, whether you’re a member of the Entrepreneurs’ Forum or not. Conference attendance is priced at £75+ VAT for Entrepreneurs’ Forum members and £95 + VAT for non members.

PAYMENT OPTIONS: By return using cheque or BACS.

HOW TO REGISTER: Book on-line using the option above or for further information, call our CONFERENCE HOTLINE: 0191 5007780.

REGISTRATION FEES: Once we receive your booking form, you will receive a confirmation letter and further details, plus an invoice for the full amount payable to The Entrepreneurs’ Forum Ltd by return. Full payment must be received prior to the conference date.

CANCELLATION POLICY: Cancellations must be received in writing at least 14 days before the commencement of the conference and will be subject to a 10% administrative fee.  It is regretted that cancellations received within 14 days of the conference date will  be liable for the full conference fee. Substitutions can be made at any time.

In the unlikely event of cancellation of the conference for any reason, the Entrepreneurs’ Forum liability is limited to the return of the registration fee only. The Entrepreneurs’ Forum will not reimburse delegates for any travel or hotel cancellation fees or penalties. It may be necessary, for reasons beyond the control of the Entrepreneurs’ Forum to change the content, timings, speakers, date and venue of the conference.

• Kirsty Henshaw, Founder of Worthenshaws
• Penny Mallory
• Fiona Raglan, Founder of Dipsticks Research
• Heather Jackson - CEO of An Inspirational Journey

Kirsty is a 25-year-old single mother from Preston who started her frozen dessert business by experimenting with a cheap ice-cream maker in her tiny kitchen at home.  

In July 2010, she appeared on the TV show Dragon's Den, and secured £65,000 of angel investment. Now her company, Worthenshaws Freedom, supplies every major supermarket in the UK.

Kirsty electrified the Den with her passion, commitment and gritty determination to succeed. She became one of the youngest entrepreneurs to receive investment on the show from Dragons, Peter Jones and Duncan Bannatyne, in return for a 30% stake in Worthenshaws, her frozen dessert business.

Kirsty’s range of dairy-free, nut-free and sugar-free frozen puddings has now been rebranded to Worthenshaws 'Freedom' and launched across the UK in all major supermarkets in September 2010. The rebranding will enable Kirsty to plan other healthy products to complement the dessert range.

Kirsty's business has been compared to the hugely successful 'Reggae Reggae Sauce' from fellow Dragon's Den contestant, Levi Roots, which now sells in excess of ten million bottles a year. Peter Jones has staked his reputation on Kirsty going on to sell millions of her desserts each year. This looks highly probable because Kirsty's product is innovative and offers a solution to a clear niche in the food market. Many desserts on the market contain lots of saturated fats or are labelled as 'low-fat' but actually contain a high amount of added sugar or are laced with artificial sweeteners and flavourings. There is a clear need for a range of desserts tailored to people with eating restrictions or for those who just enjoy eating natural and healthy foods.

Kirsty was inspired to create her range of frozen products by her four year old son Jacob who has a serious nut allergy and is intolerant to dairy and gluten. She began experimenting with a little ice cream maker from Argos in her tiny kitchen at home. Kirsty formulated a recipe for success combining brown rice milk, coconut oil and natural fruit extracts - all renowned for their health giving properties. Convinced she had a recipe that children and adults would enjoy as a healthy alternative to ice cream she approached a local ice cream maker to produce the products in larger quantities.

Kirsty then hired a consultancy to help her create a brand and design a website. She funded this with £14,000 of her own money which she had saved from doing two part-time jobs and also secured £6,000 of vouchers from the North West Development Agency through the University of Preston. Kirsty was so determined to succeed in business that she dropped out of university where she was studying for a sports therapy degree to pursue her business dream full-time.

An inspirational, confident and 'can-do' young woman, Kirsty talks about her entrepreneurial journey so far. She emphasises the importance of building great relationships with the people around you and knowing your business model inside-out. Kirsty is currently focused on building the Worthenshaws Freedom brand and is consolidating her position as one of the most inspirational young businesswomen in the country.