Meath Women in Business celebrate International Women’s Day
On Wednesday the 8th of March, over 130 businesswomen from all over Meath gathered together at the Station House Hotel to celebrate International Women’s Day with a line-up of inspirational speakers. The celebration was hosted by The Station House Hotel in Kilmessan and included a 3-course lunch. The event was facilitated by Elaine Keogh from Solstice Media LTD. The Meath Women in Business and Tech Network is a partnership between County Meath Chamber and Meath Local Enterprise office and is sponsored by META.
The day began with an introduction from Paula McCaul- CEO of County Meath Chamber as she welcomed everyone to the sold out event. Susanne Slattery of the Station House Hotel also welcomed everyone and congratulated her Mother- Thelma Slattery, on 40 years in the business. The first speaker of the afternoon was Susie O’Neill of AYU cosmetics.
AYU Make Up is a multi-award-winning cosmetics company dedicated to empowering women with the tools and knowledge to bring out their best selves. Susie explained the history of the business and her leap into the unknown when she decided to make AYU cosmetics her full time job. “I wanted to show women how to enhance what they already have rather than mask it. We did this through tutorials and being relevant in the everyday woman’s life”. Being able to sell online was a big part of AYU cosmetic’s success and Susie explained how social media played a big part in that.
Sinead Gogan is the Chairperson of Meath Women’s Refuge and Support Services. She took to the stage after Susie’s talk to tell participants about the amazing work that the refuge carries out every day. The refuge was set up 35 years ago and they are aiming to create a new single-family facility in 2025. You can now purchase a Mí Meath card in aid of Meath Women’s Refuge & Support Services. 100% of the value is gifted to the charity to purchase food, clothes and other essentials for families experiencing domestic abuse in Co. Meath. Visit https://countymeathchamber.ie/mimeath/donate
After an amazing lunch from the team at the Station House Hotel, Laura Maher Hora of The Irish Country home took to the stage with Elaine to tell participants about her business. The Irish Country Home provides the finest luxury faux floral arrangements available. “I started documenting our journey of our new build on Instagram and when Covid hit, I already had the following there to create my interiors business” Laura’s business grew fast but admitted the flexibility of working for yourself is a big bonus. “Being able to spend time with the kids is great, but you will work ten times harder when you are working for yourself”
Leah Cooney of Leah’s Holistic Therapies took to the stage as the last speaker of the day. Her Grandmother told her that she had healing hands at a young age, and she pursued her career in holistic therapies straight after secondary school. The love that Leah has for her job was very evident. Her business is a great success and she currently has a 7 month waiting list for new clients. Leah also told participants of her new candle range that she developed over Covid. The range includes a bereavement candle. Marjoram Essential Oil is famed for its natural healing properties, helping ease emotions especially in times of immense stress and grief. There are also plenty more in the pipeline.
An inspirational day in great company was enjoyed by all the participants. The next Meath Women in Business and Tech event will be held on the 13th of June at the Station House Hotel. Make sure to follow County Meath Chamber on all socials for more information.