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Here at Noone Casey, we are passionate about supporting Women in Business and we are delighted to support Roseann Heavey, one of our partners, as she takes on the role of the 2018 National President of Network Ireland.
Network Ireland is a progressive, dynamic organisation supporting the professional and personal development of women. Our membership is made up of a very diverse group of women, from budding entrepreneurs, SME owners, professionals and leaders in indigeno.
As part of her role as National President, Roseann had the task of running an International Women’s Day Event for 250 of Ireland’s leading women in business. The sold-out event was held in the Intercontinental Hotel in Dublin on March 8th and proved a huge success.
We thought we would share with you some lessons, ideas and statistics we took from the day and provide you with some food for thought, in this first blog of our Women in Business Blog Series.
1.Women have a Positive Effect on Teams
It seems like a pretty obvious one, however in many organisations across different sectors, we still see all male teams. This is despite the fact it is widely known that women members of teams, improve the team’s creativity, team confidence, levels of experimentation and efficiency. It has been proven that teams with only one female member outperform all male groups in all collective intelligence tests. Here at Noone Casey we are proud to say women are the driving force across our teams and would encourage other firms across all sectors to recognise the importance of women in teams and throughout all functions of the business.
2. The Average Person Scrolls on Social Media to the Height of the Eiffel Tower – Everyday
Yes, that’s 324 meters of scrolling every single day. Most of the time we are on auto pilot and not reading what we are scrolling past, until something of interest, catches our eye and stops us in our path. So what does this mean for businesses? Not only are marketers competing against themselves but also against the ignorance of the human brain. We need to understand exactly what our customers want, how they want it delivered and strive for more engaging content, that grabs the readers attentions and stops the dreaded thumb from passing by your businesses content.
3. Only 7% of partners at top 100 venture firms are women
We know that women has a positive effect on teams and on the organisation overall, yet the figures state that only 7% of partners at the top 100 venture firms are women. Women in business and particularly women entrepreneurs still face hurdles in obtaining funding with only 3% of venture capital being allocated to female CEOs. It is clear we need to push for more diverse teams, as both employees, employers and stakeholders in businesses today. Here at Noone Casey we are committed to diverse teams and dedicated to supporting women in our business and in others.
4. It Will Take 217 Years to Close the Gender Pay Gap
Staggering figures show that it is estimated to take another 217 years to close the Gender Pay Gap. Although there is “slow yet steady progress”, we think this is too long to wait for gender parity. With 98 years to close the gap in political participation and 12 years to close the educational attainment gap, it is positive to note, that we are headed in the right direction, yet 217 years seems too long to wait. We need to be the driving force behind shortening this time and set an example for businesses alike.
5. Life Begins at the End of your Comfort Zone
Áine Kerr from our client Neva Labs, spoke on on International Women’s Day about her story and left us with this fantastic quote. “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” It can be easy to get stuck into a routine and avoid challenges and even more difficult to get out of that routine. Here at Noone Casey we encourage our employees and clients to step outside of their comfort zones and strive for more. We were so impressed as Roseann spoke out in front of 250 people (something she never thought she would do). As we like to say here; “Make the Change, Grow and Prosper”
If you have any questions about Network Ireland or would like to discuss your financial and comemrcial circumstances and how we can help grow your business, contact Roseann here.