About us

With over 22 years experience in Aerospace Supply Chain Nichola is currently a member of the leadership team at AeroSystems. She leads a team of sourcing professionals with responsibility for the planning and execution of sourcing strategies, managing the introduction of new programmes, and low-cost country development. Her leadership responsibilities include Value Engineering, where she leads a team of sourcing professionals who develop and implement innovative concepts. A graduate in Management Operations from UU, she also has a professional coaching qualification, and is a member of the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply.

Anne has been a leading figure in the world of learning and development in Ireland for the past 31 years. She was Director of Training and Corporate Development for B.I.C. Systems for eighteen years. Following the sale of the company to BT in 2004, she went on to work in PwC before joining Queen’s University to establish the William J Clinton Leadership Institute. By 2018, when she retired from Queen’s, Anne had successfully developed the Institute to be NI’s premier provider of high-end executive education. Anne has run a number of businesses during her career and has sat on a number of boards. She continues to work in the field of executive coaching and training consultancy.

Angela is the chairwoman of the board of the Virginia Distillery Company. She is active in marketing and championing the brand in markets across the U.S. and beyond. Also the Managing Partner of Ravensdale Capital, an investment platform created to provide venture capital investments in start-up and early stage technology businesses. MD of Macha Capital Partners, a private investment fund focused on investing in small, growth-orientated business in Ireland, with a special focus on women-led initiatives, in a broad range of sectors including, manufacturing, technology and trade. Angela serves on the boards of several organizations, and is a member of the Irish Global Economic Forum.

Andrea specialises in investment and development work and  has over 25 years experience of acting for clients in both NI and England. Andrea is an active advocate of D&I with a particular emphasis on the advancement of women in business and aside from being on the board of Women in Business she also sits on the Board of NI Chamber of Commerce. She was previously the international chair of the Pinsent Masons internal female networking group, Female Futures whose membership spans all of their 26 offices for over 7 years and has recently been appointed as the gender representative on the Pinsent Masons Global Inclusion Board

With over 30 years experience in the Utility Sector Paula is a member of the senior leadership team in NIE Networks. She leads a team of HR professionals. In addition to a number of responsibilities her main focus is on organisational training & development, change management and employee engagement. A graduate in Business Studies from Ulster University Paula and then a Post Graduate Diploma in Human Resource Management. In addition to this she has a number of Management Qualifications and also has a professional coaching qualification. She is a Chartered member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development.

Joris is an award-winning PR consultant who trained at the National Geographic Society as a journalist in Washington DC. After a successful 10-year career in business journalism in London and Madrid, he returned to NI to join the PR industry in 1992. As PR consultant, trustee of Belfast’s top arts centre, and strategic adviser, Joris has helped facilitate the creation of major new capital investment projects including the MAC, HMS Caroline and Kilkeel Regeneration. He is skilled in all aspects of public relations including crisis communications management, profile building, corporate communications, reputation protection and consumer PR. Joris speaks French and Spanish, writes a weekly food column for the Belfast Telegraph.

The driving force behind the HCIL ethos and vision, Mairead is an award winning, female entrepreneur. HCIL is a leader in care, support and housing solutions with a 1,200 strong team across Ireland.  In an era of emerging technologies, Mairead recently founded ‘iCare Digital’, a progressive solution focused on improving the delivery of social care. She is the founder of EVOLVE, a women’s network that inspires and supports strong female leadership across the community. Also a founding partner of LIFT Ireland, which focuses on character and value-based leadership for future generations. A finalist in EY Entrepreneur Of The Year® Award, Mairead has been recognised for her innovation in Business and recently received a National Special Recognition Award.

With 30 years of experience in financial services, Keith is currently VP, Officer, and Deputy Information Security Officer for the Allstate corporation. As Allstate’s first Security Officer outside the US, Keith is building global thought leadership for cyber security in NI. Prior to Allstate, Keith has been a board member or Chairman of Banks in India, Russia, Mexico, Canada and in the US. As the first non-USA based Security Officer in our near 100-year history, Keith is responsible for establishing and driving individualized information security strategy and programs for each of the major Allstate business lines. For the largest publicly held personal lines property and casualty insurer in America.

Stephen has been MD of Power NI for the past 15 years. Power NI is Northern Ireland’s largest electricity supplier serving 475,000 homes and 35,000 businesses. He is on the executive board of the Viridian Group. A past President and Board Member of the NI Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Stephen has worked within the energy industry since 1986, and joined initially as a chartered engineer and then transitioned into a variety of senior management roles. He holds an engineering degree, a masters in corporate leadership and is an alumnus of the Harvard Business School. Stephen originally hails from Co Tyrone and is married to Amanda, and they have two children, Rachel and Jonathan.

David is the former Head of NI Civil Service, whose civil service career spanned over four decades. David retired in August 2020 after leading the Northern Ireland Civil Service in the absence of Stormont ministers, following the collapse of the executive in 2017. Providing strategic counsel to the Women in Business Board, David says “I am delighted to be welcomed on to the Board and to join a group of impactful and influential business minds in making an important difference in the workplace in Northern Ireland…Diversity, Entrepreneurialism and Leadership are crucial to Northern Ireland’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.”