Meet Our Team 

Christine White, Head of Business – Christine joined as Head of Business in 2018 after two decades as a top performer in retail banking and subsequently the motor trade. She has since built relationships with many organisations resulting in a large and growing community of progressive companies from all sectors working towards achieving and maintaining the Diversity Mark. As a Women in Business mentor and member of the MATRIX Women in STEM steering committee she speaks passionately about the vast benefits that Gender Diversity and Inclusion can bring to organisations and she is keen to make a difference to the economy by working with organisations on their journey to build inclusive workplace environments to benefit everyone in our society.

Emma Lyttle, Engagement Manager –  Emma was appointed in January 2020 in a new role as Engagement Manager. She is responsible for engaging with the Diversity Mark signatories and enabling the sharing of best practice online events, round tables, communications, ezines, and sharing of research reports to grow a learning community focused on creating diverse and inclusive workplace cultures. Emma is passionate about building diversity and inclusion momentum for every organisation regardless of size or stature.  

Roseann Kelly MBE, CEO – of Diversity Mark and Women in Business NI. Roseann was recognised on Her Majesty the Queen’s Honours list in 2019 for her contribution to the NI Economy. She sits on the Department of the Economies Ministerial Strategic Advisory Forum and on the Expert Panel for the Review of Apprenticeships. Roseann also sits on the Youth Training Review Panel, is Vice Chair of Women’s Tec NI and past Committee member of both WINET and the Women’s Fund for NI. In 2016 she won the CEO of the 3rd Sector Award for Entrepreneurial Leader of the Year. In 2014 she was invited onto the Advisory Board of the SME Development Institute at the Ulster University Business School.

Meet our Board

Nichola Robinson, Sourcing Director, Spirit AeroSystems – 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 Clydesdale, Leadership Consultant – 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 Moore, Managing Director, Ravensdale Capital Investments LLC – 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 McIlroy Rose, Head of the Belfast Office, Pinsent Masons – 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

Paula Leathem, Senior HR Business Partner, NIE Networks –  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 Minne, PR Consultant, JPR –  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.

Mairead Mackle, CEO of HCIL – 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.  

Keith Lippert, Officer, Vice President, Deputy Information Security Officer at Allstate – 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 McCully, Managing Director of Power NI – 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.

Sir David Robert Sterling, KCB, Former Head of NI Civil Service – 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.”

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