2022 Summit: Belfast, N. Ireland
Earlier this week, Ladies Who Launch returned to Belfast for an evening dedicated to the people doing the brave, messy, ambitious work of building a business.
Hosted at Allstate Northern Ireland on 14th November, the Belfast Summit brought together women founders, funders, business leaders, and local resource partners for more than three hours of education and connection. The program tackled a wide range of entrepreneurial realities, from securing funding and scaling a company to developing personal resilience and building a brand people remember.
The evening opened with a simple premise: sustainable businesses require more than a good idea. They require strong relationships, honest reflection, and leaders who can keep learning as their companies evolve.
“Drive to Survive: Building a Long-Term Business” brought together leaders from very different industries to explore the challenges they shared. Yolanda Cooper, Founder and CEO of The Conscious Beauty Group, and Rachel McCausland, CEO of Lowe Corporation, joined Ladies Who Launch Co-Founder Sarah Friar for a conversation about growing companies designed to last. From ethical beauty to international refrigeration and catering equipment, their businesses may have looked different on the surface, but the underlying questions were familiar: How do you scale responsibly? What keeps a business relevant? How do you build for the long term without losing the values that got you started?
The summit also took on one of the most persistent challenges facing entrepreneurs: finding the right funding and support. Mary McKenna of AwakenHub, Katie Doran of Lanyon Communications, Lorraine Acheson of Women in Business Northern Ireland, and Jayne Ronayne of Talivest shared their experiences building businesses, networks, and pathways to growth.
But business resilience is personal, too.
During “Work the Future,” Fern Fitzpatrick of Paperxclips, Naomh McElhatton of She Said Club, and broadcaster and Irish FA Women’s Development Manager Gail Redmond joined Mental Fitness Coach Lisa Strutt to talk about the human beings behind the business plans. The group explored how community, mental fitness, and personal resilience could shape a founder’s ability to lead through uncertainty.
Later, Strutt led a working session on personal branding, helping attendees consider how their values, experiences, and leadership styles could strengthen the way they presented themselves and their businesses.
The formal program concluded with a fireside chat between Sarah Friar and Nuala Murphy, Director of Diversity Mark, focused on lessons from more than 20 years of corporate and organizational leadership.
Then came the part Belfast does particularly well: the mix-and-mingle. 🥂
Attendees filled the reception area at Allstate NI to continue conversations, meet peers, and connect with entrepreneurs and funders from across sectors. People did not seem eager for the evening to end.
That enthusiasm came through in the attendee feedback, too. Participants praised the caliber of the speakers, the energy in the room, and the authenticity of the conversations. One attendee summed it up simply: “I came away truly inspired.”
The Belfast Summit did not shy away from the harder parts of entrepreneurship. It made room for conversations about funding, failure, mental health, growth, identity, and ambition. More importantly, it reminded founders that while building a business can feel lonely, they do not have to do it alone.