Pictured is Joanne Hession, Entrepreneurs Academy; Lorraine Greene, Programme Manager, AIB Women in Enterprise Programme Wendy Slattery, Founder of The Beauty Buddy, who was crowned winner of the AIB Women In Enterprise Programme 2019. Almost 80 companies took part in the eight month programme which kicked off in December 2018 and saw businesses take part in a series of masterclasses across Ireland which aimed to enable participants to improve their leadership and communication skills. In parallel to these workshops, was the AIB Women in Enterprise Growth Academies which saw 60 separate businesses owners attend six days of intensive training on topics such including leadership, networking, digital strategy and finance.
Kildare based company ‘The Beauty Buddy’ has been crowned winner of the second annual AIB Women in Enterprise Programme which was held in the AIB Centre of Excellence Hub in Central Park, Dublin. Almost 80 companies took part in the hotly contested programme which saw companies throughout Ireland competing for the top spot, but in the end, The Beauty Buddy was chosen as the overall winner by a panel of judges which included senior representatives from AIB.
The Beauty Buddy is a Data Analytics Company for the Beauty & Cosmetic Industry that provides Beauty Brands and Retailers access to the unique, live, actionable & valuable data. This data is gathered through a TripAdvisor type app where users can rate and find products they’ve used or want to use. They bridge the gap between brands and consumers in an €800bn industry.
On the night, four other businesses, Flowithme, Advanced Technical Concepts Ltd, Chupi and Dooley’s Hotel were awarded prizes by the judges. The Beauty Buddy and the other finalists will share a prize fund of €40,000 which will go towards helping them scale their businesses. They will also receive mentoring and media profiling for their companies.
Speaking about the awards, Lorraine Greene, AIB Women in Enterprise Programme Manager said “The AIB Women in Enterprise Programme is part of our commitment to providing businesses with the supports needed to help them scale and achieve further success. The awards are a key milestone in this programme and give us an opportunity to recognise and celebrate the many achievements of the businesses that participated throughout the year.
“We are delighted to have such a variety of businesses across multiple sectors compete in this year’s programme. We are also proud to have played a part in helping these businesses and to have backed them to achieve their dreams and ambitions.”
Speaking about winning the AIB Women in Enterprise Programme, Wendy Slattery, The Beauty Buddy said “The AIB Growth Academy has been instrumental in helping us with our Strategic growth strategy. The facilitators from the Entrepreneurs Academy were best in class and inspirational. There was at least one nugget I could take away and implement into our business quite easily and watch the impact of those changes immediately. Getting to upskill and learn is a passion of ours and I am a better leader for it. The Academy exceeded our expectations and I would recommend any female CEO or MD to apply to participate. One of the best parts was to share this journey with like-minded, inspirational, ambitious, positive women.”
The AIB Women in Enterprise programme is an eight month programme which kicked off in December 2018 and saw over 300 businesses take part in a series of half day masterclasses across Ireland which aimed to enable participants to improve their leadership and communication skills. In parallel to these workshops, was the AIB Women in Enterprise Growth Academies which saw 60 separate businesses owners attend six days of intensive training on topics such including leadership, networking, digital strategy and finance.