Do you dream of starting your own business but need a helping hand, perhaps you already have a business but feel stuck and not sure how to move forward, or maybe you are a successful entrepreneur willing to help other women achieve their goal. Whatever end of the business spectrum you’re at Make It Your Business is for you!

Join other like minded women who understand how important it is to feel supported at this Make It Your Business event in Birmingham on June 28th, 2pm-4pm.

Panelists:
The panel will be chaired by Karen Tracey, Director, Dunelm Business Consultants. Karen is the Owner and Executive Coach at Dunelm Business Consultants and works with Executives CEOs, MDs, Entrepreneurs, Business Owners and Senior teams developing leadership capability in high growth businesses. Specialising in Leadership and Management, Personal Brand and Managing Strategic Change on a one-to-one or group basis.

Karen is also Chair for the Women Presidents’ Organisation – peer learning organisation for women owned multimillion-dollar companies. Honorary Consul to Latvia – appointed by the Latvian Ambassador to the United Kingdom, connecting and supporting Latvian and British businesses. Business Board Member of the Women in Enterprise All Party Parliamentary Group Cross Party group – focussed on developing Enterprise skills in women in the UK. Ambassador for X-Forces – a charity helping Ex Veterans and their families set up businesses.

Deb Leary OBE, D.Univ, FRSA, CCMI – Founder/CEO of Forensic Pathways an international company specialising in development of innovative software for the law enforcement and security sectors, with specialisms in technologies for the investigation of child sexual exploitation, border security, ballistics analysis and gun registration. In addition, Forensic Pathways provides due diligence services, cyber security, dark web and digital forensic investigations. Forensic Pathways has a diverse client base operating in both the public and private sector. Deb is an international speaker on entrepreneurship, international trade, innovation, Personal Branding, Networking & CSR. She has won a number of awards including British Female Inventor of the Year 2005 and European Woman of Achievement, culminating in winning Women in Stem and Inspiring Leader of the Year 2015. Deborah was invested with the Order of the British Empire for services to entrepreneurship and made a Doctor of Birmingham City University in 2012.

Involved at a strategic level in other organisations – Export Champion for the UK Government’s Department for International Trade, Director – European Network of Women in Leadership, Director – United Nations UK Global Compact Network, Board Member of Birmingham Commonwealth Trade Association, Member of the All Parliamentary Party Group on Enterprise, CommonwealthFirst Mentor for Commonwealth Enterprise & Investment Council, Advisory Board Member within Birmingham City University’s Social Sciences Faculty, Chair – Funny Women, Fellow of Royal Society for Arts and Marie-Curie Fellow.

Cherry Blumberg – As the MD of Orchard Valley Foods Ltd (OVF) Cherry is passionate about working on innovative products for the UK food industry, especially inclusions, decorations and ingredients. OVF supports suppliers by providing full technical and sales functions and by steering new product development ideas for the UK food industry. OVF provides UK (and increasingly overseas) customers with an exciting range of products and ingredient solutions to help their own growth through new product development.

A dairy farmer’s daughter, Cherry’s background is food, starting her career in the dairy industry in Technical roles before moving to Technical Sales positions, which led on to her being appointed Sales Director then Managing Director at OVF. After 13 years of successive growth the majority share was sold to the Food Ingredient decision of the Norwegian PLC, Orkla Foods. In September the new division Orchard Vally Foods Group was formed merging an existing Swedish production operation and forming a platform to accept further acquisitions of a similar or complementary product nature.