LEO Dublin City Women in Business Network Event
Title: "Sustainability Changemakers"
followed by Networking
Tuesday 11th June 2024 17.45-20.30
Venue: Hyatt Centric Hotel, Dean St, The Liberties, Dublin, D08 W3X7
Businesses are being driven to centre sustainability to a greater extent due not only to commitment to the environment or regulatory or supply chain requirements but also due to the market opportunities being created as consumers increasingly consider sustainability in their purchasing decisions. The June event will feature five speakers involved in either working with businesses to make these changes or businesses with sustainability at the core of their strategies.
Speakers
There will be tea/coffee and sandwiches available before the talks and the evening will finish with networking over wine.
Please register now as places are limited.
Speakers
Aisling Connaughton , Co-founder & Sustainability Solutionist, Cyd Connects
Aisling Connaughton is a co-founder of Cyd Connects, a women-led sustainability consultancy helping business become a force for good. Cyd Connects is a certified B Corp, participant of the UN Global Compact and specialises in accelerating the Sustainable Development Goals via sustainability roadmaps that make navigating the journey fun and inspiring. Now is the time for every business to become a force for good. Through Cyd Connects, Aisling turns social and environmental responsibility into competitive business advantage.
As a TEDx speaker and guest lecturer at London Business School, Goldsmiths University and EADA Barcelona, Aisling’s skill is in taking what can seem like a dry and overwhelming subject like sustainability, and making it simple, innovative and fun.Aisling’s 18-year global career in PR spans sustainability, marketing, and communications. She has worked for Huawei Technologies holding posts in Shenzhen and San Francisco. Aisling began her career in the beauty industry, working for L’Oreal, Aveda and Clarins before taking the Global Head of PR role with leading sustainable British brand Liz Earle Beauty Co.
Aisling is a proud member of the University of Cambridge Wo+Men Leadership Centre. She has a Masters in Social Entrepreneurship from Goldsmiths University of London and received a scholarship to the Cambridge Judge Business School Rising Women Leaders Programme. In her role as a certified B Leader, Aisling is working to raise awareness of how the B Corp framework can act as a catalyst for better business and accelerate the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
Website: www.cydconnects.com
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/aisling-connaughton-01111123/
Instagram: www.instagram.com/aisling_connaughton/
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@cydconnects
TEDx talk: www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYy33FhURNM
Sarah Blake, Founder, Earthology
Sarah helps companies to create a climate conscious workforce that will increase staff retention, attract the best talent and make your business future fit. Sarah believes companies can make a profit and be planet positive.
Sarah has more than 25 years’ business experience in Sustainability, Human Resources (CIPD Associate) and Horticulture (RHS trained). After studying Sustainability Leadership at Cambridge University, Sarah founded Earthology to help employees and their companies on their sustainability journey, one step at a time! Sarah is a member of the Al Gore Climate Reality chapter in Ireland. She has also helped more than 20 companies with B Corp Certification. Sarah runs Certified Carbon Literacy courses to educate and inspire both Senior Leaders and Green Team.
Aoife McHugh, Founder, Timeless Celebrations
Having studied business, specialising in supply chain in both the food and pharmaceutical industry. I decided in 2016 to explore my creative side and learnt to sew. What started as a hobby, became a business in 2020, while I was living in Switzerland. My love for beautiful Christmas decorations led me to design Timeless Crackers®. The only Luxury reusable Christmas Cracker of its kind, made in Ireland. Combining Luxurious Decorations, sustainability and thoughtfulness, allowing people to maintain much loved traditions without sacrificing the environment.
Alison Byrne, Founder, Wildbird Studio
"Wildbird Studio was founded by Alison Byrne in 2016. Based in Dublin she is a member of the dynamic arts collective at Flux Studios in The Digital Hub.
Alison produces a range of home and giftware, jewellery and lighting. These products are made using various glass techniques, including stained glass, fusing and flameworking.
Being sustainable is very important to Alison. As a result many of her designs are created using recycled or waste materials and all of her packaging is recycled, recyclable or compostable.
Alison also works on private commissions and personal artistic projects. Alison’s latest artistic project ‘Bean No Tí’ is focusing on the Housing Crisis and her personal journey to finding a home as a single, self employed woman in her mid 30’s. The project is in its early stages but will be a combination of glass installation pieces and digital documentation through the Instagram account @bean.no.ti.
Alison has served on the board of the Glass Society of Ireland from 2018 to 2023."
Here is her website link: https://wildbirdstudio.ie/
Sandra Reynolds, Business Advisor, Local Enterprise Office Dublin City
Sandra has over a decade experience supporting early-stage businesses to develop their business and access funding supports across a range of sectors.
She leads a number of initiatives with the Local Enterprise Office (LEO), which help build client skills and knowledge in the areas of Lean, Green, Digitalisation and Export. This enables LEO clients build and develop the skills and knowledge to help them in their journey to sustain and grow their business. She has in depth knowledge of the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem and an understanding of what supports are appropriate to each stage of your journey, with a grounded in reality, practical approach to helping early stage entrepreneurs.
The LEO is the first stop shop for anyone thinking of starting a business offering a wide range of supports including Training, Mentoring and Funding.
Sandra holds a Professional Diploma in Creativity, Innovation and Leadership from the UCD Innovation Academy (2020).
