Empowering Stories - Social Enterprise
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Event details
Rising Above: Empowering Success Stories from Social Enterprise
Our talks will focus on the stories of women, from all levels of business and within a wide variety of business contexts, considering how they have overcome social bias and barriers to business, and discussing what is required to remove the necessity for continued gender equality conversations over the next decade.
We recognise the strength of allies within this conversation and warmly invite all genders to attend the event, to build greater understanding of the different perspectives and to identify how we can share best practice and support one another.
Event speakers;
Katie Rees - CEO, Kindlewoods
Katie Rees established KindleWoods CIC 11 years ago to bring together three principles; nature, community and wellbeing to get under the root causes of our major social and environmental challenges. After completing an MA at Edinburgh University in Social Anthropology with Development, she suffered an injury which completely changed her understanding of wellbeing and the course of her career. With no previous forestry experience, she skilled herself up in bushcraft, woodland management, hedgelaying and person centred approaches to working with people including Forest School and Mindfulness.
KindleWoods now delivers woodland wellbeing programmes with serving military personnel and young people attending alternative learning provision from our 6 acre woodland site near Thirsk, as well as run land management work, including community tree planting and commercial hedgelaying across North and West Yorkshire.
Laura Pulleyn - Managing Director, Ford Family Foundation
As Managing Director and single mum of two daughters Laura is a passionate advocate for business purpose, bridging the gap between sectors to deliver value, create equitable partnerships and influence a change in how we define business successes. With a cross sector background in private sector CSR, public sector procurement and roles within the third sector, Laura has combined her personal and professional experience to provide social enterprise and charities with pro bono consultancy and advisory services, helping them further their social mission, scale their work and develop corporate partnerships.
As Managing Director of the Ford Family Foundation Laura works alongside the charities founder, Tony Ford, to support the charities strategic direction and maximise its impact. Inspired by the incredible work and economic contributions of our Social Enterprises, the Foundation was created to support our Social Enterprises with grant funding and mentorship, elevate and commercialise the profile of the sector and influence transformative change at policy level. Laura is responsible for creating an ecosystem of strategic partnerships across major universities and community networks to ensure funding reaches the social entrepreneurs where it can create the greatest impact.
Through her experience as a single parent and beneficiary of our third sectors Laura leverages her unique perspective and insight alongside her professional experience and platform as a driving force for change.