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This Network is Your Network

Would you like your brand associated with a women’s group with over 200 active members covering all sectors?

Joining a professional women’s network provides not just access to role models, but provides career-boosting contacts, mentoring and confidence-boosting support too.

“For women to advance professionally, we need to exploit our one true advantage –

a strong female support group. The support system and gender-specific career advice that women can provide other women are crucial to career advancement. Female mentorship in the workplace is more important than ever. Let’s band together so that tomorrow’s female leaders emerge from today’s inner circle.”

Caroline Castrillon, Forbes, 2019

More membership benefits

Our members have businesses/work in many different areas such as

Directory-Listing-Membership-Benefits

DIRECTORY LISTING

On joining, members can list their business details on our Directory page which increases your online presence and boosts SEO.

FACEBOOK/SOCIAL MEDIA EXPOSURE

Members can contribute to our regular ‘Share Your News’ post on our Facebook Page which has 3,500+ followers.

MAKE NEW CONTACTS

Network and exchange business contacts.

NEWSLETTER

Members can have their offers and news shared in our monthly newsletter.

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES

We have many members who have met, hired or collaborated with each other through our Network.

MENTORING & ADVICE

As a member, you will have access to mentoring from other network members.

GUEST BLOG

Tell us more about you/your business by writing a blog post for our website and we will also promote it on our social channels.

HOST EVENTS

As a member, you have the opportunity to host social or business events /workshops.

Membership-Discount-Benefits

MEMBERSHIP DISCOUNTS

Members usually offer each other discounts on their products or services.

MEMBER ONLY FACEBOOK GROUP

Our members only Facebook Group is a private space for members to connect, share, ask questions, get advice and make recommendations.

A network for every woman in business

200+ members and membership fee is only €65!

A bit more About us…

Our story begins in 1998 when the then Donegal County Enterprise Board (the forerunner to the Local Enterprise Office) made the decision to develop a dedicated support programme to promote and support female entrepreneurship in County Donegal.  At the time the Board had four female directors and these along with some other women became the steering committee for the initiative. The Board, through its executive, was successful in an application for funding that enabled it to appoint the first dedicated sector-specific executive (Anne Turbett) to drive the project forward.

The large crowd at their inaugural meeting in Kees Hotel in 1999 was an indication of the level of interest shown by budding female entrepreneurs in the county. This was followed by the official launch of the Network in 2000.

Over the years, the ongoing success of the network has been driven by the members themselves, led by various committees representing the sector with support from the Local Enterprise Office. A common theme throughout has been to create a strong support network and in doing so build confidence, contacts and skills.

The Donegal Women in Business Network has emerged into an ambitious, dynamic and diverse group which brings together women in different stages of business development, from startup to expansion and everything in-between.

We provide a forum for women in business in the county of Donegal to share their experiences, network and to discuss topical business issues affecting women.

We run seminars/workshops throughout the year based on the identified needs of the members. It’s not all work though, the Network also runs a number of social events, which provide a welcome respite from daily business life, and are a great way to have some fun while getting to know other members.

The Network is open to all women with an interest in business. Whether you are the owner of the business or involved in running the business either as a partner, family member or manager.

Most of the events are cost-free (paid for out of the subscriptions) and any additional costs are kept as low as possible so as to facilitate as many as possible to attend.

Meet our Committee

Our Committee consists of network members who kindly give their time
voluntarily to keep things running smoothly

Larissa Feeney Donegal Women in Business Network
President

Larissa Feeney

Sheila-Russell-Assitant-Secretary
Vice President

Sheila Russell

Sally Murphy Diversity and Inclusion Officer Donegal Women in Business Network
Vice President

Sally Murphy

Elaine McInaw
PRO

Elaine McInaw

Jo-Daly-President
Membership Officer

Jo Daly

Mihaela-Iftime-Assistant-Treasurer
Treasurer

Mihaela Iftime

Susan Stevenson
Committee Member

Susan Stevenson

Committee Member

Elaine Lingard

Jane-McLean
Committee Member

Jane McLean

Mary Crawford Donegal Women in Business Network
Committee Member

Mary Crawford

Evelyn-Mc-Glynn-Public-Relations-Officer
Ambassador

Evelyn Mc Glynn

Trish-McGinley-Secretary-Vice-President
Ambassador

Trish McGinley

Deirdre-McGlone-Patron-Ambassador
Patron & Ambassador

Deirdre McGlone

Caitriona-Sinnott-Network-Facilitator
Network Facilitator

Caitriona Sinnott

Larissa Feeney Donegal Women in Business Network

President

Larissa Feeney

Larissa Feeney 

Larissa Feeney is a fellow chartered accountant (FCA) with over 15 years’ experience. She is the CEO of Accountant Online, Ireland’s award-winning online chartered accountancy firm. Larissa’s latest achievements include being President of the Donegal Women in Business Network and participating as a Lead Entrepreneur for the development programme, ACORNS. Larissa is also an experienced speaker, most recently she delivered an expert presentation for Chartered Accountants Ireland. Larissa has also won many awards. She was awarded ‘Accountant of the Year’ in 2018 and Accountant Online was voted ‘Medium Practice of the Year’, overall ‘Practice of the Year’ 2020 and ‘Online Practice of the Year’ 2022 by the Irish Accountancy Awards.

 

 

Sheila-Russell-Assitant-Secretary

Vice President

Sheila Russell

Sheila Russell joined the committee in October 2019 and has been a member of the Donegal Women in Business Network for several years.

Sheila is the Sales & Marketing Manager at the award winning Harvey’s Point hotel having joined the company 10 years ago. She is passionate about tourism in Donegal and Ireland has been lucky to promote County Donegal internationally and within Ireland.

With over 20 years’ experience in the hospitality industry, Sheila and has held various high-level positions in hotels within Ireland including front office, revenue management, event planning, and sales & marketing.

Contact Sheila at: sheila@harveyspoint.com

Sally Murphy Diversity and Inclusion Officer Donegal Women in Business Network

Vice President

Sally Murphy

Sally Murphy is the founder of www.welltold.ie a communications consultancy which helps people and organisations tell better stories.

With a background in culture and the arts, she has over twenty years’ experience managing & marketing multi-disciplinary projects in the arts, tourism and business.

She founded Murphy Communications in 2016, rebranding in 2019 to launch Welltold. Today she works with a range of clients in Ireland and abroad, delivering consultancy, coaching and training with a specific focus on empowering businesses to use storytelling as a tool for transformation. She is passionate about finding ways to celebrate and support diversity, equity and inclusion – in our workplaces, our businesses and our communities.

In  2017, Sally won the Northern Ireland Creative Industry Skills Award for her work with Void Gallery, Derry and in 2022 delivered her first TEDxwomen talk.

She lives in Donegal with her gorgeous teenage sons, several tabby cats and one extremely patient schnauzer.

You can follow her online @welltoldsally

Elaine McInaw

PRO

Elaine McInaw

Elaine McInaw

Elaine is passionate about tourism and in particular tourism in Donegal and the Island of Ireland. Elaine has worked in Hospitality & Sales for over 20 years and is currently Sales & Marketing Manager for the Donegal Hotel Collection including the iconic Abbey Hotel & Central Hotel in Donegal Town. Elaine attends numerous overseas events, workshops and trade shows to promote Donegal and the Island of Ireland.

Elaine is a Director on the Board of Donegal Tourism and has spent three years on the Associate Committee for Donegal Tourism. In her roles in Sales & Marketing, she places a huge emphasis on social media and online marketing. She recently graduated from ATU with her HDIP Level 8 in Tourism Destination Marketing.

Elaine has been a member of Donegal Women in Business Network for several years and takes great pride in promoting members through events and online platforms.

In September 2022, Elaine took up the role as PRO for the Donegal Women in Business Network and loves that she is part of a committee that motivates and builds confidence in women around the county.

 

Jo-Daly-President

Membership Officer

Jo Daly

Renowned in the hospitality world, Jo (along with Debbie O’Reilly) runs the very popular Quay West restaurant in Donegal town, which has won many awards and accolades over the years. Her continuous community-building saw her step forward as one of many volunteers at the helm of Chef Aid charity Donegal during the pandemic. Jo is also on the committee of the Donegal Food Festival.

Jo is a passionate believer in diversity and inclusion and, looks forward to building on the Network’s motto of inspiring all women in business – from kitchen table to boardroom table – and everyone who is employed or has an interest in business in the county.

Contact Jo at: daly.jlo@gmail.com

Mihaela-Iftime-Assistant-Treasurer

Treasurer

Mihaela Iftime

Originally from Romania, Mihaela came to Ireland over 22 years ago and since that time she has worked in hospitality and accounting.

Mihaela loves working with numbers and is also passionate about helping and mentoring other people.

In March 2020, Mihaela started her online business delivering bookkeeping and payroll services, Bookkeeping Ireland, based in Letterkenny which operates nationwide.

Mihaela is also an Executive Partner with Professional Bookkeepers Academy and a SortMyBooks Certified Expert.

During the lockdown Mihaela attended several ‘’Let’s Meet for a Coffee‘’ events and was inspired to join the Donegal Women in Business Network and subsequently was warmly welcomed as their Assistant Treasurer.

Contact Mihaela at: info@bookkeepingireland.ie

Susan Stevenson

Committee Member

Susan Stevenson

Susan Stevenson – Travel Counsellors

Susan is a personal travel specialist who takes the stress and hassle out of planning your dream holiday. Travel was always her passion and she loves creating bespoke itineraries, helping people discover exciting destinations and new experiences without the stress of organising it themselves.  She has travelled widely including recent trips to the Galapagos Islands, Costa Rica and Iceland.

Susan is President of Letterkenny Lions Club which holds fundraisers for local charities and carries out various service activities.

Susan is also a member of Donegal Business Network.

Committee Member

Elaine Lingard

Elaine Lingard

Elaine Lingard is the owner of Emerald Education Centre, a tuition centre based in Bundoran, helping support children aged 5-18 years old.

Elaine founded Emerald Education Centre in 2016, offering maths and English tuition to local children and, a year later, she added online tutoring sessions, dyslexia screening and dyscalculia screening to her services. Elaine now also provides online courses and educational downloadables to support students to enable them to experience success at school.

Elaine lives in Bundoran with her husband, daughters and her two black Labradors.

You can follow her here on FacebookInstagram and Linkedin

 

Jane-McLean

Committee Member

Jane McLean

Jane McLean

Jane McLean has worked with Foroige (National Youth Organisation) since 2018. Jane is a Programme Officer with NFTE (Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship). She supports Schools and Youth Projects with Youth Entrepreneurship and hosts/Co-hosts Regional, Semi-Final and National Competitions.

Jane’s educational background is in Psychology. She studied in Ulster University and subsequently worked for 12 years with young offenders in Foroige. Jane facilitated the NFTE Programme in The Garda Youth Diversion Project and has seen how entrepreneurship can be a game changer for young people, especially those who are disadvantaged. Through the NFTE Programme, Jane also works with Entrepreneurs who become NFTE Business Mentors and Guest Judges. Donegal Women in  Business Network kindly offer their time to support budding entrepreneurs in Donegal and help create a sense of Community in the Foroige NFTE Programme in Donegal and Northern Ireland.

Jane can be contacted: jane.mclean@foroige.ie

Mary Crawford Donegal Women in Business Network

Committee Member

Mary Crawford

Mary Crawford is Managing Director of The Right Angle, a PR agency that delivers all-island marketing solutions for clients across a range of sectors. Mary has 25 years’ experience in marketing and PR in Dublin and the northwest, starting her career in one of Ireland’s oldest and most established PR companies, Murray Consultants, cutting her teeth on campaigns for leading brands including Ryanair, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Independent News and Media. Mary also spent ten years in Elevate PR, working with a broad range of clients, from PlayStation to Nokia, Hennessy, and TK Maxx. With The Right Angle, Mary is committed to showing SME’s, sole traders, and start-ups that PR is not just for large established companies, but that they too can benefit from a strategic, considered and well executed PR strategy. See www.therightangle.ie

Evelyn-Mc-Glynn-Public-Relations-Officer

Ambassador

Evelyn Mc Glynn

Evelyn Mc Glynn is an author, trainer, life coach and runs a marketing company evelynmcmarketing.com.

Evelyn owns the blog and social media for donegalmammy.com and is addicted to networking! She was the PRO for Donegal Women in Business Network, and has brought networking online through her Let’s Meet For A Coffee events throughout lockdown in 2020.

Evelyn spent over 20 years as a stay at home mum and credits networking, and transferable skills gained from her work in the voluntary sector, and the ability to learn almost everything on the internet to where she is today.

She is passionate about empowering women and giving every woman in business an opportunity to grow.

Contact Evelyn at: evelynmcmarketing@gmail.com

Trish-McGinley-Secretary-Vice-President

Ambassador

Trish McGinley

Trish McGinley, our Secretary, is the glue that holds us all together and will be for many of you the first point of contact when you email or contact the Network, and she is passionate about supporting women in business and learning from one another.

Trish has more than 30 years’ marketing and administration experience from the public, private and voluntary sectors throughout the UK, Ireland and Australia, which is all put to good use in her role with the Network!

As well as being involved in the Network, Trish also runs her own business, McGinley Online Marketing, in addition to taking care of Mountcharles Community’s website.

Contact Trish at: trish@mcginleyonlinemarketing.com, or 089 256 3845.

Deirdre-McGlone-Patron-Ambassador

Patron & Ambassador

Deirdre McGlone

Having had the honour of being president of the Donegal Women in Business Network for three years, Deirdre looks forward to continuing to support DWBN in an ambassadorial role. She is a firm believer in the power of networking and collaboration.

From 1989 to 2019, Deirdre was owner / manager of the multi-award winning Harvey’s Point Hotel. In 2019, she and her husband sold their business and in 2020, her entrepreneurial spirit continues with the development of a new holiday rental business venture in France.

Deirdre extends best wishes to the current committee of DWBN and its members.

Contact Deirdre at: deirdre@mydonegal.ie

Caitriona-Sinnott-Network-Facilitator

Network Facilitator

Caitriona Sinnott

Caitriona has over 20 years’ experience working predominantly in the financial services sector. During this time, she has held operational and managerial roles in such diverse areas as HR, retail banking, risk and compliance management and most recently worked in the not-for-profit sector. Caitriona is a natural organiser and brings a strong can-do attitude to the network. She is enthusiastic about the contribution SME’s make to local economies, and throughout her career Caitriona has advocated for the growth and nurturing of new and established businesses. She is committed to the development of strong networks and looks forward to working with the members of DWIBN.

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