Roseann Kelly MBE is CEO of Women in Business NI (WIBNI). Roseann joined Women in Business soon after the organisation was formed in 2002 as a voluntary Director; she held the roles of Vice Chair, Treasurer, and Company Secretary during that time. She has been Chief Executive of WIBNI since 2009 overseeing a period of rapid growth and a successful sustainability strategy. Roseann was recognised on Her Majesty the Queen’s Honours list in 2019 for her contribution to the NI Economy. She sits on the Department of the Economies Ministerial Strategic Advisory Forum. She also sits on the Expert Panel for the Review of Apprenticeships and on the Youth Training Review Panel. She is CEO and a Director of Diversity Mark NI Ltd formed in 2017. She is Vice Chair of Women’s Tec NI and past Committee member of both WINET and the Women’s Fund for NI. In 2016 she won the Chief Executive of the 3rd Sector (CO3) Award for Entrepreneurial Leader of the Year. In 2014 she was invited onto the Advisory Board of the SME Development Institute at the Ulster University Business School. In 2013 she won the Services to Enterprise Award with Young Enterprise, was announced in the Belfast Business TOP 50 in 2011 and was a participant on the Irish institute Boston College Women in the Workplace Programme in 2010. Roseann was recognised on Her Majesty the Queen’s Honours list in 2019 for her contribution to the NI Economy. She sits on the Department of the Economies Ministerial Strategic Advisory Forum. She also sits on the Expert Panel for the Review of Apprenticeships and on the Youth Training Review Panel. She is CEO and a Director of Diversity Mark NI Ltd formed in 2017. She is Vice Chair of Women’s Tec NI and past Committee member of both WINET and the Women’s Fund for NI. In 2016 she won the Chief Executive of the 3rd Sector (CO3) Award for Entrepreneurial Leader of the Year. In 2014 she was invited onto the Advisory Board of the SME Development Institute at the Ulster University Business School. In 2013 she won the Services to Enterprise Award with Young Enterprise, was announced in the Belfast Business TOP 50 in 2011 and was a participant on the Irish institute Boston College Women in the Workplace Programme in 2010.
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Lorraine, whose 20 years’ management experience spans UK and Australia, joined the WIB team in February 2022 to drive forward the network and to support on wider strategic objectives. As the former Innovate UK Manager, Lorraine gained a deep-rooted understanding of the Northern Ireland business community, working closely with government, industry, and the academic industries to establish cross-sectoral engagement with one of the UK’s leading innovation agencies. Lorraine believes that now is a time to celebrate female pioneers who through their innovation have radically advanced their business and wider fields, laying the foundations upon which others can build.
Along with over 20 years’ experience in customer facing roles Gill has spent a significant part of her career in senior client management roles within the contact centre industry providing operational and strategic support. Gill is passionate about delivering excellent service and support, internally and externally, while developing long-term relationships and laying strong groundwork for The WiB Group through our structural and operational processes. Gill was previously the Operations & Engagement Manager for Women in Business but has now moved into the Head of Group Operations role for the WiB Group working across the group for Women in Business NI, Diversity Mark, Timely Careers & Centre of Learning.
Collette Kelly has over 30 years’ experience in Customer Service/Experience/Management within Retail/Telecoms and Finance Industries. Colette is a graduate from Queens University with a BSSC honours degree in Psychology and Politics and Postgraduate in Business Management. Collette has been a member of Woman in Business from 2012 and is passionate about providing women with the support, skills, and connections they need to start and grow a business or achieve success in their careers. Collette has joined WIB as Head of Membership and with over 10,000 members Collette wants to grow the network expanding to all Business Sectors. Collette was voted Young Manager of the Year in 1993 with Department of Trade and Investment and in 2022 was a finalist in Woman in Sales Europe.
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Adam has over 15 years’ experience in Client Support roles, most recently within the motor trade industry for the last nine years, and previously within the telecommunications industry, gaining experience and multiple certifications in providing excellence along the way. He believes that an upbeat “can do” attitude is essential to providing a positive experience for our members. He strongly believes in diversity, empowerment, and equality for all, and is delighted to have joined our team with the aim to positively impact all our members.
Marguarita is a graduate from Queen's University, Belfast with a MSc Marketing. Having began her post-graduate career with Women in Business, she has progressed her experience throughout the membership and marketing of the network. With a keen interest in supporting member profiling and blog opportunities, she is also an advocate of the WIB Young Women's Network.
Ciara is a Communication Management and Public Relations Graduate of Ulster University. With experience working in the sales and customer service industry, Ciara is skilled in forming high-quality professional relationships. Working as our Events and Marketing Coordinator, Ciara develops and coordinates our monthly member events. Ciara is also the Women in Business Young Women's Network Lead and is passionate about creating spaces and opportunities for young women to feel uplifted and thrive in their careers.
Roisin is a Business Mentor and Trainer with over 20 years experience in supporting entrepreneurship. She has a degree in Business Studies, an MBA, and an Advanced Diploma in Digital Marketing and was one of the primary founders of Women in Business. Roisin has re-joined the Women in Business team to lead the Yes You Can programme on a part time basis, supporting female entrepreneurship. Prior to being self-employed for 14 years as Seed Mentoring, she has worked in the enterprise agency network for North Down Development and East Belfast Enterprise. Roisin is also the Treasurer of Specialisterne NI, a social enterprise supporting neuro-diversity and employability and coaches a local girls football team.
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Heather, our Enterprise Programme Manager, brings over 8 years of entrepreneurial expertise to our team. With a background in advertising at agencies Saatchi & Saatchi, TBWA, and McCann Erickson Belfast, and business development experience at Arts & Business NI. Heather boasts a diverse skill set encompassing project management, content creation, and a range of other vital enterprise skills. Heather proudly wears the label of a serial entrepreneur, having successfully launched three businesses, including her current venture, "Kill It With Quizzes." She is an enthusiastic advocate for supporting women fulfil their business dreams, drawing inspiration from the rollercoaster of her own entrepreneurial journey! Heather's mission is clear: to empower women from all walks of life to create a better future for themselves by starting their own businesses.
Vicky is a professional actress, qualified life & executive coach and superstar administrator! Alongside her acting she has held a variety of jobs, including 20+ years of admin roles, such as training and events organiser, office manager and project coordinator for organisations including the British Library and UNICEF. Most recently she was the Course Co-ordinator for the Rose Bruford College of Theatre and Performance, running the Acting Foundation course in Belfast. She also has a teaching and training background and is an experienced workshop facilitator, in fact she loves nothing more than standing in front of a room full of people! Which is why she also runs her own business, Generally Speaking, coaching clients in public speaking, presentation skills and communications. She is particularly interested in encouraging women to speak up and speak out, so that they can tell their stories, promote their business and network with confidence. Because getting women together in a room creates magic! Vicky has an MA in Acting for Media, a QQI Standard Level 6 certificate in Life & Executive Coaching, is CELTA qualified and recently gained an ILM L3 in Communication. Originally from Sweden, she has lived all over the UK and even further afield, including Myanmar and Madagascar.
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Denise Black has over 32 years’ experience in the private sector, all of which was in the Financial Services Industry. In latter years she led a number of strategic change management programs within AIB. After moving from the Private sector to the Public Sector in 2018 Denise joined the Strategic investment Board and led on driving Transformational change as People Lead within the Department of Infrastructure. She was then appointed April 2020 as Executive Director, Human Resources for Invest NI. Her motivation to join WIB in 2023 is two-fold in providing a clear opportunity to carry out her lifelong interest in optimising peoples’ career motivations and abilities, as well as being able to ‘give back’ the training and investment given to her throughout her career. Her ‘People & Culture’ interest is reflected in her professional qualifications as Chartered member of CIPD, Level 7 ILM Executive Coach and Mentor, CIPD qualified Trainer and a MSc in Strategic Personnel and Development. As much as she values her professional accreditations, Denise believes her best learning has been from her ‘try it, learn from it, build on it’ mind set.
As the Head of Programmes and Development, Nicky is responsible for the development and end to end delivery of training programmes to support individuals to climb the ladder of success and thrive both personally and professionally. She is passionate about making a positive impact for women at all stages of their business and career journey and empowering them to be leaders within the economy. Through her experience in media, property and B2B, Nicky has a wealth of experience in project management, sales, marketing and partnerships and cannot wait to connect with everyone. If you are interested in investing in yourself, finding the right programme for you, or offer training to support others, Nicky will be your point of contact.
With over 15 years’ experience in the hospitality and tourism industry, Maria has a wealth of experience in customer service, management and client relationships. Maria has spent the last few years within the logistics industry managing performance through data. During her career, Maria has received many awards and recognitions for her exceptional service, voted for by customers and industry peers. Maria is passionate about delivering excellent customer service and helping everyone to develop and achieve their full potential – with that in mind Maria will be your direct point of contact for the Centre of Learning at Women in Business.
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