At a networking meeting held by her local Chamber of Commerce last December, Theresa Edward was the only woman in the room.
Theresa is quite the alpha female. In her day job, she is an employment law and health and safety coordinator at consultancy company Avensure. Out of hours, she is training for this year’s London marathon in aid of The Children’s Trust.
Despite her strong character her isolation that day made her feel “shocked and a little bit intimidated”.
She explains that the meeting was an early start which could explain why fewer women were able to attend: “It was a meeting that was at 9am, so it might be that the sort of ladies you get networking might be doing a school run.”
The experience prompted Theresa to get involved with the monthly “women in business” coffee mornings.
“It’s just a big bunch of ladies coming together for a nice cup of tea or coffee, exchanging ideas,” she says. “It’s a great opportunity to exchange some business cards and make some contacts.
The event is organised by Islington Chamber of Commerce (ICoC). Each month, a key female player in the business community is chosen to lead the meeting. This month it is Ms Edward’s turn.
She says: “The host would have the table. You can put your brochures around, you greet everybody as they come in, organise the meeting, get the venue, and so on and so forth.
“The host will have a few more minutes explaining exactly what they do, but you go around the table where each lady has an opportunity to talk about themselves and their business.”
The coffee mornings have been a hit and have been up and running for three years.
Adriana Sanchez, manager of ICoC, says: “It’s a good opportunity for the ladies to network after dropping off their children. This is a time that they can help each other and get connections. They can talk about their business.”
This month’s coffee morning is taking place at 10am on 19 March, at Côte restaurant on Islington Green.
