The Forward Ladies Hub is a central point for accessing a range of resources that are relevant and of value to women in business.
It features guides, advice, briefings, tips and training materials on a range of topics and is also the home of the Forward Ladies blog, news stream and image gallery.
You will find here all the latest news and blog posts from the Forward Ladies team. We will share news of all the support that we offer to women in business including events, who we’re talking to, opportunities for members and anything that’s new and exciting!
A new 21 page e-book has been launched this week by online women in business organisation Prowess, as part of the Governments Start Up Britain initiative. The women’s business finance guide helps female start-ups, business owners and entrepreneurs to make the most of loans, grants, equity and more. You can download your free copy @ prowess.org.uk
We have been approached by various media production companies looking for Forward Ladies members who are willing to share their stories.
Production Company seeks Businesswoman for TV documentary
North One Television is searching for an ambitious, entrepreneurial and successful businesswoman who owes some of her success to a stay at home husband. It seems that couples around the country are increasingly finding it difficult to both work, and juggle children or other duties at home. Gender roles are something we are keen to explore in this documentary, and we would love to feature a happily married couple who has made the ‘role reversal’ work for them. If this sounds like you or you know any business women whose husband is a ‘stay at home husband/dad’ we’d love to hear from you. Please contact Sarah for more information sarah.ruddell@northonetv.com or call 020 7502 5768
British family Life in 2012
While the attention of the world is on the Diamond Jubilee and the Olympics this summer, most of us will be planning celebrations, awaiting new arrivals or simply just trying harder and harder to get by. Against this backdrop we’re hoping to tell the stories of inspiring, warm and engaging families – from all areas and backgrounds across the UK, living through this year of austerity and celebration. We’d like to reflect a range of issues faced by families in 2012 – from the day to day struggles of juggling work and parenting, moody teenagers and cheeky toddlers to more serious issues of redundancy, money worries or fears for the family business. But it’s not all doom and gloom, as much as we want to reflect national issues we also want to see how the family celebrates weddings, birthdays and christenings in 2012, and to celebrate these milestones with them. We’re currently researching the series and would like to speak to as many families as possible about their experiences. Any conversations will be informal and confidential and do not commit people to taking part. For more info, please email Twofour via 2012@twofour.co.uk, call us on 0207 438 1804 or text us on 07553 816 385. You can find us on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/2012Families
Single Ladies Wanted!
Would you like the chance to participate in a unique television programme looking at how relationships are formed and what it takes to truly connect with someone? This summer, we are looking for women who believe it’s time for a fresh start in their search for someone special. For more information please email three@studiolambert.com with your name, age and contact details.
Are you a business-woman or budding entrepreneur?
Ann Summers are searching for a group of British women to help them develop new products tailored specifically for the customers. This process will offer those taking part new business experiences to produce a range of products that can truly appeal and satisfy the women of Britain. Jacqueline Gold, CEO Ann Summers, is personally leading the project and she is looking for women with business minds and entrepreneurial skills to join the ‘People’s Panel’. The panel will be a warm, articulate and supportive group of women who will help her team create brand new, ground breaking product/s. We’ll be filming this process for a Channel 4 documentary and the project and the documentary will result in some great new products coming to market and a warm film that delivers a really positive message. If you want more information or would like to take part, e-mail: annsummers@optomen.com.
Speaking to the Next Woman Business Magazine this month, Etta Cohen talks about the current hot topics facing Forward Ladies members. You can read the full article here
Max Clifford with Forward Ladies Etta and Charlene
An evening with Max Clifford, 3rd May - London
Some lucky Forward Ladies gathered at the Embassy Mayfair earlier this month to be inspired by one of the most influential figures in media. Max Clifford, PR guru to the stars, is as recognisable as his celebrity clients and is responsible for breaking and hushing some of the most shocking and inspiring news headlines we have ever read.
The Forward Ladies event ‘An evening with Max Clifford’ was never going to disappoint. The evening was intimate and Max spoke with good humour, sharing his PR knowledge with a sprinkling of celebrity name-dropping and a dose of his amazing charity work. You can see a video featuring highlights from the event on our Facebook page.
Forward Ladies guest asks Max a question
Judging by the wonderful feedback from our members who attended the evening we’re not alone in thinking we experienced some Max Clifford magic that night. One Forward Ladies member Nina Sobers definitely agrees and we are delighted she has written about the evening in her blog ‘An evening with Max Clifford’.
In a Wall Street Journal (WSJ) article this week, Anne Kreamer a senior vice president at children’s TV channel Nickelodeon recalls the time she cried in the office after receiving a ‘blasting’ from her chairman. Is crying in the office acceptable or is it best to bottle it all up? This article by Dennis Nishi explores the stigma attached to crying at work and offers advice about how to manage our emotions when they come to the fore. Read the full article here.
The news from Syria is making uneasy reading despite a truce agreement being in place since April 12th. Reports of conflict and bloodshed are still dominating the news as the Syrian military forces and rebels continue to clash. Now, just over a year since the uprising broke out, the wives of the British and German Ambassadors to the United Nations (UN) have reached out to Syria’s first lady Asma al-Assad in the hope of bringing peace.
Will Syria's first lady stand up for peace?
Asma’s carefully crafted image brought hopes of peace
Asma al-Assad is British born. Educated and raised in London with reportedly a penchant for Louboutin shoes. After a degree in computer science and a career in investment banking she married her Syrian dictator in 2000. Her westernised appearance brought hopes of democracy and freedom for the people of Syria and likewise joining the Assad family was a great PR boost for the Syrian regime. A carefully crafted public image (by a UK PR company) was created for the first lady and she spoke about women’s equality and inclusive citizenship for her fellow Syrians.
Vogue cover girl
In March last year Asma was the cover of Vogue magazine entitled “Rose in the Desert”. It was ill-timed and quickly pulled from the Vogue website but it reinforced the image that here is a beautiful, educated and powerful woman.
Video appeals for the first lady to step out from behind her husband
This month her public image has been called into question. The Times newspaper asks how she can stand by and watch the violence tear through her country when she has been raised in a liberal society. In a public video appeal the wives of the British and German Ambassadors to the UN make a plea to Asma to stand up for peace and not hide behind her husband. The video contrasts images of Syrian female citizens who are risking all to protect their homes and families with footage of a designer clad Asma and ask the first lady what she stands for.
It will be interesting to see how,or if, Asma al-Assad responds to the scrutiny of a worldwide audience that appears to be increasingly cynical of her public image. Let’s hope that there are some true values behind her PR and that she comes through on her promises of democracy and equality.
We are delighted to announce some new membership packages that offer a range of options for being a Forward Lady. We have listened to YOU and understand that one size doesn’t fit all and that our members look for different benefits, according to the needs of their business. That’s why we’ve examined what we offer and how we offer it.
From 1st May 2012 we are giving you the following membership options:
1. Standard Membership
Our most popular membership that gives access to a wide range of Forward Ladies benefits. Can be paid quarterly by direct debit
Great for… those who wish to access member benefits and attend events at member rates.
2. Membership Plus – new for 2012!
A new membership package that includes event attendance within the price! Great for… those who see the value in attending regular events with like-minded professional women. Those who wish to spread the cost of membership and events monthly. Those who wish to take advantage of additional benefits over and above Standard Membership.
3. Group Membership
Benefits as per Standard Membership Great for… those who would like more than one person within the organisation to access the benefits of Forward Ladies benefits.
4. Pay As You Go Membership
Simply pay for the events you want to attend as you go. Great for… those who wish to try Forward Ladies before committing to membership
Membership Comparison
See which membership
is right for you.
Membership Plus+
Fantastic value and access to all areas. Attendance at 10 events included
Standard / Group
Our most popular membership that gives access to a wide range of Forward Ladies benefits.
Pay As You Go (PAYG)
Allows anyone wishing to sample Forward Ladies events to attend on a Pay-as-you-go basis
Annual Fee (inc.VAT)
£240 (£20 per month for 12 months payable by Direct Debit only)
£75 and £50 for additional members within a company
These packages apply to all new memberships and renewals from 1st May 2012. You can join via the website or by calling us. Already a member and want to switch to one of the above? That’s not a problem, simply give us a call on 0845 64 34 940.
Terms and ConditionsTerms and conditions apply to all the above packages. All prices are inclusive of VAT.
* excludes loyalty card benefit.
Octavia Goredema, a Successful Entrepreneur, Speaker and Writer.
A study released by the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology in 2010, concludes that black women lack a substantial presence in business and the media. In a recent article, Octavia Goredema, a successful entrepreneur, speaker and writer deplores the fact that less than 4% of black women launch their own start-ups. It is clear that the under representation of these women in the media is part of the problem. Young black women, despite being rich in resources and intelligence, suffer from lack of exposure to positive role models, women who will excite and inspire them by demonstrating what is possible.
At St Matthew Academy in Lewisham, a new programme has been implemented to go some way to rectify this. The Interview an Entrepreneur programmes gives the students contact with leading black businesswomen in the form of interviews, workshops, internships and invaluable sponsorship. Vice- Principal Mr Nirsimloo stresses the importance of establishing role models ‘who emanate passion, commitment and can share their stories of success through hard work and endeavour’. And like he says, there is nothing like meeting a living breathing female entrepreneur of colour to motivate these aspiring young girls.
From my own personal experience, I can say confidence-boosting power of positive black female role models is invaluable. I’d always been interested in writing, perpetually scribbling away in exercise books during the summer holidays. However it was in reading Half of a Yellow Sun over Christmas one year and identifying strongly with author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie that I began to invest importance in the idea of writing.
I still get a thrill of excitement whenever I encounter a go-getting woman of colour; browsing the Red Magazine website I was pleased to see Helen Oyeyemi, Bola Agbaje and Lorraine Pascale on the Red Panel. Knowing that these women have achieved some of the things I aim for gives me the drive to push through the various difficulties involved in graduating and starting a career.
Aspiring black female entrepreneurs could take a lot from their Middle Eastern counterparts. A recent feature in Tech Europe dispatches the stereotype that women in the Middle East are entirely the victims of gross gender inequalities that see them subjected and supressed. Women put forward 40% of pitches in a ‘pitch contest’ held at an ArabNet conference earlier this year.This is a percentage of women identifiably higher than in equivalent European conferences.
The pressures of adhering to the conventional role of homemaker are significantly higher for women from ethnic communities. While it could be argued that this jeopardises their independence, in this modern age the roles of wife, mother and businesswoman need not be mutually exclusive. In fact entrepreneurship seems the ideal solution to the problem. Business ownership for women enables them to work from home and facilitates flexible hours. It is encouraging to see MP Diane Abbott, shadow minister for public health, celebrating black women in business. She has set up resources to support black women who run their own businesses or who are seeking to become business owners in the future. Let’s hope for a continuation in all such forward thinking actions to inspire and encourage women of all ethnicities in business.
Read more about some of the issues discussed in this article here.
Erstwhile Financial Analyst and currently a Publicist Extraordinaire!
Well, not an extraordinaire publicist yet, but that shall come soon. A Bachelor’s degree in Finance led to me work for almost three years at Morgan Stanley in Mumbai. Between number crunching for hedge funds (in front of two massive computer screens) and training people, my true love “communication” left me restless. The only satiation I knew was the Masters in Corporate Communication and Public Relations at the Leeds University Business School.
I’ve been a closet writer for a couple of years now and I refuse to show my work to anyone, but I felt the time has come to give writing professionally a real chance. So here I am!! I love trying new cuisines, reading anything I can get my hands on and watching chick flicks (I’ll vehemently deny that if you ask me in public though).
Having had professional experience myself, and now being a student, I realise how difficult it is to sustain oneself in today’s economy. Being a Content Editor at Forward Ladies, I hope to do my bit in providing the support and guidance women like us need.
The public announcement from Sheryl Sandberg (Chief Operating Officer of Facebook) saying that she leaves the office daily at 5.30pm to be with her kids has sparked lots of media comment this week.
Sheryl Sandberg speaks about ‘going home to her kids’
Her ’admission’ that she works less than 40 hours a week has been welcomed for highlighting the stigma of flexible work practices and has created flurry of advice about achieving a work-life balance. You can read the full article @ cnn news special and for advice about how to stop working more than 40 hours a week read @ Lessons from Sheryl Sandberg
A behavioural approach to achieving the effective management of your time. In this webinar Pat Carr examines some of the personal behaviours that impact on your time management. Continue reading →
Media Requests
Speaking to the Next Woman Business Magazine this month, Etta Cohen talks about the current hot topics facing Forward Ladies members. You can read the 
We are delighted to announce some new membership packages that offer a range of options for being a Forward Lady. We have listened to YOU and understand that one size doesn’t fit all and that our members look for different benefits, according to the needs of their business. That’s why we’ve examined what we offer and how we offer it.
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