Isle of Man Women in Business is now Forward Ladies Isle of Man, a group of more than 11,000 individuals across the north of England.  (Please reset your browser to the new site for future updates.)

Founded by Etta Cohen in 2000, Forward Ladies began as a small group of professional women meeting and sharing experiences.  Since then, the group has  grown with its members driving the initiative forward to become  the North’s fastest growing, women’s networking and business support organisations.

Forward Ladies’ mission is:  “Promoting and celebrating the engagement and participation of women in economic success by enabling women to be more confident in life and business through knowledge, contacts, support and friendship.”

Forward Ladies membership embraces women from all sectors and stages of professional life.  The group offers a community for women to learn, share and encourage one another in a supportive environment.

Forward Ladies  organises hundreds of events every year from trade missions to workshops and training sessions as well as motivational speakers, business breaks and more.   The aim is to provide members with the opportunity to network with like-minded business women, work on the development of their businesses and themselves or just relax and unwind at a social event.

Already there are a couple of Forward Ladies Isle of Man events on the calendar.  More are in the works.

24 June

Pomagranate Private Shopping Evening

Event type – Social
Town – Isle of Man
Non members – £5.00 (Inc VAT)
Guests of non members – £5.00 (Inc VAT)
Venue – Pomegranate, 23b Village Walk, Onchan, Isle of Man, UK, IM3 4EB

Timing – 6.00pm – 8.00pm

Enjoy an evening shopping at the gorgeous Pomegranate in Onchan. Browse throughthe selection of lovely gifts, Luxury Food and beauty products.  There will be a raffle on the night with fab Pomegranate prizes. All proceeds to Radiance Healthcare initiative on the Isle of Man.

To book click here.

6 July

Developing High Performing Teams ( Paragon Recruitment)

Event type – Development
Town – Isle of Man
Date – 06/07/2010
Venue – Silverdale Glen, Ballasalla, Isle of Man, Isle of Man, UK, IM9 3DS
Timing – 9.45am – 3.30pm

A day designed to accelerate your ability to be part of and lead high performing teams and to sample the training formula of CPD, where purposefully designed activities are combined with expertly facilitated review, and with the latest in team development theory and research.

To book click here.

Becoming a Forward Lady

Being a member of Forward Ladies brings the opportunity to network with like-minded women and to grow  business. Here are the key benefits that membership can offer

Access to an extensive support network
A comprehensive events calendar
Members’ directory to promote your business to our website visitors
Access to the members-only discussion and support online forum
Low cost training and development workshops
Regular business surgeries offering expert advice
Mentoring from business professionals
Renowned inspirational speakers
International trade opportunities
Dedicated members’ website
Exclusive member discounts

Posted May 17th, 2010 by sherrilynne No Comments »

Island Business Networking Group Joins With

North England’s Largest Women’s Support Network

Douglas, ISLE OF MAN, 10 May 10 — Women in Business (WiB), an initiative of the Isle of Man Business & Innovation Centre (IoM BIC) is to become Forward Ladies Isle of Man, part of North England’s largest women’s support network.

The deal follows several months of discussion, including a presentation to WiB members in January, and means members will enjoy improved services, more networking and professional development events and a broad range of other benefits.

“WiB has been a successful group from day one. But with more than 150 members, a calendar of popular events and considerable interest from potential sponsors and corporate members, the time is right to move to the next level,” explained Kate Lord, WiB steering committee member and IoM BiC manager. “Forward Ladies is the right fit for us in terms of our mission, framework and resources.”

There will be a special, final, meeting of WiB for members wishing to find out more on 13 May, Amber Lounge Bar,  18.00.  The event is being supported by Amber Lounge and Sleepwell Hotels and refreshments will be served.

Forward Ladies is one of the UK’s fastest-growing business networks with more than 10,000 members.  Isle of Man joins Forward Ladies groups across the UK including newly established ones in Manchester and Liverpool.

Forward Ladies mission is “to promote and celebrate the engagement and participation of women in economic success by enabling women to be more confident in life and business through knowledge, contacts, support and friendship.”

“We embrace women from all sectors and stages of professional life,” said Etta Cohen, founder, Forward Ladies. “We offer a community for women to learn, share and encourage one another in a supportive environment.  We welcome the women in business of the Isle of Man to our group.”

Membership benefits include:

• networking events
• partner events
• special offers and discounts
• online business directory listings
• online membership forum
• business missions to European and other destinations
• professional development opportunities
• peer support groups
• regular business surgeries
• mentoring
• general business advice
• more.

Posted May 10th, 2010 by sherrilynne No Comments »

Exciting news – Isle of Man Women in Business is to become part of Forward Ladies this May!

The move follows months of consultation as to what WiB members want from their network and research into existing successful groups.  Dr Gloria Miller , lecturer in Strategic Management at the International Business School had compiled research as to Best Practice for women’s business networks.  This set the framework for how we would go forward to develop our netw0rk.

Hitting the top of the “wish list” for what WiB members want are: more events at different times, online access to other members, raised profile for themselves and their businesses, promotional opportunities, mentorship and personal development opportunities.

All of this was a pretty tall order for an organisation without funding and reliant on kindly volunteers! So, we made a plan.

We’ll achieve all this and more by becoming part of Forward Ladies, one of the largest and fastest growing Women’s business network in the British Isles.

We’re having a special, final meeting of Women in Business on Thursday 13th May, 6pm, at Amber Lounge.  If you have not already registered for the event, please do so at the following link http://event.pingg.com/ThinkingOfJoiningF .  You can find out about membership benefits and hear from Steering Committee members and Etta Cohen, founder of Forward Ladies.

Light snacks and refreshments will be provided.  Thanks go to Amber Lounge and Sleepwell for sponsoring our event.

Come along on 13th May and check out www.forwardladies.com for more info.

A big thank you to all the sponsors, members, facilitators and The Courthouse and of course the Steering Committee for their support of Women in Business.

We’ve truly valued the input we’ve had to create a better business network for women on the Isle of Man.

Kate

Posted May 4th, 2010 by Kate No Comments »