The British Consulate-General in Atlanta is celebrating local female entrepreneurs with U.K. connections as part of its “Week of Women,” designed by the country’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office to showcase its initiatives in support of women around the world.
Consul General Jeremy Pilmore-Bedford hosted a luncheon on Friday, Oct. 30, for some 30 female entrepreneurs at his residence, an event co-organized with Theia Washington Smith, the Atlanta mayor’s director for female entrepreneurship.
The consulate throughout the week has been issuing digital profiles on its social media platforms of five influential women in business.
Among those profiled will be Sara Blakely, founder of Spanx Inc., which in 2012 became a $1 billion brand. She maintains strong ties with Virgin CEO Richard Branson, whose “Rebel Billionaire” apprentice show catapulted her to fame.
Others include:
- Ashley Grice, head the Atlanta office for iris worldwide, the digital media and marketing firm that designed the London 2012 Olympic mascots and has worked with brands like Havaianas, Delta Air Lines and Wells Fargo.
- Jessica Giesen, marketing director for Triumph Motorcycles’ North American operations, who is now in London helping plan the launch of a new 2016 model
- Laura Brightwell, senior vice president at London-based Coca-Cola Enterprises, the largest Coke bottler in Western Europe. She is a University of Georgia alumna who has been integral to the company’s plans to diversify its workforce
- Elizabeth Feichter and Dominique Love, who co-founded the Atlanta Food & Wine Festival and head up the Georgia branch of IWSC Group, an London-based events company that focuses on the alcoholic beverage industry
Back in London, the week has seen events like a traditional tea at Buckingham Palace, a conference on Women of the Future for 30-and-unders, a reception hosted by Burberry on how the U.K. government can remove societal barriers for females and a Wilton Park conference on promoting women’s political and economic engagement.
To learn more or to see the profiles, follow @UKinAtlanta.
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