Prior to starting my first business, I was IT Support Manager for an international organisation in Sheffield. I started my first business in 2015 and have since worked with over 250 small and medium business customers on their technical strategy and digital marketing. I held the position of Chair of the Women in Business Group at Barnsley and Rotherham Chamber for 3 years and have been a member of their Representative Council for several years.
As Senior Lecturer in the Department of Computing at Sheffield Hallam University, I taught on the Business and Enterprise Programme and have also taught Computing as an Associate Lecturer at the University of Sheffield. I also worked as a Business Advisor at SHU assisting students who are starting their own businesses and was a judge for three years of the annual Enterprise Challenge competition.
Over the years, I have benefitted from the advice and guidance of a number of Mentors and I still turn to some of the ones from the early years for help to this day. I understand the value that having access to mentors offers to small businesses and with that in mind, I see activities like this as an opportunity to give back and provide the same support to others.