300 women in business celebrate 20 years of National Women’s Enterprise Day

Figures reveal that 13,500 training places and 3,700 mentoring assignments have been taken up by women in business over the last two years, across four Dublin Local Enterprise Offices

Over three hundred women in business from Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, and the wider Dublin area, gathered in Stillorgan this week to celebrate National Women’s Enterprise Day on Thursday 15 October.

Organised by the four Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) in Dublin, and led by LEO Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, the sell-out event at the Talbot Hotel Stillorgan marked 20 years of National Women’s Enterprise Day (NWED) and was one of sixteen events taking place across the country this week.

Figures released by the four Local Enterprise Offices in Dublin to coincide with NWED show that 13,500 training places and 3,700 mentoring assignments have been taken up by women in business over the last two years, across Dublin. The four LEOs in Dublin also support more than 2,250 female entrepreneurs annually through Women in Business Networks.

As part of the Female Founders’ panel at this year’s event, Blackrock-based entrepreneur Dervla Arthurs of Snugabugz shared her business journey on stage alongside Sofie Rooney of Chimac, Mags Morgan of MizzRio and Áine Devlin of ExamRevision. 

They were joined by multi-award-winning entrepreneur Jennifer Rock of the Skin Nerd and Danica Murphy of Prism with Broadcaster Anna Daly acting as the MC for the morning. 

An Cathaoirleach of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, Cllr Barry Saul, delivered the opening address. He said: “This year is a particularly special one as we mark the 20th year of National Women’s Enterprise Day. Over the past two decades, NWED has provided an important platform to celebrate the achievements of women in business, to share experiences and ideas and, perhaps most importantly, to create the connections and networks that can make such a difference when starting and growing a business. The fact that this year’s event was fully booked, with over 300 people in attendance, is a wonderful reflection of the level of interest and ambition among women entrepreneurs across Dublin.”

Frank Curran, the Chief Executive of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, said: “For female founders, Dublin is the ideal place to start, grow and scale your business. Through initiatives such as National Women’s Enterprise Day, we’re showcasing the range and breadth of supports that are available through local bodies, including Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown’s Local Enterprise Office, Southside Partnership, IADT, TU Dublin, NovaUCD and the Dublin and Dún Laoghaire Education and Training Board.”

Speaking about the figures released to coincide with NWED, Lisa Brown, Head of Enterprise with LEO Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown said: “Our research shows that thousands of women and female founders across Dublin are already accessing supports through their Local Enterprise Office. We want to see even more women coming through our doors, whether they are thinking about starting a business or looking to grow an existing one. Come and talk to us about your plans, and we can help identify the supports that are right for you and your business.”

One of the busiest areas on the day was the Exhibition Zone, where representatives from major state support agencies and organisations were giving out information to those starting up or running a business. They included:

• Local Enterprise Offices (DLR, South Dublin, Dublin City and Fingal)
• Enterprise Ireland
• National Enterprise Hub
• Microfinance Ireland
• Credit Review Office
• Department of Social Protection (Employer Relations)
• Revenue
• InterTradeIreland
• IADT
• NovaUCD
• TU Dublin
• Southside Partnership
• Dublin and Dún Laoghaire Education and Training Board (Services for Business team)

Snugabugz was one of the local companies featured on stage at the event. Founded by Dervla Arthurs, it is a fast-growing Irish baby brand that creates patented socks and booties designed to stay securely on babies’ feet. The inspiration came from her own experiences as a mother of three and since launching in 2024, the company has had more than 10,000 customers.

Speaking about National Women’s Enterprise Day, Dervla Arthurs said: “Visibility really matters. Hearing honest stories from women who have built businesses, including the challenges, mistakes and uncertainty behind their achievements, helps others to believe they can do it too.”

Next year’s National Women’s Enterprise Day event for the Dublin Region will take place on October 2027 in South Dublin.