International Women’s Day (IWD) is celebrated annually on March 8th. IWD serves as a day to celebrate the social, cultural, political and economic achievements of women throughout history and in the present day.

UK business is being reshaped by a steady growth in female leadership. Since 2018, the number of businesses launched by women has doubled. And you may be surprised to learn that 16 to 25-year-old women founded nearly 17,500 businesses in 2022, a figure that’s more than 22 times greater than in 2018!

The first female CEO of a major UK bank, Alison Rose took the helm of NatWest Group in 2019. In 2014, Nisha Katona turned her passion for Indian street food into a chain of successful restaurants called Mowgli. In 2013, Poppy Gustafsson co-founded Darktrace, a leading cybersecurity firm, becoming the youngest female CEO in the prestigious FTSE 350 index. These women, and many others, famous and not so famous, serve as powerful role models for aspiring female entrepreneurs.

I am sure that there are many great female entrepreneurs in the making at Bushey Meads School and I strongly encourage girls in Year 9 and 11 to consider taking up Business and Economics when choosing their future GCSE and A-Level options.