2018 in preview: Ann Bhatti, Connect Derby

The head of Connect Derby gives us her business predictions for the year ahead.

1. The proportion of UK women starting their own business is still well behind our international counterparts, so my hope is that 2018 will be the year of the female entrepreneur.

Whilst the number of females starting a business nearly doubled between 2009 and 2012, over the past five years it has experienced a steady decline, with less than 5% of the UK’s female working population starting a business. If women set up businesses at the same rate as men, the UK would have an additional one million entrepreneurs, so we need to do more to power this growth in the same way that other global nations do.

2. I look forward to seeing more females in prominent leadership positions take responsibility for mentoring future female leaders. Here at Connect Derby our senior management team work hard to be positive role models for our female colleagues, who aspire one day, to follow their example. We share experiences, skills and advice to help them to develop their leadership skills, confidence and understanding of the role they can play in society.

This is starting to bear fruit, with several of our young female staff being promoted into management roles. However, more initiatives need to be set up across the region to connect today’s female business leaders with tomorrow’s future leaders.

3. There is still a shortage of female-led businesses in the industrial and hi-tech sectors, so we at Connect Derby are making it our mission this year to highlight the opportunities available to them.