STRATEGYSTORY’S CO-FOUNDER KATE HOOPER BECOMES WOMEN’S ENTERPRISE SCOTLAND AMBASSADOR.
StrategyStory co-founder and Highlands and Islands based business woman, Kate Hooper is helping to close the gender gap in enterprise after becoming one of 35 new Women’s Enterprise Scotland (WES) Ambassadors.
WES is the community interest company which works to ensure women have access to the gender specific support they need to start-up and thrive in business. Women-owned businesses in Scotland are just 14% of SME employer businesses[1], down from 20.6% in 2017.[2]
Kate Hooper, co-founder of the international strategy consultancy StrategyStory based in Inverness, is part of the latest cohort of women business owners to be appointed to the WES Ambassador programme. The ambassadors provide accessible, visible role models for other women looking to start and grow their own business.
Kate commented: “Becoming a WES Ambassador is a privilege. Launching and running a business has been a brilliant adventure. It’s offered me independence, opportunities and yes, many challenges, but it has helped build confidence and a fulfilling lifestyle in ways I could never have imagined.
“Role models are so important in business. To help inspire other women to start and grow their own businesses is an honour. I’m delighted to join such a passionate group of women committed to helping others realise not just their economic potential, but their dreams and goals too.”
The new intake takes the WES Ambassador cohort to over 70 women, owning and running businesses across Scotland, from Orkney to the Borders and from the Outer Hebrides to Fife. Sectors represented are wide ranging, from food, travel and textiles to professional services, wellbeing, hospitality and manufacturing.
Women have fundamentally different experiences to men in business. Challenges faced by women include access to finance, disproportionate caring responsibilities, access to networks, mentoring and role models.
StrategyStory is a research-driven, boutique consultancy with its headquarters in Inverness. By combining the power of 21st century storytelling with the latest strategic logic, StrategyStory helps businesses and communities develop strategies that maximise engagement and encourage ownership to increase the chances of success. They specialise in innovative strategic development and work with organisations locally as well as across the United Kingdom, United States, Europe and Australia. StrategyStory’s unique approach is the result of almost three decades of internationally peer-reviewed action research into what works (and what doesn’t) in strategic management.
Kate concluded; “Whilst we know that women owned businesses contribute £8.8bn Gross Value Add into the Scottish economy and have created over 230,000 jobs[3], there is so much more that could be done. As a WES Ambassador, I will be playing my part in helping to achieve the gender balanced business ecosystem which is so crucial to our post pandemic economic recovery.”
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Kate will be hosting StrategyStory events for young women looking at the future of work and business in StrategyStory’s new Inverness headquarters. If you are interested in finding out more please get in touch. hello@strategystory.co.uk
StrategyStory supports businesses and communities to develop strategies that work. This means strategy as collective action rather than a dusty document. We deliver through partnership programmes, online learning, workshops, seminars and public speaking. We deliver lectures, talks and sessions on strategy and storytelling at private and public events.
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For further information about Women’s Enterprise Scotland, please contact Gaynor Simpson on 07790 104073 or email gaynor@wescotland.co.uk
Notes to Editors
- Women’s Enterprise Scotland was established in 2011 as a research-led, not-for-profit Community Interest Company which champions women-led and women-owned businesses.
- WES advocates the need for gender-specific support in enterprise as the way to unlock women’s economic potential, enabling innovation and productivity to thrive.
- In 2020, WES launched the Women’s Business Centre, the first freely accessible digital platform of its kind which supports women as they start and grow their own businesses. The platform has had over 10000 visitors since its launch and membership is currently well over 1000 and growing daily.
[1] Small Business Survey Scotland 2017
[2] ONS 2015
[3] FSB 2018
