Thursday 16th October

National Women’s Enterprise Day

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Connect and grow with Ireland's leading women in business.

Keynote speaker Norah Casey. 

AGENDA

9.45am 

Registration Tea/coffee pastries

10.30am

Bell rings and get ready to go in

10.45am 

MC Loretta Ni Ghabain, Lorg Media opens the event
 

Welcome Address by LEO Mayo

11.00am Sarah Butler 

Sarah Butler is a SuperValu Brand Ambassador, home cook, bestselling cookbook author, and content creator from County Mayo, Ireland. Her passion for cooking from scratch and creating simple, delicious meals has resonated with thousands of families across the country. Sarah first began sharing her home-cooked meals and baking ideas online, where her relatable style and practical recipes quickly built a loyal following.

She is the author of several popular cookbooks, including Home Cooking: Simple and Delicious Food for Busy Lives, Comfort Food, and Batch Cooking. Her recipes emphasize ease, everyday ingredients, and thoughtful planning—helping families reduce stress, waste less food, and enjoy more time around the table.

Sarah engages daily with her community on Instagram, where she shares recipes, tips, and answers to followers’ cooking questions. She also writes The Family Cook column for the Irish Examiner and is a regular guest on RTÉ’s Today Show, offering kitchen inspiration to a wide national audience.

With warmth and authenticity, Sarah Butler continues to empower home cooks to find joy and creativity in everyday meals.

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11.25 a.m. Panel discussion with 3 Regional Ambassadors (LEO Mayo, Galway and Roscommon)

LEO Mayo Ambassador Eleana Donea, Managing Director of WhatsExposed. WhatsExposed is a cutting-edge cybersecurity platform and partner-first organisation, founded in 2022, with a mission to empower service providers—MSPs, MSSPs, and consulting firms—to deliver robust offensive security services to their customers.

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LEO Galway Ambassador Emily Brady CEO of Elasco Network Limited, a company in the online kids entertainment marketplace creating high quality engaging video content that promotes positive values and entertains young audiences across the globe.

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LEO Roscommon Ambassador Clare Frances Faissal Founder of Clare Frances Photography. She is an award-winning photographer and entrepreneur with over 15 years of experience capturing people and their stories, turning her creative vision into a very successful business.

12:05 Noon Raffle and Spot Prizes

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12.20 p.m. – Speaker - Laura McDonald

Laura McDonald is a multi-award-winning Business Strategist, Hypnotherapist, BWRT therapist/mentor/trainer and Mindset Coach with over 20 years of experience in the wellness and personal development sector.

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She specialises in helping health and wellness entrepreneurs start, grow, and scale their businesses by blending neuroscience, strategy, and mindset mastery. Laura has spoken at national conferences including Network Ireland and the Irish Hypnotherapy Conference, and has been featured in Woman & Home, Metro UK, MSN, London World and National World.

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12.35 p.m. Main speaker Norah Casey

Norah Casey is a prominent broadcaster, entrepreneur, and human rights advocate. Known for her role as a former Dragon on Dragons’ Den, she is also a familiar face and voice on Irish radio and television. Her book Spark! and TEDx talks—The Cure for Grief and The Courage to Leave—reflect her personal journey and advocacy, particularly around domestic violence.

She is the founder of Planet Woman, a digital platform aimed at empowering women, and actively mentors female entrepreneurs and SMEs worldwide. Norah owns Harmonia Publishing Ltd, a magazine publishing company, and holds various investments across Ireland and the UK.

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A former nurse and journalist, Norah has received numerous accolades, including:

• Woman of the Decade (Women’s Economic Forum, 2018)

• Ireland’s Philanthropist of the Year

• Publisher of the Year (five times)

• Safe Ireland SÍLA Leadership Award (2018)

• Lord Mayor of Dublin Award (2019)

• She is a Global Ambassador for Vital Voices, serves on the European Board, and has held positions on several influential boards including the Press Council of Ireland and the International Women’s Forum

13.15 p.m. Mayo County Council and MC Loretta Ni Ghabain, Lorg Media close the event

Loretta is the founder and Director of the Multi award winning Digital marketing agency, Lorg Media.

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Loretta is a Communications Consultant and was the first person to bring social media to the national broadcaster TG4, having already worked in numerous roles, both on and off camera, from film reviewer to producer on the ground for the Oprah Winfrey Show, along with being a broadcast news Director and Presenter with RTÉ and TG4.

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Working as MC and Presenting are still in the mix and she has a keen interest in storytelling and promoting Irish language and culture internationally.

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In her downtime she loves to hang out with her twin girls and basically live life to the max like hosting family get togethers and sing songs while keeping it balanced somewhat with sea swimming and meditation!

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13.30 p.m. Lunch and Networking