Women in Innovation: Work Life Balance Webinar

Innovate UK EDGE is hosting a Women in Innovation series of webinars in recognition of the leading role women are playing within innovative growth SMEs. These webinars feature all-female panellists who will share their insights, experiences and tips to succeed in business.

Dr Yvette Ankrah MBE, Transformational Coach, and Heather Benham, Innovate UK EDGE International Business Partnering Manager, will chair a panel of female business owners who are advocates of Work Life Balance.

Agenda:

Opening address by Heather Benham, Innovate UK EDGE International Business Partnering Manager

Dr Yvette Ankrah MBE, Transformational Coach talks about how she helps women in leadership eliminate stress and avoid burnout, reconnect to their passion, set boundaries and build confidence and resilience.

Introduction to Innovate UK EDGE support – Julie Pauley, Ecosystem Relationship & Gateway Lead, Innovate UK EDGE

Panel discussion with three inspiring Innovate UK EDGE female clients – Rosaria Barreto, Vitality Hub. Angela Knox, Keep Fit Eat Fit. Diana Hodgins, Dynamic Metrics – on what Work Life Balance means to them.

How to apply for Innovate UK EDGE Support – Julie Pauley

Innovate UK EDGE is a key part of the UK innovation agency’s investment in the innovative businesses that drive economic growth. It complements Innovate UK project funding with intensive, specialist-led support for such ambitious businesses. Each high-potential, innovative business in our portfolio benefits from the objective perspective of a dedicated innovation and growth specialist local to them.

Biographies:

Dr Yvette Ankrah MBE, Transformational Business Coach and Consultant

Dr Yvette Ankrah MBE is a transformational business coach, consultant and recovering overachiever! She works with high achieving women in business to get the success without the burnout.

She has over 20 years of business experience and is an accredited NLP and Performance coach. She won a Microsoft/O2 award for business in 2013, was shortlisted for Best Coach at the Best Business Women Awards, 2015 and was awarded an MBE for her work with women in business in 2017.

In 2019 she was awarded a PhD in sociology and specialises in identity, class, race and belonging.

Diana Hodgins MBE, Ph.D, CEO, Dynamic Metrics Limited

Dr. Diana Hodgins leads the team within Dynamic Metrics Ltd to deliver an affordable quality gait rehabilitation solution to the healthcare sector for widespread use. This is relevant to the increasing elderly population as well as those suffering from the most common musculoskeletal conditions such as hip and knee osteoarthritis.

Prior to this Dr. Hodgins worked for a range of companies developing innovative sensor systems for a wide range of applications. Dr. Hodgins gained her Ph.D. whilst working for British Aerospace, and her work has led to many patents over the years. She received an MBE in 2000 in recognition of her services to SMEs in the East of England.

Angela Knox, Co-Founder, Keep Fit Eat Fit Wellbeing Ltd

Angela is the co-founder of a multi-discipline employee wellbeing platform Keep Fit Eat Fit (https://www.keepfiteatfit.com), which she started to develop with her partner Mark in 2016, and launched in early 2021.

Having spent several decades working in senior marketing jobs, mostly from behind a desk, she realised that fitness – along with nutrition, sleep and mental health – was a challenging area for employees working in offices, or now from home.

She has used her business and marketing experience to the full in developing the platform with Mark, and is committed to promoting healthy lifestyle behaviours to the widest possible audience.

Rosaria Baretto, Director, Vitality Hub Limited, Ablty Limited

Rosaria Barreto is a social impact and health entrepreneur who runs 2 businesses and has recently started a social enterprise. Rosaria has a BSc in Exercise and Fitness Management, is a Chartered Physical Activity Professional and Personal Trainer. In 2019 she was Shortlisted for (NatWest) NACUE Varsity Pitch semi-finals and since then has developed her tech-based programme idea. Rosaria is working on an intelligence informed platform for people with chronic health conditions and disabilities so that they can live more independent and social lives. Recent awards include Innovate UK Global Young Innovator Award (£10000) and Samsung Solve for Tomorrow Top 20 Finalist, the Centre for Ageing Better Challenge Award and Football Foundations Challenge Award (Albion Foundation and Nottingham Forest Community Trust) by Ingenuity.