Shannon Chamber Launches New Women in Leadership Initiatives at ‘Leading with the Heart’ International Women’s Day Event
Students from five Co. Clare secondary schools join Shannon Chamber CEO Helen Downe and Uppercut’s head of leadership development Marie Power at the International Women’s Day event in Westpark Innovation Campus. Photograph by Eamon Ward
Shannon Chamber demonstrated its commitment to fostering the next generation of business leaders and supporting professional development by launching two strategic initiatives at its International Women’s Day event, ‘Women Captains of Industry: Leading with the Heart.’
Hosted at the Westpark Innovation Campus, the event brought together senior executives, emerging leaders, and students from five local secondary schools to explore modern leadership, focusing on empathy, authenticity, and resilience.
The intergenerational mix of attendees was a highlight of the day, offering students from St. Patrick’s Comprehensive School and St. Caimin’s Community School in Shannon, Coláiste Muire and St. Flannan’s College, Ennis, and St. Joseph’s Secondary School, Tulla, the unique opportunity to engage directly with industry leaders.
To build on the day’s momentum, Shannon Chamber introduced two new platforms designed to sustain this intergenerational collaboration:
- Women in Leadership Mentoring Panel for Transition Year Students: This initiative connects local business leaders with students to provide real-world insights into career pathways and workplace expectations. The programme will facilitate 1-hour fireside chats at local schools and 3-hour ‘career clinics’ for deeper, hands-on mentorship.
- Shannon Chamber Women’s Leadership Forum: A dedicated regional platform that will host three curated events annually. The Forum is designed to bring women at all levels of business together to connect, learn, and address the specific challenges and opportunities within modern leadership through panel discussions and facilitated networking.
Reflecting on the event, Shannon Chamber CEO Helen Downes said: “The event truly reflected the composition of our own business community; it was connected, ambitious, and forward-looking. This year’s International Women’s Day global theme was “Give to Gain” and we certainly saw lots of this during the day with the panel of speakers so openly sharing the realities of leading at the highest level – the decisions, the pressures, and the personal growth behind the titles. We were equally proud to spotlight our emerging leaders, whose perspectives represent the future of leadership in our region.
“We were also delighted to include students from our local secondary schools. They played such an active part of the day interacting with the panel with insightful questions. This engagement with the schools will now continue through our new Women in Leadership Mentoring Panel for Transition Year Students.”
Hosted at Westpark Innovation Campus, the International Women’s Day event was moderated by Marie Power, head of leadership development at Uppercut, who shared her personal insights on leadership, and led an open conversation about the real-life challenges leaders face, emphasising that successful leadership isn’t about being perfect; it’s about being human, trusting your instincts, and being willing to grow from your mistakes.
The event featured two panels of accomplished CEOs and senior managers who shared honest stories about their career journeys. These included: Marie Clifford, managing director, Advanced Technical Concepts; Caroline Dunlea, CEO, Core Optimisation; Denise Mangan Fahy, CEO, SES; Marianne Checkley, CEO, Kinia; Teresa Wernik Skalska, senior operations project specialist, Aerogen; Prathibha Nair, technical services manager, Reagecon, a Calibre Scientific company; Fiona Cosgrove, production supervisor, Ei Electronics; and Emma Kennedy, commercial director, Fine Grain Property.
Rather than focusing on job titles, they spoke about the ‘heart-led’ approach to management: how to handle uncertainty, support your team, and build a culture where everyone feels they can contribute.
Key insights shared by both panels included: learn by trust and your own gut; give back to others; evolve your leadership style, find the collective vision that brings your team together; make decisions with impact; don’t always see your next move as up, look lateral, as there is more than one way to the top.
The students were advised to envision their desired life experiences over the traditional ‘what I want to be when I grow up’ mindset, and to focus on experiences rather than just college courses.
Shannon Chamber International Women’s Day event was hosted in Westpark Innovation Campus compliments of Fine Grain Property. The event was sponsored by Aerogen and supported by Engine Lease Finance Corporation, Magellan Aviation Group, Ei Electronics, Shannon Chamber Skillnet, Clare County Council and Baxter Storey.
Shannon Chamber encourages all interested members and students to register for the new initiatives launched at the event:
- For the Women in Leadership Mentoring Panel (TY Students): EOI for Women in Leadership Mentoring Panel (TY Students) – Fill out form
- For the Shannon Chamber Women’s Leadership Forum: EOI for Shannon Chambers Women’s Leadership Network Forum – Fill out form
Moderator at Shannon Chamber’s International Women’s Day event, Marie Power, Uppercut, interviews the emerging leaders panel (from left): Prathibha Nair, technical services manager, Reagecon; Emma Kennedy, commercial director, Fine Grain Property; Teresa Wernik Skalska, senior operations project specialist, Aerogen; and Fiona Cosgrove, production supervisor, Ei Electronics. Photograph by Eamon Ward
Attendees and event sponsors join Shannon Chamber CEO, Helen Downes and Uppercut’s Marie Power. Photography by Eamon Ward
Shannon Chamber CEO Helen Downes joins the Baxter Storey team to sample the delicious food prepared by the company at its Westpark Innovation Campus kitchen and kindly sponsored for the event. Photograph by Eamon Ward