Three of the county’s key business networking and support organisations are set to come together in March to celebrate this year’s International Women’s Day.
Enterprise Oxfordshire, Oxfordshire Women in Business and The Athena Network are urging female entrepreneurs to sign up to an International Women’s Day Networking Brunch, set to take place on Friday 6th of March at the Hilton Garden Inn in Abingdon.
‘Marking a call to action for accelerating gender equality’, the morning event will bring the county’s women in business together for networking, as well as the opportunity to hear from two of Oxfordshire’s successful female entrepreneurs, Alice Chilver from WHEN and Lucy Briggs from Sustainably Styled.
According to the Office for National Statistics, 1.8 million women now run incorporated or self-employed ventures across the UK — the highest share on record. Statistics also show that women aged 50+ are the fastest-growing group of entrepreneurs, now accounting for one in four female business owners.
Event speaker, Alice, is the Founder and CEO of WHEN, a national movement changing who holds power in UK higher education. Known for dismantling structural barriers rather than “fixing women”, her organisation leads initiatives including 100 Black Women Professors NOW, the Career Accelerator, and the Promotions Scorecard.
Alice was also announced as Business Leader of the Year by Enterprise Oxfordshire at the organisation’s Marketplace and Celebration Event 2025.
Lucy Briggs is an award-winning sustainable personal stylist who works with women who have low body confidence and feel no joy in dressing or shopping, through her business, ‘Sustainably Styled’. Based in Abingdon, she helps women curate a wardrobe that doesn’t cost the earth, through her passion in instilling confidence in women and encouraging sustainable fashion practices.
The business brunch follows on from a similar event hosted last year, alongside numerous ‘Women in Business Gathering’ events run by Enterprise Oxfordshire over the last couple of years.
Enterprise Oxfordshire became the new trading name of OxLEP on the 1st of April 2025, marking the completion of a two-year process that saw a new mechanism of delivery agreed between Enterprise Oxfordshire and Oxfordshire County Council.
Since becoming Enterprise Oxfordshire in April, Oxfordshire County Council is now the organisation’s sole company member, and the company benefits from what is known as the Teckal exemption.
Since its inception in 2011, Enterprise Oxfordshire has supported the county’s economy to be a standout economy, securing major investment for the area, whilst also being instrumental in creating opportunities for communities across Oxfordshire too.
Helen Brind, Director of Business and Skills at Enterprise Oxfordshire, said: “Supporting and celebrating Oxfordshire’s women in business has been a key priority of ours at Enterprise Oxfordshire – and formerly OxLEP – for numerous years now and we are delighted to provide top expertise, spaces to network and a community that women in business can rely on and engage with well into the future.
“Enterprise Oxfordshire Business have a leading reputation in supporting Oxfordshire’s businesses, with 1,790 businesses directly supported across Oxfordshire during 2023/24, through the provision of 2,800 hours of support.
“Bringing together the county’s female founders is an opportunity to celebrate the progress being made for female entrepreneurship – whilst recognising more needs to be done.
“By attending this event and our other Women in Business events, we aim to bring together networks, offer inspiration and connect on challenges our business owners may face in their sector. We’d strongly recommend any women who are intrigued by such an opportunity sign up today”.
Lucy Briggs, Founder of Sustainably Styled, said: “To be speaking at the Enterprise Oxfordshire International Women’s Day event is a real honour. Boosting confidence and forging our own style, sustainably, is my aim for all my clients, so I’m excited to bring some of this energy to the session.”
Alice Chilver, Founder and CEO of WHEN, said: “International Women’s Day is such an important moment to celebrate progress, but also to highlight the work that still needs to be done to create truly inclusive spaces for women in business.
“Events like this bring us together, inspire, and empower – and I’m really looking forward to joining other like-minded women in Oxfordshire to share stories, support each other, and help drive change.”
Ticket costs for this event are £15.99.
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