Top industry recognition for Ballyeaston businesswoman

By Russell Keers
Published 13th Oct 2022, 15:17 BST
Updated 13th Oct 2022, 15:18 BST
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Ballyeaston businesswoman Susanna Hassard was crowned winner of the £20,000 Yes You Can pitching competition which reached its grand finale at Tuesday’s All-Island Female Entrepreneurs Conference, presented by Women in Business.

Over 300 delegates including business owners, entrepreneurs and start-ups gathered on Tuesday (October 11) at the All-Island Female Entrepreneurs Conference which interactively linked audiences across Titanic Belfast and Dublin’s Gibson Hotel. The conference was hosted by Sarah Travers in Belfast and Norah Casey in Dublin.

Belfast’s event also featured the grand finale of the Yes You Can £20,000 pitching competition, with Susanna scooping the top prize with her business One Small Seed Flower Farm, as voted by the audience, and walking away with an impressive £5,000 to support the development of her business.

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Lorraine Acheson, Managing Director of Women in Business, said: “I would like to congratulate our six Yes You Can finalists who demonstrated not only their ingenuity but their courage and determination to pitch live to our Belfast audience. A special shout out must go to our overall winner, Susanna Hassard, whose business looks at floristry through a sustainable lens. I am excited to see all our finalists flourish in the years to come and wish them all the best with their future business endeavours.

Susanna Hassard was crowned winner of the £20,000 Yes You Can pitching competition.Susanna Hassard was crowned winner of the £20,000 Yes You Can pitching competition.
Susanna Hassard was crowned winner of the £20,000 Yes You Can pitching competition.

“It’s a real privilege for Women in Business to bring together an island-wide audience of entrepreneurial women, helping to seed future female flagships across Ireland and the UK. In Northern Ireland alone, female start-ups have the potential to added over £7 billion to the local economy.

“By signposting opportunities and support structures we can unlock new opportunities for female enterprise on an all-island scale, enabling women from all four corners of the island to write the next chapter in their business story with courage and conviction.

"I am delighted that Women in Business is celebrating entrepreneurial role models and leading in the discussion on the opportunities and challenges that female entrepreneurs face when scaling their businesses.”

Women in Business is part of an umbrella group of social enterprises focused on delivering gender diversity and inclusion for the private, public and third sectors.