 Keynote Address in Iceland
Mr Alp Mehmet, the British Ambassador to Iceland with Avril and Bola
On the 20 May 2005, Fellow members of BAWE, Avril Owton, Managing Director of the Cloud Hotel and Bola Olabisi, CEO of the Global Women Inventors and Innovators Network [GWIIN] received a special warm reception in Iceland when they were invited as Keynote Speakers to address members of Félag kvenna í atvinnurekstri (FKA), a subsidiary of The Icelandic Association of Women Entrepreneurs with over 400 members in Iceland.
FKA’s main aim and objective is to bring together Icelandic women business owners in order to make them stronger and noticeable in the business world. Both Avril and Bola shared their experiences as women entrepreneurs and provided an insight into how they overcome the challenges of running a successful business.
Mr Alp Mehmet, the British Ambassador to Iceland held a special lunch in honour of Avril and Bola at his official residence. Addressing the members of FKA, Mr Mehmet expressed his understanding and support for women’s organisations and the important role and contribution women bring to business and international trade.
Margrét Kristmannsdóttir, the newly elected Chairman of FKA stated “Both of you are very inspiring women and the speeches you gave at the meeting were great! On behalf of the newly elected board of FKA I would like you thank you very much for your visit to Iceland. I hope that we will have a fruitful co-operation in the years to come”.
Blazing a trail for Women in Business
Research suggests that women entrepreneurs can differ from men in a number of ways1. This can be revealed in their motivation for running a business, their attitude to debt and risk, their willingness (or ability) to mobilise personal financial resources, their management style and their perspective on business growth.
As a result, although the elements of good business practice remain the same regardless of gender, business plans and decisions may differ. It is critical for us as a bank to appreciate the context of such decisions, and to work with customers to ensure that the best options are pursued. It all comes back to our fundamental concept of relationship banking.
Bank of Scotland's own research shows that women want the same products and services as men, and do not expect or want positive discrimination. What women look for is the same level of respect, equality of opportunity, access and attitude, and this is what we aim to provide.
In the last five years, targeted support and information provision for women in business has increased dramatically and is becoming an increasing priority for government organisations. Large organisations, business advisers, employers and entrepreneurs are realising that encouraging women into business is not simply about reducing barriers in a move to achieving equality - it is, in fact, an economic imperative.
Through its dedicated Women in Business Team, Bank of Scotland has invested significant resources into identifying just how women do it differently and what this means for business providers. We’re looking at things differently, making progress and helping to changing priorities.
Through our bespoke toolkit which includes tailored webpages: www.bankofscotland.co.uk/women and a dedicated magazine for women business owners Big Fish, we are currently leading the way for female entrepreneurs.
To find out more, email the team on womeninbusiness@bankofscotland.co.uk or contact Marie Knock on 0131 347 6075.
1 Unequal Entrepreneurs, The Industrial Society, 2001.
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