When

Wednesday 19th November 2025 from 10.00am – 11.45am

Where:

The Great Hall, Belfast City Hall

What

SistersIN participants are invited to hear from two remarkable female entrepreneurs whose passion and purpose have driven extraordinary success. Alice Thompson, co-founder of an Edinburgh café created to employ and feed the homeless community, transformed a simple idea into a thriving social enterprise with nine outlets, over 100 employees, and global recognition from the likes of George Clooney, the Duchess of Cambridge, Bill Clinton, Meghan Markle, and Leonardo DiCaprio. She also co-founded The World’s Big Sleepout, which united 52 cities worldwide in a mission to end homelessness. Joining her is Ashleigh Averell, Managing Director of Ibrand, a Northern Irish manufacturer and finisher of merchandise, uniforms, and signage. Having founded the business at just 22, Ashleigh has built it into a 12,000 sq ft production facility serving clients locally and globally. Together, these inspiring women will share their journeys, challenges, and insights to help SistersIN participants unlock their entrepreneurial spirit, embrace their potential, and turn ambition into action.

This event is brought to you by Belfast City Council, Danske Bank and SistersIN and will be capped at strictly 400 attendees on a first-come-first served basis. Please register via the adjacent form. For any event queries, please contact Emily Keenan at emily.keenan@podiem.com or call 02890 761030