Tag: Entrepreneur

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MarketOrders COO speaks at Inclusive Boards: Executive Leadership Programme

Our Co-Founder & COO, Sukhi Jutla, was invited to speak about career progression as a panelist during the Inclusive Boards: Executive Leadership Programme.

This programme was aimed at senior women leaders who came from companies including Deliveroo, Draper Espirit, HSBC, MoneySuperMarket Group and Lloyds Banking Group.

It was run as a residential programme at the Mallory Court Spa at Leamington Spa with 2 days of facilitated learning.

Inclusive Boards is the UK’s leading executive search agency specialising in diversity and inclusion at governance level. They support organisations to develop more diverse boards, senior leadership teams, and improved governance structures.

Sukhi was joined by 2 other panelists including Tamara McMillen, Executive Director of Sales at Virgin Media Business and Namrata Sarmah, Senior Director at Viacom.

Topics discussed included:

  • Climbing the career ladder
  • How to get board roles
  • Personality and leadership style
  • Balancing work/family life
  • Building and using your network
  • Continuous development and upskilling
  • Unconscious bias and overcoming challenges

 

Sukhi shared her personal story of how she navigates her career progressions, from being an employee to becoming an entrepreneur and board member. 

The event was a huge success and Ellen Partridge, Campaigns Officer for Inclusive Boards left this review for Sukhi:

‘’Sukhi was an inspiring panelist during the Inclusive Boards: Executive Leadership Programme, having a huge impact on senior women leaders in the room. She captured the attention of the room with her story and offered interesting perspectives on career progression, personal development, and work-life interface.’’

A few other reviews also include:

 

 

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The psychology of innovation – what we’ve learnt at The Economist conference

October 3, our Head of PR & Communications, Caroline Hoffmann, was invited to The Economist conference in London.

A day of learning, debating and networking, organised in the heart of London at the Royal Institute of British Architects.

One topic particularly interested Caroline: “The Psychology of Innovation”, run by Dr. Brian Marien, Founder & Director at Positive Group.

Here is her outtake (keep in mind that everything is scientifically proven):

 

Being emotional hacks your thinking

When we are emotionally affected by a subject, a situation, it changes the way we feel, think and behave.

Why? Because emotional regulation shifts when we are stressed. 

Emotions drive all the thinking and can prevent us from thinking rationally, clearly and being open to other people’s opinions.

Stress changes the circuits of the brain and drives negative emotions. It can make us doubt, feel unconfident, incapable, worthless.

 

You’re never too old to change the way you think

Good news, you can change the way your brain thinks, it is not as it is forever!

Thinking differently can be taught. If your brain is more amenable when we’re young, it remains amenable throughout your life. It means that no matter how old you are, you can teach your brain to think positively and regulate your emotions.

 

Be optimistic and you’ll live longer

Optimists live longer – it’s proven! 

I remember seeing a documentary about the power of smiling. Some scientists experimented how smiling could change our moods and, in a nutshell, they found out that smiling was obviously, a result of feeling happy, but that also smiling, as a cause, could result in making you feel happy. Indeed, if you make yourself smile more often, you’ll feel happier. It can feel weird at first, but actually smiling and laughing “easily” is like any other exercise; it takes practice!

Don’t wait to spread some good vibes and from now on, always see the glass half full and laugh at your colleagues’ jokes!

 

What does it have to do with innovation?

All kinds of innovation are stressful. Whether it is a new product, a new technology, a new management process or new hiring, stress can easily make us feel uncomfortable.

Here are a few examples:

A new product can lead us to be close-minded: “We’ve done it this way in my family for generations, why should we change now?”. Another way of seeing the situation would be: “Maybe this new product could make us more efficient, productive, profitable, and starts a new air of our family finally embracing technology.”

A new management process can make us feel upset and think negatively: “The company has been acquired by this big group. They’re going to merge our teams. I don’t want to talk to these guys who think they are better than us and impose us their ways of working.”. Another way of thinking would be: “I’m glad we’re merging the teams. We’re going to have even more incredible talents, learn new things and will smash our annual goals!”

New hiring could make you feel insecure: “Why did they hire this woman? She’s already got some of my missions and it’s only been a week. What’s next, taking my job?”. Another way of looking at the situation would be: “I’m glad they hired her! She’s doing some of my work so now I have more time to focus on innovative ways to improve my processes.”

 

MarketOrders’ opinion

The last decade has seen companies coming up with many ways to improve employees’ happiness at work. Free food, gym, parties, stunning offices, and team building activities; it all sounds lovely, but isn’t it a bit superficial? Is that really improving employees’ fulfilment?

At MarketOrders, we believe that people can only feel comfortable and thrive in a company if they feel they matter. What does that mean? It means being able to speak openly, being listened to, having their voice heard. It also means having your work and efforts recognised and praised, and your successes and achievements celebrated, no matter how small.

 

Innovation always brings downsides. We should be able to understand them, monitor them and take actions.

Understand how the brain functions and reacts to innovation will help it flourish. Leaders have to be aware of the psychology of behaviour and make sure their employees are feeling comfortable, listened, and happy.

Do you have an opinion? Anything you’d like to add? We’d love to hear it in the comments below!

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MarketOrders News

MarketOrders awarded for Excellence in Supply Chain Optimisation at SME Business Elite Awards

We are proud to announce that MarketOrders has been awarded for Excellence in Supply Chain Optimisation at SME Business Elite Awards.

Ram Krishnna Rao, CEO & Co-Founder of MarketOrders, reacted to the news: “We have been working diligently for years to innovate and upgrade an outdated supply chain system. For MarketOrders to be awarded as winners for supply chain optimisation is a fantastic achievement as we have been pioneering the use of technology and digital innovations to streamline the supply chain and bring much-needed efficiencies in the gold and diamond jewellery industry.”

Sukhi Jutla, COO & Co-Founder of MarketOrders, added: “It’s fantastic to be recognised for the innovations we are bringing to the gold and diamond Jewellery industry with our pioneering work at MarketOrders, which utilises frontier technologies such as blockchain, artificial intelligence and sensors to ensure transparency in the supply chain. This award strengthens our position as leaders in this field and it’s an honour to be recognised. Thank you.”

 

To find out more about the 2019 SME Business Elite awards winners, click here to access the Q3 issue of SME News Magazine (full list of the winners is page 43).

MarketOrders has been nominated for over 25 awards! Find them all on our Awards section.

 

Click here to see the first cover of the issue

Click here to access the full list of winners

 

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MarketOrders News

MarketOrders Co-Founders invited to visit the Assay office

This week our CEO, Ram Krishnna Rao, and our COO, Sukhi Jutla, were personally invited to visit the Assay office in Birmingham. During this trip, they discussed how to work together to better serve our retailers and provide them with the services they need.

This is an exciting next step in the continuing growth of the MarketOrders journey.

The Assay Office in Birmingham is the home of the UK hallmarking for precious metals including gold and silver.

When gold and silver jewellery products are shipped from the suppliers, it is the responsibility of the retailer to ensure they have adequate hallmarking.

This is where the Assay office comes in. They are an independent entity which was created from an Act of Parliament and is over 240 years old! Each piece of jewellery that is hallmarked undergoes thorough checks to ensure that the consumers are assured they are getting the right quality of products.

The assay office not only does hallmarking but also offers these services:

  • Assaying, hallmarking & laser marking
  • Analytical testing & quality assurance
  • Diamond & tanzanite grading, pearl & coloured gemstone identification
  • Jewellery, watch & silverware valuations
  • Training, conferencing and heritage events

We got to have a behind the scenes tour but we couldn’t take any pictures for security reasons; so you will have to use your imagination!

Rest assured, the building is guarded day and night. There are plenty of measures in place with the thanks to the volume of gold and other precious metals that pass the doors on a daily basis.

This continues to be a fascinating industry and we also see many opportunities with how MarketOrders can work as a partner with the Assay office and also how we can digitise most of the processes. Stay tuned for more progress!

 

A special Thank You, to the Head of Business development Natalie and Marie.

Learn more here https://theassayoffice.com/

 

 

 

 

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MarketOrders COO at the Women in Tech Festival UK 2019

The Women In Tech Festival UK 2019 was held at The Brewery, London on the 17th of September where our COO and Co-Founder, Sukhi Jutla, was in attendance and also panel moderated the session ‘ Ready, Set, Start-up!’.

Sukhi commented: “This festival is important for us to attend as we believe, as a tech company, that the future of tech needs to include everyone and that includes women.”

She added: “Conferences like the Women in Tech Festival are so important to allow communities to come together and showcase female tech talent as well as providing an opportunity to network and learn about how to embark on a career in the tech field as a woman”.

Attended by thousands of people with 3 parallel stages and hundreds of hours of talks and workshops, this festival centred around how to support women’s careers in the tech field as well as sharing stories and challenges in the start-up world.

Sessions throughout the day were varied and included practical tips on how to jump-start a career in tech, understand how to build teams and taking care of your mental wellbeing. Sessions covered topics such as:

  • How women can ‘own the room’ when they deliver talks and presentations
  • Striking a balance between work-life, home-life and the sacrifices being made.
  • How to manage the unpredictable and demanding expectations of the tech industry.
  • How can companies create a culture that enables you to look after yourself.

 

Sukhi moderated a panel with four incredible female women who are all on different stages in their tech journeys:

  • Gemma Bloemen – Elder
  • Julie Fedele – TwoFeetin
  • Myrto Lalacos – L Marks, AccelerateME
  • Kike Oniwinde – BYP Network

Sukhi shared her journey into becoming a tech entrepreneur
(having been a corporate worker turned life coach turned author turned entrepreneur!).

It is the perfect example that you can re-ivent yourself and adapt to any career changes as long as you are willing to keep learning new skills.

If you missed it you can watch this short clip (on LinkedIn) where the panellists concluded by sharing their top tips for attendees to take away (with thanks to Kate Wood for the footage).

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MarketOrders News

MarketOrders Co-Founder shortlisted as Digital Entrepreneur of the Year!

We’re very proud to announce that MarketOrders Co-Founder, Sukhi Jutla, has been shortlisted in the Digital Entrepreneur of the Year category at the Digital Entrepreneur Awards 2019.

Digital Entrepreneur Awards (DEA) celebrates the best of the UK’s digital business ecosystem.

A wealth of amazing organisations, businesses and individuals entered the awards demonstrating outstanding innovation, creativity and talent.

The finalists have been announced by Business Live and Business Cloud!

The awards, now in their 15th year, cover 20 categories encompassing every area of today’s digital business ecosystem from enigmatic leadership to forward-thinking development and cutting-edge creative.

The winners will be announced at a glittering ceremony at The Principal Hotel, Manchester on November 21.

 

Finalists in the Digital Entrepreneur of the Year category are:

Adam Frisby, CEO, InTheStyle

Somayeh Aghnia, Founder, Geeks

Sukhi Jutla, CEO & Founder, MarketOrders

Mark Roberts, Co-founder & CEO, Beer Hawk

Gareth O’Rourke, Founder, CHO Fashion & Lifestyle

Adeem Younis, Founder, Single Muslim

Louis James Davis, Davis Co Holdings Ltd & VST Enterprises

 

MarketOrders Press Release:

 

MarketOrders Co-Founder Shortlisted for National Digital Awards

Today, MarketOrders COO & Co-Founder, Sukhi Jutla, has been shortlisted as a finalist for the Digital Entrepreneur of the Year at the 2019 Digital Entrepreneur Awards (DEAs).

MarketOrders is an online marketplace designed by entrepreneurs, for businesses. Specialised in the gold and diamond jewellery industry, MarketOrders disrupts a traditional sector by using new technology which benefits both suppliers and retailers.

Created in 2016 by serial entrepreneurs Ram Krishnna Rao and Sukhi Jutla, MarketOrders aims to empower high street retailers by helping independent retail jewellers to get the products they need faster, cheaper and directly from global suppliers.

The DEAs are the only national awards dedicated to championing digital entrepreneurialism and innovation across the UK.

Sukhi Jutla reacted to her nomination: “It’s an honour to be named a finalist in the most competitive category in these digital awards. As the world continues to evolve and be shaped by new digital technologies, it is immensely rewarding and to be named as someone who is contributing to these exciting changes and being a part of leading this conversation of change in the digital landscape especially through my work with MarketOrders.net”

The finalists beat off competition from hundreds of businesses that entered, across 20 award categories.

The awards, now in their 15thyear, cover categories encompassing every component of today’s online business ecosystem – from enigmatic leadership to forward-thinking development and cutting-edge creative. Categories include Social Media Campaign of the Year, Most Innovative use of Video or Animation and the coveted Digital Entrepreneur of the Year award.

Previous winners of the awards span a range of sectors, from retail giants like Sainsbury’s and PrettyLittleThing to smaller, more agile digital specialists like Social Chain and Clicky Media.

Among the judging panel are Jacqueline de Rojas, president of techUK and chair of the Digital Leaders Board; Heather Waters, enterprise manager at NatWest; Vikas Shah, CEO of Swiscot Group and Susie Ma, founder and CEO of Tropic Skincare.

One of the UK’s true tech heavyweights joins the judging panel this year. President of techUK and chair of Digital Leaders, Jacqueline de Rojas serves on the government’s Digital Economy Council and is an advisor to a number of fast-moving tech companies.

Commenting on the DEAs, de Rojas said: “We are known as a nation of innovators and of entrepreneurs. It is quite simply a privilege to judge the technologies and innovators at the frontier of change.

“The UK is a nation of technological significance and shining a light on entrepreneurship in this space is a way of investing in our digital future.

“I have seen the smallest of changes make the biggest of differences and I am delighted to see the creativity of our digital entrepreneurs fixing real-world problems that are worth solving.”

Visit the DEA website for a full list of finalists or for details on how to book a table at the final ceremony.

 

You can find the official DEA release here.

Fingers crossed!

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MarketOrders News

MarketOrders COO joins the advisory board of Management Today’s conferences

MarketOrders COO & Co-Founder Sukhi Jutla joins the advisory board of Management Today’s conferences.

Each year Management Today recruits a stellar line-up of front-line leaders to help us shape an exciting conference. The advisory board helps us identify key speakers and ensures we achieve our mission of creating a conference that inspires and educates you.

Sukhi commented: “I’m very excited to be part of such an inspiring board to help shape the content and strategy for these important conferences which help many women navigate the business and entrepreneurial world. These conferences aim to equip attendees with the best knowledge and wisdom from the best speakers who been there and done it and are now sharing their know-how to help the next generation of women leaders to blossom and is an honour to be a part of their journey in this way”

The next conference, “Inspiring Women in Business”, will take place in London on November 21.

You can register here.

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MarketOrders COO Sukhi Jutla shortlisted at the London Asian Business Awards

 

We are delighted to announce that our Co-Founder & COO Sukhi Jutla has been shortlisted into the finals under Disruptive Entrepreneur of the Year category at the 3rd London Asian Business Awards!

Another great achievement for MarketOrders that recognises the quality of our fantastic team.

So far, MarketOrders has been nominated and/or won 21 awards! You can find them all on our Awards page here.

 

Congratulations to the other finalists!

DR SUKHBINDER NOORPURI (i-GP, Kent)

Priyanka Raswant (Highbrow, Soho)

Nikhil Shah (London Town Group, Paddington)

Rupa Ganatra Popat (FUTR Group, Soho)

Deepak Tailor (Latest Free Stuff, Ilford)

Tahreem Arshad (Sozie, Surbiton)

Sanjay Patel (The Hundred, Camden)

Amin Hamzianpour (The Qube, West London)

Harsha Rathnayake (Junk Hunters, Willesden)

 

The prestigious and glamorous award ceremony will be held on the 26th September 2019 at The Millennium Gloucester Hotel, Kensington, London.

Until then, fingers crossed!

 

Official press release:

 

MarketOrders Co-Founder Sukhi Jutla shortlisted as finalist in the Disruptive Entrepreneur of the Year category for the 3rd London Asian Business Awards 2019

 

London, September 13, 2019: Hundreds of the best professionals and businesses have been shortlisted as finalists for the 3rd London Asian Business Awards 2019. They received nominations across the capital. The Awards celebrate a wide range of the South-Asian community’s achievements. These include the worlds of business, charity, food, technology, law and finance.

The Awards showcase the strength of the Asian community, the impact they have on London’s culture & economy, and highlights their progression over the last year. Categories range from Rising Star, Young Entrepreneur of the Year to International Business of the Year.

The Awards will be held at the Millennium Gloucester Hotel in Kensington on Thursday 26th September.

MarketOrders Co-Founder Sukhi Jutla has been shortlisted as finalist in the Disruptive Entrepreneur of the Year category. Sukhi Jutla will know if she is a winner during the elegant ceremony held in September.

She commented on her nomination: “It’s an honour and privilege to be recognised as a finalist in this year’s awards as a Disruptive Entrepreneur. I believe a win for any woman is a win for every woman everywhere who aspire to achieve their full potential and to live fearlessly and that is something I aim to do on a daily basis through my work. Shining a spotlight on the business achievements of the Asian diaspora I hope encourages the community to keep striving to build better businesses and to inspire the next generation of Asian entrepreneurs”.

The London Business Journal are official media partner for the Awards. The Asian Women’s Resource Centre who provide specialist domestic violence support services to women and children across London are charity partners for the event.

The London Asian Business Awards 2019 presented by Greenleaf Catering are organised by Oceanic Consulting – the UK’s leading ethnic awards company. CEO Irfan Younis said “the London Asian Business community is one to really be celebrated and talked about. They’re a community of amazing achievements, skilled entrepreneurs, business acumen, social mobility and inspiring role models who have consistently gone from strength to strength. Best of luck to all finalists, we look forward to an exciting night.”

With 13 years of experience, Oceanic Consulting host annual award ceremonies in major English, Scottish and Irish cities. Campaigns include the Curry Awards, Asian Business, Asian Food, British Muslim, British Indian and Britain’s Asian Wedding Awards.

 

The full list of finalists can be found here.

 

– ENDS –

 (Note to Editors)

 

To learn more about MarketOrders: https://marketorders.net

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/market-orders

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MarketOrders at the International Jewellery London (IJL) 2019

The International Jewellery London (IJL) is the pre-eminent annual destination for the best of British fine jewellery, as well as leading brands from around the globe.

It is the global meeting place for the jewellery trade so it’s only natural that MarketOrders attended. Our COO & Co-Founder Sukhi Jutla was also asked to speak on a panel about The Future of Fine Jewellery.

In this blog post, she gives her personal take on the IFL and the key takeaways points and trends she learned as well as an overview of her panel talk.

About IJL No alt text provided for this image

The IFL is an annual event held in London over the course of 3 days. There were a number of seminars, talks and workshops talking about the new trends and technologies emerging in the jewellery industry.

The exhibition featured a catwalk show showing the latest jewellery designs, an inspiration theatre talking about how to embrace technologies to improve customer experiences and the knowledge Hub where I was speaking.

The key themes at IFL focused on: 

  • The future of lab-grown diamonds
  • The Future of Fine Jewellery
  • Jewellery trends for 2020
  • How to embrace systems and tech to deliver the ultimate shopping experience
  • Sustainability in the jewellery trade

 

MarketOrders point of viewKrystian Ozog also came along and he looks after our customers at MarketOrders as our Chief Customer Care Officer

Walking around the Olympia exhibition centre with the most beautiful and dazzling jewellery collections looking back at you made me think even deeper about how MarkterOrders can best serve the industry and more specifically, help our retailers.

Almost everyone I spoke to said their biggest issues were with not being able to communicate enough to the end consumer. 

With most of the products being created by designers, suppliers and manufacturers who are often removed from the consumer on the high street, it can be hard to see what products are selling and why some items don’t sell. 

Without some sort of communication with the end consumer, it can be difficult to truly provide what the consumer needs.

This is why MarketOrders exists; to bridge that gap. By only placing orders from retailers, suppliers will only produce items that are needed.

Retailers are best placed to place orders as they face off to the customer on a daily basis. They understand what sells and what won’t.

By placing personalised orders on-demand, retailers can be confident that they can sell their stock and not have to meltdown items that don’t sell or be stuck with inventory on shelves.

No alt text provided for this image

The Future of Fine Jewellery Panel 

If you missed my panel talk here are the key highlights from my panel.

I was joined by Naomi Newton-Sherlock, the Creative Director at Domino and Daisy Grice, a jewellery designer. Chairing the panel was Asha Pitt from the Professional Jeweller.

Note: MarkeOrders has a profile feature in Septembers edition of the Professional Jewellery which you can check out here on page 78.

 

 

On Millenials and jewellery trends….No alt text provided for this image

  • Millennials shop in different ways. They are not looking to buy a product but an experience. So can retailers keep up with these changing consumer demands?
  • It’s no longer seen as fashionable to buy expensive jewellery if demi-stones look just as good and are half the price. Millennials are image-conscious and want to be able to keep up with changing fashion trends without the costs involved.
  • Consumers and Millenials, in particular, are looking for convenience and personalisation. They are not buying a product but experiences as they value experiences more highly.

 

What advancements should the jewellery industry be embracing?Our visionary CEO of MarketOrders was also in attendance at the IFL to look for new trends.

  • Retailers are no longer selling a product but an experience.
  • Consumers value individual attention, customization and personalisation as opposed to mass-market customer service.
  • Retailers and designers need to think about how best to reach their customers and listen to what they are asking for

When it comes to responsible jewellery manufacture, do consumers really care? 

  • If given the choice, most consumers would opt for the responsibly sourced jewellery but retailers say this is still a small proportion of their sales simply because not enough suppliers are providing this due to the extra costs involved.
  • Perhaps if consumers voted with the pounds in their pockets then things could potentially change.
  • However, responsibly sourced jewellery is still more expensive and not enough consumers feel they want to pay extra for this.

Demi-fine / semi-fine jewellery continues to grow as a market segment; should fine jewellers be concerned?

  • Not necessarily. Most retailers are now stocking an array of different types of jewellery so that they can cater to all consumers.
  • In order to stay ahead it is vital retailers notice and adapts to consumers changing demands otherwise they risk being left behind.

Q) How can technology improve the consumer experience and industry margins?

 

  • Without a doubt, it is imperative the industry embraces technology to better serve their consumers.Our Chief Customer Care Officer, Krystian Ozog relaxes on a chair after a busy conference!
  • Retailers need to have omni-channels, different ways to reach their consumers and give them different options to see and buy their products.
  • Make the purchase an experience and not just a transaction.
  • The jewellery industry is no longer competing with other jewellery but with other products. Jewellery used to be a popular gifting idea but now it’s competing with the latest iPhone, tech gadget or luxury holiday!

I hope you enjoyed this roundup summary of IFL, looking forward to next year!

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SUKHI JUTLA LISTED AS NR1 AMONGST “TOP 10 FEMALE TECH ENTREPRENEUR TO WATCH IN 2019” BY ABOUT TIME MAGAZINE

AboutTimeMagazine.co.uk introducing: #SheStartedIt100, definitive list of the top 100 women to watch in the UK 2019.

About Time Magazine says: “We need to do more to promote women in tech; according to a study by PwC, only 15% of employees working in STEM roles in the UK are female, with only 5% of leadership positions in tech held by women.”

At MarketOrders.net we are extremely proud to announce that our Co-founder and COO Sukhi Jutla has been listed as nr1 amongst all other great UK female Tech and Media industry entrepreneurs.

1. Sukhi Jutla, MarketOrders

Name: Sukhi Jutla

Age: 35

Profession: Co-Founder and COO of MarketOrders, the jewellery-tech startup that uses blockchain to make gold and diamond jewellery more ethical and transparent.

Her Story: Sukhi Jutla is an award-winning entrepreneur and author of three books. She is the co-founder of MarketOrders, an online B2B platform for the gold and diamond jewellery industry. She is a leading international speaker, influencer and thought leader in tech and a qualified IBM Blockchain Foundation Developer. In April 2018 Sukhi made global headlines when she became the World’s First #1 Bestselling ‘Blockchain’ Author.

Click HERE to read the article on abouttimemagazine.co.uk and see other amazing ladies highlighted by #SheStartedIt100