International Women’s Day Business Breakfast

The Heseltine Gallery was buzzing with conversation, connection and inspiration as we welcomed four exceptional female speakers to celebrate International Women’s Day at our popular Business Breakfast.

The event was the busiest Business Breakfast on record, with around 70 attendees from the local community. Guests included representatives from event sponsors Handelsbanken and Conscious Wealth, alongside businesses from a wide range of industries. We were also pleased to welcome several Sixth Form students, who were given the opportunity to experience valuable networking, gain career insights and meet professionals from across the county in a professional environment. The students listened attentively to the speakers and asked thoughtful and engaging questions throughout the morning.

Guests were welcomed with a live acoustic music set performed by Truro School students Katie and Lise, creating a warm and vibrant start to the morning.

Each attendee also received a goodie bag filled with gifts generously provided by members of the local business community. Special thanks go to Paddle and Cocks, Cornish Lavender, OSL Financial Services, Conscious Wealth, Edify & Empower, Handelsbanken, Savills, Francis Clarke LLP, Chic French Style With Angela and Raymond James for their contributions. The artwork featured on the bags was designed by pupils in Mrs Coward’s Art Club, with Amelia, Sarah and Amelie submitting beautiful designs. The winning design was printed on the bags, creating a special keepsake for guests to take home.

The first speaker of the morning was Old Truronian Jess CO08, co-founder of So Syncd, who was joined by her sister Loella Alderson CO11. Jess shared the story of her journey as a co-founder of the relationship media and coaching business. She spoke about the benefits of building a business alongside her sister and the impact their platform has had in helping people find love, build relationships and even start families. Jess also highlighted the importance of supporting female-led businesses, sharing that only 2% of venture capital funding goes to female-founded teams, compared to 80% for all-male teams. Reflecting on both the successes and setbacks in her career, she encouraged attendees with the advice: “Just start, because the sooner you fail, the sooner you succeed.”

Julia Ward from Conscious Wealth followed with an insightful look into the world of finance and investing. A passionate advocate for women seeking financial advice, Julia shared that 60% of the UK’s wealth is controlled by women, yet only 18% of Financial Advisers are women. She answered several thoughtful questions from the audience, including those about the importance of starting to save from a young age.

Naabil, currently in her final year of medical study, delivered a powerful and inspiring speech about her work on her platform Skin For All. She spoke about the importance of International Women’s Day in relation to her work, reflecting on her journey from her own school days—much like those of the Sixth Form students present—to her current efforts to diversify the medical curriculum, involve the public more actively in medicine and drive meaningful change in representation and equity within healthcare education. Alongside her passion for healthcare and the NHS, Naabil also shared her interest in politics.

The final speaker of the morning was Molly Scott Cato, who gave an inspiring, thought-provoking and often witty talk about her career in politics. Molly discussed the role of women in public life, thoughts on misogyny, social media influence and how attitudes have changed throughout her career. She spoke candidly about her views on Brexit, relationship equality and the importance of support systems for mothers and women in society. Her engaging speech prompted both laughter and reflection, and the audience participated enthusiastically in the Q&A session. One male guest shared how much he valued Molly’s words, reflecting on the positive influence his own mother had in raising him and his brothers.

Alongside the talks, guests were also invited to create their own badges with Artist in Residence, Rachael Coward. By choosing colours and words that represented their passions, feelings or personal values, attendees created unique keepsakes to take home alongside their goodie bags. The gallery was decorated to celebrate International Women’s Day with a mannequin wearing a dress adorned with the logos of all of our attendees’ businesses.

We would like to thank everyone who attended this fantastic morning and all the inspiring women who made the event possible. The next Business Breakfast will take place in the summer term. If you would like to join the Truro School Enterprises mailing list to be the first to hear when tickets are released, please click here.