The organisation which backs working women is relaunching itself and embarking on a major recruitment drive to double its membership base in the next 12 months.

Women in Business which claims one of the largest business memberships in the country with more than 1,200 signed up women from a broad range of sectors, is slashing its annual membership fee to £25 in a one-off bid to double its numbers and attract women from small businesses and organisations.  They want to offer all business women access and engagement with the fastest growing network of its kind on the island and believe that any perceived financial barrier to joining will now be removed with this new fee which averages at just over £2.00 per month.

Women in Business will actually increase it services to members while continuing to offer all current events and programmes and are delighted to be able to offer more for less.

Women in Business chief executive Roseann Kelly says the organisation which co-ordinates a series of networking and development events for its members each month wants to see more women from small to medium enterprises, she believes everyone can and should join.

Roseann said:  “We want to encourage more independent business women and women who work in small organisations in the private, public and voluntary sectors to join as we believe every woman in every business, whatever that business may be, can benefit from membership.

“Women in Business has helped thousands of women gain new confidence through professional networking events throughout the north”, says Roseann.  “Women members now represent all sectors from engineering to nail art and they benefit through growing their own network of contacts and peers by attending the masterclasses in business and career development, networking lunches and breakfasts to hear from role models and inspirational speakers and mentoring sessions that we organise all year round”, she says.

“At Women in Business we want to work with our members to help create a diverse business community that will be better for our economy, better for society, better for ALL of us. We support and encourage business women to reach their full potential and achieve their ambitions

“In the USA, corporate organisations have agreed a target of 30% of their boards to be composed of women.  This is because modern business leaders have understood that diversity in the work place at all levels is essential to success rather than a hindrance.

“Women in Business wants to achieve more than this but first we need to empower women and help them appreciate that they have as much right to ambition and confidence as anyone – something which until now was a difficult feature for women to express for fear of criticism from more conservative quarters”, she concluded.

The new membership fee is available from May 5, 2015.  To become a member log onto www.womeninbusinessni.com or tel 08000328533.  www.facebook.com/womeninbusinessni, @wibni.