EmpowHER 2025

SUPPORTING WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS IN THE WEST

Women leaders come together to help female founders scale their businesses

Kickstarting and helping to scale women led enterprises is the aim behind EmpowHer 2025 with senior women in business offering practical support to female founders. 

Women are currently significantly under-represented in entrepreneurship and this is even more so the case in rural Ireland. 

This event aims to address this geographical inequality and to support female entrepreneurs along the western corridor to kickstart enterprises and achieve investment and supports to scale their businesses. 

Former Dragon and entrepreneur Norah Casey is hosting the event at the reimagined Carrick on Shannon Business Campus. Joining her are some noteworthy women leaders in business including Louise Phelan, former Global VP of PayPal and Senior Independent Director, Ryanair; Breege O’Donoghue, Former Executive Director of Primark; Sonia Deasy, Founder & CEO, Pestle & Mortar; Oonagh O'Hagan, Owner & MD, Meaghers Pharmacy Group; and Niamh Ryan and Charlene Flanagan, Founders of Ella & Jo cosmetics.

“We need to address the gap in women entrepreneurship, particularly in areas outside of the urban hubs in Ireland. Many women choose to live in more affordable community settings to raise families and our aim is to support them in a practical way by asking senior women leaders to share stories and swap experiences to help them fulfill their potential”, commented Norah Casey, who has Leitrim roots and sits on the Carrick Campus Advisory Board. 

Chair of the Advisory Board, Caoimhe McLoughlin, Partner, KPMG, another Leitrim woman, will introduce the day and outline the benefits for entrepreneurs looking to scale and grow their business from the Carrick-on-Shannon hub. 

“This is a great opportunity to show what Leitrim can offer and to support and expand female entrepreneurship in the region. With the upcoming refurbishment of phase two of the Campus, and the big plans that we have to develop a smart hub here, we want the clear message to be that Leitrim is open for Business and the Campus is a place designed to foster innovation and develop and scale businesses”, she added.

EmpowHer 2025 is supported by Leitrim County Council and will help in navigating challenges for female entrepreneurs, securing investment and supports and scaling for sustainable growth.

Emer Connolly, Senior Executive Officer, Economic Development, Leitrim County Council commented: “This event is a powerful showcase of successful women in business, sharing their valuable insights with female business owners in the region and further afield and we are delighted to be part of it.”

SPEAKERS

Norah Casey, Broadcaster & Publisher

Broadcaster, entrepreneur and philanthropist Norah Casey was formerly a Dragon in the popular television series Dragons’ Den and is a well-known radio and television broadcaster, she is a global speaker on entrepreneurship, corporate leadership and women’s empowerment. Her business expertise is extensive having acquired and grown multiple business to multi-million-euro global success stories. Her main investments currently are in media, film, and television production in London. She is CEO and Founder of her own suite of publishing companies under the brand, Harmonia. She is a Global Ambassador for Women, mentoring female leaders world-wide and serves on the European Board of Vital Voices, founded by Hillary Clinton and the late Madeline Albright.

Caoimhe McLoughlin, Partner, KPMG

Caoimhe is a tax partner who advises a broad range of clients on Irish and international tax matters. Her clients include large privately held family businesses, high net worth individuals and families, public companies and private equity groups.  Caoimhe has extensive M&A experience, and works closely with entrepreneurs, investors and businesses advising on all aspects of financing, scaling, expanding and exiting businesses.  Caoimhe is an advocate for women in business and supports KPMG’s sponsorship of Going for Growth – an initiative to support female entrepreneurs to grow and scale their businesses.  She plays an active role in promoting KPMG’s inclusion and diversity agenda, including being a member of the firm’s IDE Steering Group and chair of the firm’s Gender Committee.  She currently chairs the Carrick Business Campus Advisory Group, set up by Leitrim County Council to advise on the Campus strategy and promote the development and expansion of the Campus offering.  Caoimhe has Bachelor of Commerce International and a Masters in Accounting from National University of Ireland, Galway. She is also a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ireland (FCA) and a member of the Irish Taxation Institute (CTA).

Breege O’ Donoghue, Chair & Company Director 

Following 17 years in hospitality in Ireland and Europe, Breege continued her career with Primark and is a former Board Member & Group Director for Business Development & New Markets. After 37 years, ‘moving away from the day job’, Breege continued until recently with other interests in Primark. A graduate of UCD and a Chartered Director (IOD), Breege is currently Chair of a number of bodies in the public and private sector as well as being Non-Executive Director on the boards of Hillsborough Castle and The Kylemore Trust. Breege has held many government appointed positions over the years and she has also been the recipient of fourteen awards in France, UK, India and Ireland. 

 
Louise Phelan, Strategic Advisor & Non-Executive Director

Louise is a highly experienced Strategic Advisor, having worked with leading global companies listed on international stock exchanges. She engages directly with CEOs and senior leadership teams, showcasing her global expertise through senior independent board memberships such as Ryanair. With a background as former CEO of Phelan Energy Group and Global Vice President at PayPal, Louise has demonstrated leadership in Fortune 500 companies. She is a member of the Irish Government’s Top-Level Appointments Committee and the President’s advisory group at Technological University Dublin. Louise’s achievements have been widely recognised, including being the first woman to receive the Sir Michael Smurfit Business Achievement Award. Her expertise lies in strategic planning, organisational design, commercial planning, innovation through change, operational excellence, and stakeholder engagement. Additionally, Louise invests in entrepreneurs and supports initiatives for female entrepreneurs.

Oonagh O’ Hagan, Founder & MD Meaghers Pharmacy Group

Oonagh is a qualified pharmacist of over 20 years. A graduate from Trinity College Dublin who is passionate about female hormone health and gut health. Oonagh is the owner and Managing Director of the Meagher’s Pharmacy Group, a group of ten physical pharmacies in Dublin with a thriving online store www.meaghers.ie serving customers in 70 countries all over the world. Oonagh is a driven Entrepreneur and was named as Businesswoman of the year 2023 By Irish Tatler, Entrepreneur of the Year 2023 at the Women Mean Business awards and one of the 24 finalists in the Ernest and Young Entrepreneur of the Year program in 2021. Meaghers has been recognised as one of Ireland’s Great Places to Work for the past three years and a Deloitte Best Managed  Company for ten consecutive years.  Meaghers was named as Employer of the Year at the Retail Excellence awards in 2022 and most recently Meaghers was named Online Pharmacy of the year and the winner of Retail Excellence by Chambers Ireland in 2023. Oonagh is keen to promote and champion other female business entrepreneurs and as such is a Lead Entrepreneur on the Going for Growth programme which supports Irish female entrepreneurs grow and scale their businesses.

Sonia Deasy, Founder & CEO Pestle & Mortar

As a busy mother-of-five, Pestle & Mortar co-founder Sonia Deasy understands how difficult it can be to find a daily skincare routine that is both simple and effective. Sonia worked for many years alongside her husband in a business where she looked at people’s skin all day, every day. The business was portrait photography and through the camera lens, every little problem that make-up tried to hide was highlighted. Sonia became determined to find a simple daily skincare solution to remedy dull, dehydrated skin. Driven by the belief that skincare shouldn’t be complicated, she created a line of simple, highly effective skincare products. 

Ella & Jo Cosmetics, Co-Founders, Niamh Ryan & Charlene Flanagan

Niamh Ryan is the CEO and Co-Founder of Ella & Jo Cosmetics, an International Award Winning Irish Skincare Company, selling to over 50 countries worldwide. Niamh is an Advanced Skin Therapist, Cosmetic Science, MBS & wellbeing advisor. She is also mum to four young children, balancing life between running a busy household & growing an international business. 

Charlene Flanagan is a renowned beauty expert, entrepreneur, and co-founder of the award-winning Irish brand, Ella & Jo Cosmetics. Named Businesswoman of the Year in 2024, alongside her business partner, Charlene is celebrated for her authentic storytelling and ability to genuinely connect with people. Charlene truly understands her audience and loves sharing insights on beauty, entrepreneurship, self-love, and personal growth. Through Ella & Jo, Charlene’s mission is simple: to help others prioritise their well-being, embrace their journey, and find joy in the everyday moments. You’ll most likely find Charlene always with a smile on her face, cup of tea in her hand, listening & singing along to Michael Bublé.