Herta von Stiegel has had an influential 16-year career in investment banking. She was Managing Director of AIG Financial Products in addition to holding senior positions at JP Morgan and Citibank. Before moving into banking, Herta practised law and is a member of the state bars of Michigan and New York, and holder of a Juris Doctor degree.
In addition to serving on numerous boards in the corporate and not-for-profit sectors, she is also the Chair of the Prince's Trust Women's Leadership Group, International Vice-Chair of the Committee of 200, and a member of the Women's Leadership Board of Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government.
The Lornamead Group is a leading marketer of international personal care products.
Originally conceived as a trading house to represent the interest of blue-chip brand owners in Africa, it has grown into an international company, known for acquiring and investing in heritage brands. Mike Jatania became Chief Executive in 1990.
Under his tutelage, the company has become a huge business in the industry, with a portfolio of over 30 brands, which includes the acquisition of numerous well-known brands such as Yardley fragrance and bath luxuries, Harmony Hairspray and Lypsyl lip balm.
Gita Patel
Director, Stargate Capital Management Ltd
As co-founder of Stargate Capital Investment Group, Gita Patel was responsible for launching Trapezia, the UK's first investment fund dedicated to women's enterprise. The Trapezia business model, based on mentoring and enabling access to markets and business networks, is key to creating value within the Trapezia portfolio of companies.
A graduate of the London School of Economics and a qualified chartered accountant, Gita has previously worked in the oil and banking sectors, developing strong insight into the experiences of women within the financial services industry.
Gita was a finalist in the 2007 Credit Suisse Award for Outstanding Woman in Business, and is listed in the 2005 Asian Power 100.
Janette Anderson boasts a formidable CV. An alumna of Glasgow University, she was only the second female graduate to be taken on by accountants Arthur Andersen in Scotland where she qualified as a CA in 1987.
Formerly Chief Executive of First Engineering, Janette is now self employed and runs her own company Anderson Associates.
Janette was until recently a member of the Babcock International Executive Committee and has recently become a Non Executive Director of Grontmij, an international consulting engineering group.
The youngest contestant and the eventual winner of the first series of BBC's 'The Apprentice', Tim Campbell worked under Sir Alan Sugar at Amstrad for two years. While there, he developed a new beauty division called Integra, which combined cosmetics and electronics.
Earlier this year, the 29-year-old opted to leave Amstrad to establish his own business in male styling products. Tim has also set up a social enterprise trust – The Bright Ideas Trust. Launched in April, its aims are to support start-ups and empower the entrepreneurs of the future.
Diane Benussi led the trend for specialist legal practices by setting up Benussi & Co as a stand-alone matrimonial practice in 1993. Benussi & Co is used by high-profile individuals seeking a discreet service.
A former President of the Birmingham Law Society, Diane is currently Chairman of Birmingham Forward, an organisation representing and networking the professional and financial sector.
Diane wrote "How not to get divorced after Christmas", has her own blog and is a regular contributor to national media outlets.
Dawn Gibbins
MBE DBA, Founder and Chairman, Flowcrete Group Plc
Dawn Gibbins's company, Flowcrete, is a major global player in the international flooring industry, with a reach spanning 26 countries.
Its philosophy is to transform and inspire the manufacturing industry, from the ground up.
Flowcrete's specialist flooring technology acts as a catalyst for cultural change in manufacturing environments in terms of productivity and worker well-being.
Dawn received an MBE for services to industry in 1994, and took the Veuve Clicquot Businesswoman of the Year title in 2003. She has also been made a 'Pioneer to the Life of our Nation' by Her Majesty The Queen.
She is constantly working on new ways to encourage more young women to join the manufacturing industry.
Avis Charles
Managing Director, Avis Charles Associates
Avis Charles Associates is a company specialising in the areas of fashion and the creative industries, with particular focus on colour and trend analysis, product development, brand identity and personal style.
In 2002, the firm developed a series of educational and training programmes in South Africa entitled 'Shaping the Future: Product Development for the Creative Industries'; for design students and emerging designers.
One of Avis Charles's key motivators is to empower other women in business, thus, in 2006, she formed the Women Entrepreneurs Network International, (WEN) UK in order for women to potentially expand their businesses, via international trade missions.
Sara Carter
Professor, Entrepreneurship, University of Strathclyde
Sara Carter has been engaged in research which has been hugely influential in driving the policy agenda for female entrepreneurs throughout the last 20 years.
She was Director of the UK's largest business survey programme: 'Lifting the Barriers to Growth in UK Small Business', and has published a number of women-focused studies. She is also a member of the Department for Business Enterprise and the Regulatory Reform's Women's Enterprise Taskforce.
Her publications also include two textbooks: 'Enterprise and Small Business: Principles, Practice and Policy' and 'Women as Entrepreneurs'.
"Academics have observed over the last 20 years a number of different initiatives regarding women's enterprise. We know what works and what doesn't"
Ernst & Young's Managing Partner, Regulatory and Public Policy, Jan Babiak has worked at the professional services giant for over 20 years on both sides of the Atlantic. During this time, she pioneered new approaches and working practices. The first woman to head a business unit at the firm, she was also the first female Managing Partner.
Jan maintains a policy of "foregoing predictable success in favour of creating a new business line". This principle has served her well.
In 2005, while leading EY's information security business, she was named First Woman of Technology at the CBI's inaugural First Women of Business awards.
Rosaleen Blair
Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Alexander Mann Solutions
Rosaleen joined the Alexander Mann Group over ten years ago. Identifying a gap in the market in 1996, Rosaleen founded Alexander Mann Solutions, a specialist recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) business. Her vision and creativity continues to drive the business and its people forward to further success.
Recently, Rosaleen has been awarded Ernst & Young's London Business Products & Services Entrepreneur of the Year 2006 and Veuve Clicquot Business Woman of the Year 2007.
The Benefits
Creating a unique voice for female entrepreneurship and advancement in the UK.
The Topics
The forum board will meet four times each year. Meetings will focus on a topical issue around female entrepreneurship.
