York event celebrates women, tackles challenges & boosts confidence. Raising money for The Hygiene Bank York.

Andrea coaches many female leaders and helps women make changes in business. She said women face similar obstacles, wanting success but often getting held back. The event aimed to break barriers for them and celebrated their business achievements, too.
Claire Douglas leads City of York Council. Andrea used to be an employment lawyer, and she helped with a study on female business owners in York and North Yorkshire. The study showed women could boost our region by adding £2.6 billion in value and creating 165,000 new jobs.
However, the study revealed some struggles. Twenty-four percent of women lack business confidence, fifty-two percent feel unheard in business, and fifty-seven percent feel overwhelmed by life, struggling to run businesses effectively.
Andrea chose speakers to address these issues. Claire Douglas spoke at the event, and Cherie Federico, founder of Aesthetica, joined her. Andrea wanted local women to be speakers, wishing people could learn from them.
Andrea is also a TEDx speaker. She shared advice on business confidence and talked about defeating self-doubt, noting that fear can hold women back. The event took place on March 5 and raised money for The Hygiene Bank York, which supports local food banks and community groups. The event raised £750.