Women in Business

With talk of the impending government cuts dominating most newslists at the moment it was refreshing to attend an awards lunch celebrating business success last week - the Vitalise Women of the Year awards.

Held at the NEC Hilton Hotel in Birmingham and sponsored by pan-European integrator SCC, the awards celebrated the success of leading women figures in the region.

Now those that know me will be quick to point out my thoughts on highlighting women in IT or women in business - it is not something I always agree with - but events like these are crucial in encouraging private enterprise and entrepreneurship in often male dominated industries.

We heard stories of women who had overcome amazing odds to achieve truly impressive feats such as scaling mountains after being paralyzed in an accident, or starting up their own business and becoming a major employer for a struggling area.

There was also a talk from commedienne Ruby Wax, who struck a chord when she said she had shunned the latest 'slebrity' culture and armed herself with a masters in psychology.

Now more than ever we need private enterprises to step up to the plate and generate opportunities to pick up the slack of the shrinking public sector. Whether they are led by women or men doesn't really matter.

With the examples I saw last week, I don't think we have anything to worry about.