RBS launches event series for women in business

● Events mark a century since women won vote ● Panels feature local leaders from range of sectors

Royal Bank of Scotland has launched a series of events to inspire and connect women, marking 100 years since women were granted the vote.

The 100 Women series will consist of events in four cities, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Dundee and Glasgow, aimed at inspiring and connecting women at all stages of their careers.

Hosted by Emma Gannon, The Multi-hyphen Method podcaster and the author of Ctrl Alt Delete, the events will feature an expert panel discussion with local female business leaders and a question and answer session with the audience.

The events will see Gannon joined by businesswomen including Kylie Reid, founder of the online network Edinburgh Gossip Girls, Susan Doherty, founder of cafe Hula Juice Bar and owner of concept store Life Story and Jeanette Forbes, founder of the IT support service PCL Group.

Gannon said: “I’m extremely passionate about women of all ages finding increased freedom, motivation and autonomy at work.

“The internet has made it easier to launch brilliant businesses in new ways, but building an in-real-life community has never been so important.

“These communities help build confidence and knowledge, whether you’re in a company, side-hustling or starting your own new business.

“It’s an exciting time to be an entrepreneur and to be surrounded by other inspirational female business owners.”

RBS is launching the series following a report it commissioned with Yougov, which revealed that a third of female microbusiness owners suffer from “imposter syndrome”, a psychological pattern in which people doubt their accomplishments and fear being exposed as a “fraud”.

The report identified that, despite these fears, there was a growing community of “socially savvy” female microbusiness owners achieving success online.

Responses showed that 63 per cent of female owners believed innovation to be important for the future of their business, compared with 54 per cent of male respondents, while three-quarters of women regarded cybersecurity as a top priority, significantly more than the 60 per cent of men surveyed.

Yvonne Greeves, women in business manager at RBS, said: “Our research has shown that Scotland is a nation of hardworking, multitasking microbusiness owners who need more support, so these events will act as a stepping stone in the right direction for female business owners across the country.

“Our 100 Women events seek to inspire women in business and bring them together to give them the opportunity to discuss the ways in which they can support one another and thrive together.”