ORLA VAN DEN BERGH

Founder and director, Max Benjamin

Having founded candle brand Max Benjamin in 2007 with her brothers Mark and David Van den Bergh, Orla continued to work until her sons Max and Ben were five and Sean was two before deciding to take time out. However, as her boys grew, Orla felt that drive to return to work. But as many women who’ve taken a career pause would attest, it’s not an easy transition. “The business had evolved hugely. I spent a year relearning how we did things and how we now need to do things in a different way. Now that I’m back, I can see that as a woman, I have a huge insight. Our customers are primarily women. Tara Kelly, our marketing manager, is a great support, and we empower one another to be vocal about what women want. Women are a valuable asset to businesses.”