Women Entrepreneurship Summit Speakers
Amanda Hack
Labour MP for North West Leicestershire
Amanda Jayne Hack is a Labour Party politician and a member of Parliament (MP) for North West Leicestershire since 2024. Before her parliamentary career, Hack was a councillor on Leicestershire County Council, representing the Braunstone division from 2017. She also worked for a housing association supporting vulnerable individuals. She is the first woman to represent this constituency in Parliament. Since October 2024, Hack has been serving on the Work and Pensions Select Committee.
Hack continues to advocate for her constituents in North West Leicestershire, focusing on issues such as social housing, community development, and social justice.
Councillor Damiloa Ojuri
Deputy Mayor of Ashby de la Zouch and an Ashby Town Councillor
Councillor Damilola Ojuri is the Deputy Mayor of Ashby de la Zouch and an Ashby Town Councillor. Residing in Ashby with her husband and young family, she is deeply committed to addressing community concerns and enhancing local services. In November 2024, she was selected as the Labour candidate for the Ashby de la Zouch division in the 2025 County Council elections. Councillor Ojuri emphasizes the importance of responsive representation and aims to tackle challenges arising from housing growth, infrastructure pressures, and the need for a vibrant town centre.
Beyond her political endeavours, Councillor Ojuri is a cloud consultant and an advocate for social justice causes. She actively engages with the community, participating in local events such as the unveiling of Paddington in Ashby, reflecting her dedication to fostering a strong and resilient community.
Nadia Etteridge
Leicestershire Police - Detective Inspector
Detective Inspector Nadia Etteridge serves with the Leicestershire Police, bringing extensive experience and dedication to her roles within the force. Inspector Etteridge has led initiatives to enhance public safety and community engagement in Leicester's city centre. Notably, she and her deputy, Sergeant Steph Burnham, conducted training sessions for door supervisors from various venues, aiming to improve safety and security measures.
Inspector Etteridge actively engages with the community through regular updates and interactions. She provides weekly round-ups and insights into local policing efforts, fostering transparency and strengthening community relations. Through her various roles, Detective Inspector Nadia Etteridge demonstrates a steadfast commitment to public safety, equality, and community partnership within Leicestershire.
Professor Katie Normington
Vice-Chancellor
Professor Katie Normington has been serving as the Vice-Chancellor of De Montfort University (DMU) in Leicester since early 2021. Prior to this, she held the position of Deputy Principal (Academic) at Royal Holloway, University of London, where she oversaw strategy and policy for teaching and research.
Professor Normington is a distinguished academic in the field of drama, focusing her research on theatre history, particularly medieval English drama and contemporary theatre practice. She has authored six books in these areas and continues to contribute scholarly articles to the field.
Beyond her institutional roles, Professor Normington is the founding director of the Arts and Humanities Research Council doctoral training partnership, Techne. She has also served as a board member at a further education college and a dance company, contributed to the expert review panel for the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers, and participated as a subject panel member for Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) pilots.
Dr Mythili Kolluru
College of Banking and Financial Studies, Oman
Dr. Mythili Kolluru is a National Level Award Winning Outstanding Women Educator and Scholar. She serves as an assistant professor at the marketing and management department of the College of Banking and Financial Studies in Muscat.
She is a member of Knowledge Oman, a leading knowledge-sharing voluntary organisation. Holding a doctorate in strategic management and being a certified strategy planning professional, she also serves as the chief strategy officer of Funkeyb, a China-based management consultancy firm. Dr. Kolluru is a prolific writer with numerous publications in reputable journals and business magazines.
She has presented her research on several international platforms. She is a mentor, coach, keynote speaker, and corporate trainer with a robust digital presence renowned for her analytical acumen in strategy and business.
Dr Alison Price
Enterprise Evolution
Alison has worked to support enterprise and entrepreneurship, primarily supporting graduate and female entrepreneurship for over twenty years. As Principal Consultant at Enterprise Evolution, she brings extensive experience of working to create entrepreneurial outcomes in others with expert research, facilitation skills and considerable understanding of the potential of economic development through enterprise.
Alison has created culture change and supported those working in the education environment in her previous role as Director at the National Centre for Entrepreneurship in Education (NCEE). Prior to this, Alison was Head of Enterprise Education at Leeds Metropolitan University. She has a Masters in Corporate Social Responsibility and has worked as a Senior Consultant at York Consultancy.
Alison’s international experience includes Enterprise Educator training in China, as well as working in Sri Lanka on industry and university co-development. She was also a Visiting Professor of Enterprise Education at Liverpool John Moores University (2009-2016).
Lisa McMullan
Enterprise Evolution
Lisa’s work focuses on supporting enterprise development through training and advice for entrepreneurs, social enterprises and those working to support them. Her experience of working directly with would-be entrepreneurs, small business owners and social enterprise leaders directly informs the programs and activities she now develops and delivers for enterprise educators and entrepreneurs alike.
Lisa has extensive experience in managing EU projects, currently leading The Women’s Organisation’s contribution as UK partner for the EntreComp360 project. She continues to work directly with early-stage and social entrepreneurs in particular to explore their entrepreneurial potential.
Internationally, Lisa has worked in Thailand supporting enterprise education in vocational education, has facilitated Enterprise Educator programs in China and previously worked in Nigeria as part of the YouWiN! programs supporting women and graduate entrepreneurs.
Kathleen Leighton-Harris
Founder – Women Empowerment Network (WEN)
Kathleen is the CEO and founder of the Women Empowerment Network and also is a member on various Boards to help represent many voices across Leicestershire. Kathleen is very passionate about our diverse communities and the importance of how we all communicate effectively with each other and Leicestershire Police - ‘Together we can make the difference!’
Kathleen is about community, harmony, peace and love. She believes that together a lot more can be achieved in the community. Mountains can be moved IF we do it together; removing all prejudices and forming alliances to ensure that people are at the heart of what WEN does.
Dr Bridget Irene (Host)
De Montfort University
Dr. Bridget Irene is a Senior Lecturer at De Montfort University (DMU). She is a researcher and a dedicated advocate for women's empowerment in entrepreneurship and sustainable development. She is the founder of the Women Research Network (WRN), a global platform fostering collaboration, mentorship, and advocacy for women entrepreneurs and researchers.
Dr. Irene’s expertise lies in gendered entrepreneurship, sustainability, and innovation in the Global South. Her research focuses on amplifying women's voices, tackling systemic barriers, and shaping inclusive policies that drive economic growth and social equity.
An active contributor to the academic community, Dr. Irene has presented her research at leading international conferences, including the British Academy of Management (BAM), Gender, Work and Organization (GWO), and the Institute for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (ISBE).