Valerie Dwyer
Managing Director, Valerie Dwyer Group/Strategic Insight
A Valerie Dwyer, Serial Entrepreneur, Coach, Mentor, Writer, Author and International Speaker, is the founder of 10 ethically and environmentally-friendly enterprises. An inspirational role model, she has helped more than 2,000 other businesses to start and grow. Her approach is encouraging and developing the new generation of ambitious, confident, successful, high-flying female entrepreneurs.
Valerie is Managing Director of Valerie Dwyer Group/Strategic Insight™, the award winning strategic marketing, public relations and business development agency and Principal of My Wonderful Life Coach ™, the business and individual performance improvement Coaching and Mentoring agency. She developed a unique visioning process with Walthau Burkii, while visiting professor at MIT, Boston USA. Her work on strategic planning was required student material for the Advanced Strategic Management programme of TAFE New South Wales Institute, Australia.
Co-founder of the social enterprise Entrepreneurs Ladder www.entrepreneursladder.co.uk and Board adviser to www.workingwoman.org.uk, she is a member of both the UK Women’s Enterprise Ambassadors programme and Lloyds TSB UK Inspirational Women’s Network.
Passionate about enterprise - women’s and young enterprise in particular - for people achieving their full potential, Valerie is a popular international speaker drawing on her own extensive experiences www.womenspeakers.co.uk and www.thespeakersagency.co.uk. Her sometimes controversial, but always inspirational and thought-provoking speeches at major conferences attract positive acclaim from isbe (International Institute of Business and Entrepreneurship) to the National Business Awards; Potentia –Igniting the Enterprise Potential of Wales, Promoting Inclusion in Enterprise; Women in Business; Reaching Out; Getting Women on Track; Women in Business; the Co-Operative Option; Education Business Partnerships -Learning Beyond the Classroom; Investors in People; LeicestHerday; OnBoard Community Leadership, Working Woman Expo 2008.
Valerie writes about Women’s Leadership and Women’s Enterprise for a variety of media and reviews business, enterprise and personal development books – her most recent include Spare Room Start Up by Emma Jones and Wannabe a Writer? by Jane Wenham-Jones. She regularly receives global invitations to speak, launch initiatives and present awards.
Recognised for ten years of mentoring with Prince’s Trust and Business Link, her public roles include:- Strategic adviser to a many organisations including a Business Link Nomination Committee; a Chartered Management Institute National Working Party on Communications; President of: a Chamber of Commerce; a City business Club. Chair of:- a Groundwork Trust; a Learning and Skills Council; a Local Strategic Partnership (LSP); the Chartered Management Institute; College Governor. Numerous Board roles range from The Princes’ Trust to the Big Lottery; trustee with a variety of charities; non-executive Director of a number of companies. She is in demand to judge and chair awards ranging from University Business Schools Student Business Projects to Shell Livewire; Women of Achievement; Women of Worth and Young Enterprise.
Launching her first major enterprise at just 18 while raising a young family, Valerie has gone on to establish Business Centres with clients including FTSE 100 companies and start up, growth and development support to over 2,000 small and medium enterprises; marketing and pr agency with office on Third Avenue, New York; premium food company with contracts to supply major supermarket chains and top food halls – and more. Valerie believes that serial entrepreneurs perform a vital role in increasing the stock of new enterprises in the economy and encourages others along this rewarding path as well as promoting the potential for international business.