Turning Change into Opportunity
'Small Business as the cornerstone to economic recovery' by Patricia Callan, SFA Director is the theme for the Dublin City Enterprise Network for Women event.
Starting and growing a new business is always challenging and the current economic environment and the credit crunch are combining to increase these challenges. We are delighted that Patricia Callan, Director of the Small Firms Association (SFA) has agreed to come to our February event to provide an analysis of the economic environment, how this is impacting on small business and their recommendations for what needs to be done to help small firms and what small businesses can do to come through and to achieve long term success. Patricia is always an interesting speaker and she has a wealth of knowledge so it promises to be a great talk. We will also have time to network at our tables and to discuss each other with any current issues. We'll finish off with informal networking over tea/coffee.
Please register in advance by emailing network@dceb.ie before 8pm on Friday 6th February.
Join the Dublin City Enterprise Network for 2009. Membership is only €100 for 2009.
Venue: Mont Clare Hotel, Merrion Square Date & Time: Monday 9 February, 7-9pm
About the Speaker
Patricia Callan is the Director of the Small Firms Association, “The Voice of Small Business” in Ireland, with responsibility for the overall management and coordination of the Association. The SFA is Ireland’s largest small firm representative organisation, with over 8,000 member companies. Its services include the provision of economic, commercial, employee relations and social affairs advice and assistance, training programmes & networking opportunities, and cost-effective group schemes.
Patricia is a representative on the national social partnership agreement, “Towards 2016” implementation committees; the National Economic & Social Forum (NESF), the Management Development Council, the High Level Group on Business Regulation, and the BusinessEurope Entrepreneurship & SME Committee, amongst others. She was the recipient of the “O2 WMBusinesswoman of the Year 2007” award and the “Network Ireland Businesswoman of the Year 2007” award. She was featured in the Irish Independent’s list of “Ireland’s Fifty Most Influential Women Business Leaders” in 2008. Patricia holds a Masters in International Studies from the University of Limerick, a BA (mod.) in Economics from Trinity College Dublin, and a Diploma in Employment Law from the National College of Ireland (NCI).
The SFA
The Small Firms Association (SFA) is the national organisation exclusively representing the needs of small enterprises (i.e. those employing less than 50 employees) in Ireland. The SFA is funded directly through subscription fees from its 8,000 member companies. As a full social partner, it directly meets government at the table and interacts with key decision-makers at all levels to ensure that the economic environment is conducive to small business establishment and development.