2008 Enterprise Network for Women Award Winners

1st Prize:        Dublin City Female Entrepreneur

Mary Ryan of Product Innovator

“I am delighted to have won this prestigious award, and would recommend that entrepreneurs take advantage of the great services that are offered by Dublin City Enterprise Board, and other regional Enterprise Boards” said Mary Ryan. “They provide great training and mentoring programmes, as well as invaluable opportunities to network and make business contacts.  They have certainly helped me in my business”.

Mary Ryan launched Product Innovator Ltd in 2002 to provide training and coaching in Product Management for the Technology Sector.

Product Management is an essential function employed by leading technology companies worldwide that ensures that their company is truly market-focussed.  This strategic, cross-functional role straddles both business and engineering domains.  It empowers all stakeholders with the tools and information required to build and sell products that customers are willing to pay for.  

Product Innovator Ltd’s mission is to enable their customers to maximize their potential for success by ensuring that they understand the role and importance of Product Management and what it entails:

• Identifying the right market
• Identifying the right customer
• Building the right product
• Clearly articulating the business value to their target market  

Since its inception, Product Innovator Ltd has provided training and coaching for dozens of companies in the technology sector in Ireland.  The company has recently begun expanding its client base internationally, and will be further expanding the training offerings across different markets in 2009.

2nd Prize:       Rising Star

Alison Bell of Spa-Ireland

Alison says “Winning this award means a lot to me.  Starting a business is challenging and we all need a little validation that we’re on track. That’s what I take from this; it’s an honour to be recognised in this way and it gives me great faith as we head into 2009”.

Founded by Alison Bell, former Vice President at Travelport and Managing Director of Galileo Ireland, spa-ireland.com is a one-stop-shop for booking spas in Ireland launched at the end of 2007.

A fully functioning booking website, backed up with offline expertise, it provides profiles, general information, booking access and more to most of the premier spa facilities across Ireland, North and South.

Its deep search engine differentiates it from others in that it allows consumers search for a spa by location, category, product used, treatments offered, amenities and more.

It makes a point of carefully selecting its partners to ensure that consumers get the very best of what is available in the Irish health and wellness sector.

It also provides a guarantee to consumers who book through its website that they are assured of getting the best available deal, including promotions and special offers (more than 200 special offers are available at any given time).

Amongst its services, Spa Ireland works with individual consumers to match them with spa options best suited to their own requirements in terms of treatment, location, budget etc. This is particularly important to customers from outside the country who have little or no knowledge of Ireland let alone the range of spa options available to them.

Spa Ireland also offers a gift voucher option which can be used in any of the participating spas and features an online store with a range of products deemed to be of interest to spa-goers.