INSIGHTS and advice to support the development of North-East businesswomen are the main focus of an Inspiring Females virtual conference tomorrow (Thursday, July 16).

Organised by North East England Chamber of Commerce, the annual conference has a wide range of speakers including Desislava Miteva, executive director of the British Bulgarian Business Association.

She will outline her country’s approach to women’s career development with a talk entitled ‘Professional Women in Bulgaria – A Well Kept Secret of Success’.

Ashley Carney, chamber events executive said: “This is the seventh year of our conference and we are delighted to be able to give businesswomen the opportunity to learn from each other. At the event we will hear personal stories about routes to success and how to overcome challenges at first hand from leading female business figures.”

The programme runs from 10am to 3pm and morning session speakers include Alix Bolton, Chair, Chamber Women’s Leadership Forum, Northumbrian Water, Carole Harder, CEO, Percy Hedley Foundation and Dr Lucy Harrison, MBCT. While in the afternoon, attendees will hear from Laura Seebohm, executive director, external affairs, Changing Lives.

Closing the conference, key speakers are Tracey Bowman, director of human resources and corporate affairs, Komatsu and Charys Urwin, Apprentice, Komatsu.

The company places great emphasis on supporting STEM activities for both school and university students. As a heavy engineering company, attracting female applicants has been particularly challenging, but over the past three years, Komatsu UK has successfully promoted gender diversity.

The chamber organises seminars and networking sessions regularly to enable female leaders to share their stories with other entrepreneurs and inspire the next generation of businesswomen.

Further information is available on the chamber website www.neechamber.co.uk