Former Enterprise Minister Mary Mitchell O’Connor will share her expertise and provide guidance and support
Emma Murphy, Founder and CEO of Health Technology enterprise, Eating Freely, has today been announced as the winner of Digital Business Ireland’s female mentoring initiative. The initiative was supported by former Enterprise Minister, Mary Mitchell O’Connor who will provide a series of one-to-one mentoring sessions as part of the winner’s prize. The female mentoring initiative is now in its second year, and was launched last month – forming part of a number of recent activities announced by the representative body. These include a collaboration with Guaranteed Irish, the appointment of new Chairperson Ashley McDonnell and a partnership with Europe’s Greatest Retail Show, Shoptalk Europe.
Eating Freely is the world’s leading network of binge eating disorder specialists. The Eating Freely programme is a structured, evidence-based program combining psychology and nutrition, and is delivered by qualified health professionals. Emma is a qualified psychotherapist specialised in disordered eating and developed the programme over 10 years in private practice. At the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Eating Freely programme pivoted online while continuing to support its extensive group of clients and the Eating Freely licensed practitioners serving them. Given that 30% of adults seeking weight loss support meet the criteria for binge eating disorder, leveraging the power of digital to give global access the programme was a defining moment in Eating Freely’s Growth. This vision aligns with that of Digital Business Ireland, who continue to empower businesses through Ireland to deliver global impact through leveraging the opportunities presented by online enterprise.
Since its establishment in 2019, Digital Business Ireland has worked to provide crucial learning and networking opportunities for women working across the digital, ecommerce and technology sectors. The representative body also works in tandem with its 8,000 strong membership to offer support and advocacy through various initiatives. This year’s female mentoring initiative is the second iteration, following the success of last year’s campaign, in which female entrepreneur Michele Ryan of www.marketstreet.ie received one-to-one mentoring support.
Secretary General of Digital Business Ireland, Lorraine Higgins said: “Digital Business Ireland’s female mentoring initiative aims to empower and support women across Ireland, and equip them with the tools to succeed. We had a marked increase in applications from last year – a clear sign of business confidence, as we begin to emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic- and entries were highly competitive. The quality and standard of this year’s applicants was exceptional, and many entrepreneurs stuck a real chord with us”.
“However, as with any initiative – there can only be one winner and Emma demonstrated her innate creativity and drive, in successfully pivoting her business online. On behalf of all at Digital Business Ireland, I want to applaud Emma for the enthusiasm that she has demonstrated, and wish her all the very best as she works to realise the export potential of her business. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all of the extraordinary women who applied for the initiative. As Ireland’s leading representative body for online businesses, we remain committed to empowering women to thrive, prosper and accomplish their professional goals”.
Emma Murphy of Eating Freely said: “I am thrilled to have won this initiative. Eating Freely is now ready to scale internationally and our membership of Digital Business Ireland gives us credibility and trust in an era when this is hard-won. The mentoring sessions with Mary Mitchell O’Connor are a unique opportunity for me and my business to receive guidance from a woman who served at the highest level. Given our ambitious plans for expanding the business across new markets – I know Mary will bring a unique and valuable perspective.”
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