Success of Our Women Business Leaders Recognised

Tuesday 31 March 2026

By Roseann Kelly, Chief Executive of The WiB Group.

“Playing small doesn’t serve the world; the world needs more women to put themselves out there and follow their dreams.”

Award-winning advice from 2026 Business Woman of the Year Mairead Mackle MBE, who earlier this month collected top honours at the Women in Business Awards.

A night of celebration for Northern Ireland’s best in the business, the Awards have long championed women leaders for their year-round contribution within the engine room of our economy.

In fact, for 14 incredible years, the Women in Business Awards have been both a pipeline and a platform, the latter serving to showcase businesswomen of all ages, backgrounds and professions and the outstanding work they do day in, day out, often with humility, kindness and deference.

Equally important is how their achievements have the power to be a lightning rod for the next generation, and recognising winners like Mairead Mackle enables us as an organisation to elevate women as role models for those future leaders in waiting.

To that end, visibility is so valuable. In a world where gender balance at senior management level remains an unsolved issue – in a world where women are judged harshly by their peers and those around them – platforms like the Women in Business Awards play a practical role in publicly recognising female leadership as a catalyst for growth.

The event itself has always been a powerful reminder of just how tireless our women business leaders are in their pursuit of positive progress. Especially when the pace of progress around them is frustratingly slow. One need only look to the FTSE 350 where the percentage of women CEOs still languishes between seven and eight percent. It is small wonder why women are left feeling like they’re fighting an uphill battle.

What does nothing to help is the inevitable ‘but’ that tends to be tacked on to a woman’s success. Repeat offenders that I have heard throughout the years include: “she’s an incredible leader, but she is too ambitious.” Or, “she is lucky, but she’s had help along the way.” And perhaps worst of all: “she has carved out a fantastic career, but she’s not balancing life at home.” Would these same remarks be made of a man’s achievements? Put simply, no

To echo Mairead again, playing small does not serve the world. What we need are more women to put themselves out there and follow their dreams. To take their seat at the table, yes, but to also actively influence the business strategies and the workplace cultures amid the headwinds of economic uncertainty, heightened that they are.

All of which is central to the Women in Business mission: creating an inclusive, prosperous economy for Northern Ireland and, in so doing, enabling change that is long-lasting so the leadership of today inspires the success of tomorrow.

Tuesday 31 March 2026