CONNECT TO SUCCESS

• Opportunity to focus on strategic business growth rather than day-to-day operations.
• Access to mentorship from teams of experts from some of the world’s largest corporations.
• Guidance to strengthen business strategies and fill critical operational and strategic gaps.
• Insights into best practices, innovation, and industry trends from experienced corporate professionals.
• Networking opportunities with business leaders locally and internationally.
• Enhanced understanding of global supply chains and how to leverage them for growth.
• Exposure to international markets and potential partnerships.
• Increased confidence and knowledge in scaling and expanding their businesses.
• Long-term professional relationships that may continue beyond the 12-month program.

• Opportunity to make a meaningful impact by supporting women-owned businesses and entrepreneurs.
• Chance to share knowledge, expertise, and best practices with a new generation of business leaders.
• Engagement in a rewarding experience that fosters personal and professional growth.
• Exposure to innovative ideas and entrepreneurial thinking that can inspire new approaches in their own work.
• Strengthened leadership and mentoring skills.
• Opportunity to expand professional networks and build relationships.
• Enhanced corporate social responsibility profile and contribution to diversity and inclusion initiatives.
• Insight into the challenges and opportunities faced by SMEs, especially women-owned businesses.
• Personal satisfaction from contributing to the economic empowerment and success of women entrepreneurs.

Frédéric Frère, CEO at Travelstore American Express - Corporate Mentor, C2S Portugal

The Travelstore American Express group has participated to the Connect To Success initiative with great enthusiasm. I believe that we have learned as much as our mentee in this whole process. It is certainly very valuable to be reminded how difficult it is to launch a new business and to be able to overcome all the obstacles we may find in the road to success.

At Aflac Northern Ireland, being mindful of our impact on our team, community, and environment is a core part of our values, as reflected in our Community Impact strategic pillar. We actively volunteer in various philanthropic efforts, making our involvement with the Connect to Success program particularly appealing, given the gender imbalance in our industry. Our experienced mentors bring deep business knowledge and see this as a valuable reverse-mentoring opportunity, sharing insights with female leaders while gaining diverse perspectives to enrich our own organization.

Connect to Success provides support to women owned businesses to help female entrepreneurs achieve their full potential, aligning with AIG’s values to promote diversity and drive positive change by showing allyship.  We’re looking forward to sharing our expertise as mentors to provide the support network needed for these businesses to grow and thrive, continuing to reflect our longstanding track record of supporting local communities.

AwakenHub/AwakenAngels is excited to partner with Ulster University on the Connect to Success programme, a new initiative coming to the NI ecosystem. With her international expertise and extensive network Kim Sawyer, C2S’ Founder, has been instrumental in shaping this programme, drawing on valuable lessons and leveraging insights from her previous successes in other countries. This collaboration brings a further opportunity to empower and support NI companies to foster growth, be ambitious and connect for success. Together through this partnership we are creating an environment where businesses can thrive, learn, and connect, ultimately driving positive change.

Catalyst is delighted to be involved in the Northern Ireland Connect To Success corporate mentoring programme.

At Cliste Hospitality we believe in supporting local organisations and building positive partnerships. C2S’s Corporate Mentoring Program is a great way for us to partner with Northern Ireland companies and it compliments our sponsorship of Co-operation Ireland. Northern Ireland has one of the lowest proportions of female-led companies in the UK and a lower level of women-to-men entrepreneurs. In supporting CS2’s Corporate Mentoring Program we can impact this by supporting female leaders to grow and create sustainable companies. Supporting leaders cements our values of providing leadership to our team.

Coca-Cola is delighted to join C2S. This programme supports our broader commitment to empower women entrepreneurs, foster economic growth, and promote a more inclusive business environment.  By sharing our industry knowledge and expertise, we hope to spur the development and success of more women-led enterprises, inspire innovation, and create valuable networking opportunities.

Endeavor Ireland is a global network of founders, supporting high-impact entrepreneurs through an international peer network - and over the last 27 years, we have seen the transformative power mentorship can have for founders. Our aim to support women entrepreneurs and Northern Irish founders, as demonstrated through our recent Scale Up Programmes, is a shared mission with the Connect to Success program. As an all island organisation, we are excited to see the model proven in Portugal launch here, bringing the valuable perspective of multinational corporations to Northern Irish founders.

Goldman Sachs is delighted to be involved in the Northern Ireland Connect To Success corporate mentoring programme.

Google’s Dublin office is committed to developing the local start-up ecosystem on the island of Ireland. Over the last decade Google has run multiple small business engagement programs with a diverse range of small businesses and entrepreneurs, including collaborating with government agencies and with accelerators. We are thrilled to partner with Connect To Success on this exciting mentoring initiative, empowering female entrepreneurs to grow and scale their businesses.

Irish Life is one of Ireland’s leading financial services groups, taking care of over 1.5 million customers. We help people to improve their financial, physical and mental wellbeing – helping to build better lives today and better futures.  Diversity and inclusion is at the heart of all we do and partnering with C2S’s Corporate Mentoring Program enables us to play an important role in empowering women founders and business owners to secure their futures while contributing to shaping a more diverse and inclusive business landscape. We look forward to being involved in this partnership, and believe that our leader mentors will learn from and be inspired by these women owned businesses.

Connect to Success is an exciting new program in Northern Ireland and we are delighted to have the opportunity to be able to support local woman entrepreneurs. The Mentoring Program combines two important themes for Kainos – helping women to be successful and helping local businesses to scale based on our experience. This is a unique opportunity to help support these businesses on the next stage of their journey while challenging our people, in a mentoring capacity, to help overcome the real demands facing a scaling business.

KPMG has always championed domestic entrepreneurship in Northern Ireland and has a proven track record of commitment to diversity so our support for the Connect to Success Programme is aligned. We want to help forward thinking and ambitious female entrepreneurs, who have potential and lots of innovative ideas to accelerate their growth. We also have a genuine enthusiasm for nurturing exciting and innovative growth businesses founded by women, as evidenced by our involvement with Enterprise Ireland in Going for Growth, the award-winning programme for ambitious female entrepreneurs in the Republic of Ireland, that has seen more than 900 businesswomen participate since 2008.

Northern Ireland has a wealth of entrepreneurial talent, including many innovative female founders with world-class ideas, but we need more of them. Encouraging more women-led businesses and providing the right support to help them realise their ambitions is key to the region’s future economic growth.

The launch of the Connect to Success programme is a welcome addition to Northern Ireland’s entrepreneurial support system, which will give entrepreneurs unparalleled access to the strategic thinking and mentorship of businesspeople who have already charted the course to international business success. We welcome its introduction and look forward to supporting the roll-out across Northern Ireland.

Ormeau Labs is delighted to support the Connect 2 Success program. One of the core drivers behind setting up Ormeau Labs was to ensure founders are connected to the right people, with the right advice, at the right time. By doing so, we believe this enables them to establish a strong foundation for their businesses. This aligns perfectly with Connect 2 Success’s commitment to unleashing those vital connections, especially for women founders. We're excited to play a part in fostering this growth and empowerment. is delighted to support the Connect 2 Success program. One of the core drivers behind setting up Ormeau Labs was to ensure founders are connected to the right people, with the right advice, at the right time. By doing so, we believe this enables them to establish a strong foundation for their businesses. This aligns perfectly with Connect 2 Success’s commitment to unleashing those vital connections, especially for women founders. We're excited to play a part in fostering this growth and empowerment.

At PwC we provide our own people with the purpose, mindset and meaningful opportunities that advance careers at the pace our people want them to go. Taking part in the C2S’s Corporate Mentoring Programme will allow us to help women entrepreneurs to build their skills at an important time in their careers and provide an environment where they have the opportunity to reach their full potential. There are so many exciting new businesses in Northern Ireland that are led by women and we want to support the next generation of exceptional talent.

Seagate chose to sponsor the C2S Corporate Mentoring Program to support the growth of women entrepreneurs in Northern Ireland, aligning with our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. By partnering with C2S, we aim to share our expertise and resources to help women-owned businesses thrive, while fostering innovation and entrepreneurial thinking. This collaboration not only empowers local businesses but also provides Seagate with fresh perspectives and opportunities to build lasting relationships within the community, benefiting both the entrepreneurs and our leadership team.

Stripe's mission is to increase the GDP of the internet by helping businesses of all sizes start and grow online. We provide financial infrastructure used by thousands of companies in Ireland and support the startup ecosystem through our dedicated startup team. We collaborate with the NDRC, regional innovation hubs, Scale Ireland, and Patch, and serve on the EU's European Startup Nations Alliance Advisory Board. We are excited to work with Connect to Success and participate in this unique mentoring program to further support entrepreneurs.

Ulster Bank is committed to supporting people, families, and businesses across Northern Ireland, with a strong focus on community initiatives like "Do Good Feel Good" and empowering female entrepreneurs through programs like Connect To Success. By closing the gender gap in entrepreneurship, £250 billion could be added to the UK economy. Since launching its Enterprise Fund in 2019, Ulster Bank has invested over £300,000 in social enterprise and educational programs, reaching nearly 1,500 women, starting 130 businesses, and creating nearly 200 local jobs.

Ulster University is a proud supporter, and lead partner, of the Connect To Success Corporate Mentoring Champions initiative. This program fosters strong relationships between female entrepreneurs and corporate leaders, offering invaluable mentoring opportunities to enhance the personal career development of participating female entrepreneurs and growth and development of their companies. Through this initiative, Ulster University demonstrates its commitment to empowering female entrepreneurs with real-world skills, networking opportunities, and professional guidance, ensuring they are well-prepared for business scaling. By collaborating with industry leaders, the university helps bridge the gap between academia and the professional world, driving both individual success and regional economic growth.