Helping firms export to the Middle East

Emma Early Murphy, National President, Network Ireland

Network Ireland has received a huge response to its Businesswoman of the Year Awards, which recognise the achievements of talented and dedicated female professionals. 

The women’s business group, this year celebrating its 40th anniversary, received 370 applications from members of all its branches around the country. The event coincides with the Network Ireland national conference which will include a variety of speakers, panellists and focused workshops on topics such as leadership, financial wellbeing and social media strategies for business. “The national conference is our flagship event, and particularly significant this year as we celebrate 40 years of Network Ireland and the support the organisation has given to so many women around the country during that time,” said Emma Early Murphy.

President of Network Ireland Emma Early Murphy and President of Network Cork Ingrid Seim at the Annual Network Cork Business Woman of The Year Award in the Maryborough House Hotel.

“It is heartening to see new members join every year and to witness the tremendous work across all our branches during the year. The calibre of Businesswomen of the Year entrants has been outstanding in 2023, and it’s a fantastic achievement to get to the final stage.” The awards range across eight categories, including emerging businesswoman; solo businesswoman; creative professional; rising star employee; and Networker of the Year - a new award to mark the 40th anniversary. Enterprise Ireland partners with Network Ireland, marking its ongoing commitment to nurturing female-led entrepreneurship and supporting the Businesswoman of the Year awards as a platform to showcase the dynamism and talent of female business leaders throughout the country.

Established in 1983, Network Ireland has over 1,000 members across 17 branches around Ireland. Each year they organise in excess of 250 events for members, in addition to running a number of flagship national events, including an International Women’s Day Celebration. Emma herself won Networker of the Year in 2014 with her local chamber, and was crowned Network Ireland National SME Businesswoman of the Year 2016. She was also the Local Enterprise Office Leading Light in Business for 2020 as part of their National Women’s Enterprise event. “As a business owner myself, I understand the importance of networking, and at this year’s event we have introduced a networking session purely focused on ‘who do you know that I need to know?’ That session allows our members to actually connect with others in the room that they might not otherwise do if they weren’t at the conference. So I want people to really utilise and invest their time by having that platform to network, and go home with follow-up options because you never know where that next opportunity is going to come from.” 

As the founder of The Power of U, specialising in business coaching, mentoring and consultancy, Emma is passionate in her support of businesswomen at all levels to achieve their goals. “We are a boutique agency that specialises in working with people who want and need change for themselves, their business and their teams, but don’t know where or how to start. Change can only start once you make the decision to take the first step to explore the opportunity that is out there. We carefully listen to understand and tailor a solution to support your journey of change,” she explains, adding the input of a coach can make a significant difference to both the client and their business: “Sometimes people can get overwhelmed with the challenges they face when in business and that’s where a coach or mentor can help to break things down and help them see things more clearly. Through my coaching role I look to support those looking to change and empower them to look within and move forward.” 

Her additional role as mentor involves supporting business owners with issues directly affecting their business growth progress. “We identify those issues and put plans in place that will yield results.” She is also the creative director of event design agency, Balloon HQ, established in 2017 with her husband Noel, providing branded décor, gifting and event solutions for clients nationwide.

Having been Vice President of Network Ireland last year and President of the Kildare branch in 2019, Emma has chosen ‘Celebrating Success’ as the theme for her presidency, underlining the importance of the message, particularly in celebrating the organisation’s 40 years. “Over recent years, Network Ireland has called on members to find the power within and believe in their abilities, so I think it’s important for us now to celebrate all of our successes, big and small. We’ve been through a very difficult period due to Covid and the economic downturn, and we’re not out of the woods just yet. For that reason, I want women across all professions to look at what they’ve achieved and how far they’ve come and to celebrate these wins,” she added. Network Ireland aims to ensure that key opportunities are presented for women, whether they are employed or self-employed. “The tide is changing when it comes to equality in the workplace, but there’s still a way to go and we are constantly looking for ways in which we can challenge the status quo and embrace equity for our members, which was a key message for International Women’s Day this year.”

In addition to her commitments as the national president of Network Ireland and co-director of Balloon HQ and The Power of U, Emma is also a busy mother of two. Such a schedule needs its periods of downtime, she says: “I really need my holidays. Back when I used to work in the corporate world, all I had to do was book my time off in advance. But as soon as I became self-employed, that became more difficult as switching off became more of a challenge. I eventually realised that, because the buck stops with me, it’s even more important for me to take time off. If I’m not well and healthy, I can’t run a business.” Having lost close family members during the pandemic served to underline the need to appreciate those things in life that are really important. “We all know how much money we have but we don’t know how much time we’ve got. We should prioritise it.”