West Midlands ranks third for female entrepreneurship according to latest research
July, 2022 - Milton Keynes, England
Law firm Shoosmiths came together with representatives of The Gender Index Report to launch key findings from its Birmingham office on Thursday (7 July) on West Midlands Female entrepreneurship to the great and the good of the city.
The findings show that from the 363,212 active companies that were identified in the West Midlands,17.1% are female-led. This is the 3rd highest female leadership percentage for a UK region.
The Gender Index interactive tracking tool, powered by the mnAI data platform, was used to give a detailed breakdown of variables and statistics in this region. Shoosmiths are using the mnAI platform to analyse their own data – supporting use of the tool post the firm sponsoring the overall launch of The Gender Index. Looking at recent statistics across all businesses involved in transactions advised on by the UK Shoosmiths corporate team since 1 January 2022, equates to an 11% average female representation at board level.
This thorough analysis feeds into Shoosmiths’ aim to play a part in building a more detailed picture of where there are gender gaps and to foster greater gender equality in the access to funding for female founded business throughout their life cycle. The sponsorship builds upon Shoosmiths’ spHERe network, supporting female founders and venture capitalists within the venture capital (VC) space.
Helen Burnell, corporate partner and head of Shoosmiths’ spHERe network, said: “We are honoured to host such esteemed contacts from The Gender Index at our Birmingham office, as part of latest efforts to address the inequality remaining between male and female led businesses. Although the West Midlands has shown positive statistics for its female led businesses, we hope to highlight the remaining inequality that continues in access to funding for female founders within the region - and how we can work with local business leaders in order to action real change.”
Commenting on the event, Jill Pay, chairperson of The Gender Index, added: “We are thrilled to launch the programme of The Gender Index Roadshows in the West Midlands, hosted by Shoosmiths at their Birmingham offices. Following the UK launch of this online interactive tracking tool in March, we are taking The Gender Index to the four nations and the regions of the UK with live events to engage with local influencers in the female entrepreneurship ecosystem. Our aim is to show how the real-time data on over 4.5 million active UK companies within The Gender Index can drive positive change for women-led companies. Shoosmiths is an enthusiastic and committed sponsor and we are hugely grateful for their support.”
