Pangbourne entrepreneur named 2023 most inspiring female founder

A woman from Pangbourne has been named among the UK's most inspirational and dynamic female entrepreneurs by a national campaign.

Gill Erskine, who co-founded a community building and outdoor exercise franchise called WildStrong in 2021, is being profiled along with 100 other female entrepreneurs nationwide to celebrate the achievements of women running businesses.

"It's a real honour to be part of this campaign," said Ms Erskine. "WildStrong is all about building exercise communities in rural settings. That we can be part of the wider female-run entrepreneur network too is just fantastic."

From adaptive fashion designers to female-run private security companies, social enterprise leaders and ethical product manufactures, this year's f:Entrepreneur '#ialso100' campaign celebrates inspiring and resilient female entrepreneurs who have flourished despite the various challenges posed by past couple of years, with many still expanding or starting new ventures.

Many of the purpose-driven businesses featured in this year's campaign demonstrate a huge commitment to championing diversity and inclusion, promoting sustainability and incorporating volunteering, mentoring and community support into their work.

Michelle Ovens CBE, founder of f:Entrepreneur and Small Business Britain and director of Small Business Saturday UK, said: "Congratulations to Gill, the WildStrong community and each of the talented female entrepreneurs featured in this year's #ialso100.

"It is so vital that we recognise and celebrate the phenomenal contribution that women running businesses are making across the UK and the far-reaching, positive impact they are having, not just on the economy, but on wider communities too.

"The last few years have been hugely challenging for small businesses, yet despite this, female entrepreneurship continues to grow and flourish and is very much at the heart of the UK's recovery."

Visit https://f-entrepreneur.com/ialso-100-2023/ to see the full line-up of the 100 women featured in this year's campaign.

The f:Entrepreneur campaign launched in 2017 to raise greater awareness of the impact of female business owners across the country.

Delivered by Small Business Britain – the leading champion of small businesses in the UK – the campaign offers a host of events, training and networking opportunities.