The Alacrity Foundation UK

Meet Lewis Bowen! ?? A Masters in Business Management student from Cardiff Business School, thriving at the The Alacrity Foundation UK ?? He's undertaking the Alacrity Entrepreneurship Programme as part of his placement, working as business lead on the innovative Pontiro project. He's successfully delivered project deliverables, networked extensively, and is now focused on securing investment?? Impressive work, Lewis! Want to add talented students like Lewis to your team? Consider a Cardiff Business School placement student ?? ?? Email: [email protected] ?? Brochure: https://lnkd.in/eCudvTV3 #CardiffBusinessSchool #AlacrityFoundation #PlacementStudent #MastersInBusinessManagement #Entrepreneurship ???

?? ?????? ?????? 2025 I was privileged to spend the morning at the She Who UK x #IWD25 It was great to hear from a fantastic panel - inclusing Asel Sartbaeva’s pioneering technology, Beren Kayali’s life and experiences as a female in engineering Sophie Mason experience of domestic violence and from Andries Pretorius’ insight on the disparities between men and women in the business and sporting world and the importance of curiosity rather than judgment in accelerating allyship. I have been fortunate to have been mentored, guided and inspired by a number of women in my professional life - from Clare Graham in my formative years as a trainee and NQ, then Gwen Morgan-Evans during my first few years as a junior lawyer and more recently the fabulous Eve Piffaretti (and other female colleagues and partners at Blake Morgan LLP , too much to list here!) In my personal life I have been surrounded by my supportive sisters, my inspirational mam and my biggest cheerleader and superwoman Beth Evans-Lewis. To all of you - diolch. As a father to a young daughter, I want to #AccelerateAction and to drive change so that she can live and thrive in an inclusive and equal world. She is my She Who. A massive congratulations and thank you to the (ever) phenomenal Blake Morgan LLP team - Gemma Barnett , Rachel Stoneman and Nicole Allen - and partners PureCyber Limited (Ceri Maund MCIM ) FinTech Wales (Sarah Jones Sophia Wu) Tramshed Tech (Louise Harris ) and The Alacrity Foundation UK for all the hard work in arranging such a fantastic event. There are some scary things happening in the world at the moment which risk turning the tide on progress made. But you have truely built something special and I look forward to working with you all on the She Who project for years to come. Finally, thank you to Owain Roberts for truely stiching me up with an inadvertent blue steel imptrssion ??! Here’s to a brighter, better future to all.

A very proud moment for me, this years She Who UK IWD2025 event ?? So grateful to apart of this fantastic partnership. She Who UK has created a community with bags of energy that I'm so pleased to be apart of. This IWD we celebrated with over 250 attendees and a panel of incredible speakers and sponsors. I have loved working alongside the rest of the team and working on a project I feel so passionate about. Community wins always! Thanks to all who supported ?? #shewho The Alacrity Foundation UK PureCyber Limited Blake Morgan LLP FinTech Wales Tramshed Tech

Happy International Women's Day! ?? At OPTI Compliance, we are incredibly grateful for the experiences we’ve had as part of our journey, especially with the support of The Alacrity Foundation UK. The mentorship, guidance, and network we have access to have been invaluable in helping us grow as entrepreneurs and navigate the challenges of building a business. As a founding team of two female and two male co-founders, we’ve seen first-hand how diversity in leadership strengthens innovation, decision-making, and problem-solving. Having a balanced team has allowed us to bring different perspectives to the table, challenge industry norms, and build a company culture that values inclusivity. Navigating a male-dominated industry isn’t always easy, but the partnerships and connections we’ve built have played a crucial role in breaking down barriers and opening new doors. Attending the She Who UK event has been an incredible opportunity to meet like-minded individuals, gain insights from industry leaders, and continue growing our network of support. A huge thank you to the inspiring speakers who shared their experiences and wisdom with us: ? Beren Kayali – for your inspiring perspective on leadership and navigating challenges. ? Asel Sartbaeva – for your expertise and the invaluable lessons in resilience. ? Andries Pretorius – for your support and advocacy in creating opportunities. ? Sophie Mason – for sharing your journey and motivating us to keep pushing boundaries. Today, we celebrate not just the progress made but also the incredible women and allies driving change every day. Here’s to breaking barriers, uplifting one another, and building a future where opportunities are limitless! #InternationalWomensDay #IWD #SheWho #WomenInBusiness #WomenInTech #OPTICompliance #AlacrityFoundation

An incredibly proud moment celebrating our incredible She Who UK partnership this IWD ?? She Who UK a catalyst for change. Created for an IWD2024 event but since has grown into something much more. Partnering alongside these fantastic companies PureCyber Limited Blake Morgan LLP FinTech Wales Tramshed Tech proves collaboration over competition wins always! To our amazing speakers and host, thank you! Thank you for sharing your stories, these conversations create impactful and lasting messages, and space to talk! Beren Kayali Andries Pretorius Asel Sartbaeva Sophie Mason Gabriella Francesca Jukes And of course to our fantastic sponsors, this wouldn't have been possible without your support. Admiral Group Plc Hodge Confused.com tiQtoQ Ltd - Quality Engineering Ogi 300 inspiring individuals who supported today- thank you. We can't wait to watch She Who UK grow. Community wins over everything ?? #shewho #iwd #internationalwomensday

She Who x International Women's Day 2025 ?? What an incredible day. Over 250 amazing attendees, 5 fantastic sponsors, 5 incredible speakers, a fabulous host and 5 proud partners. We cannot thank you all enough for attending. We feel so proud of this collaboration and community that's formed from She Who. A catalyst for change, creating space for thought provoking conversations, inspiration and to drive change. Collaboration over competition always. A huge thank you to our sponsors, your support is invaluable to us. -Gold Sponsor, Admiral Group Plc -Silver Sponsor, Hodge -Bronze Sponsor, tiQtoQ Ltd - Quality Engineering -Drinks Reception, Confused.com -Goody Bag Lead, Ogi Another thank you to our speakers. Sharing your stories creates huge impact, enabling space for fresh conversations. -Beren Kayali -Andries Pretorius -Asel Sartbaeva -Sophie Mason And of course our incredible host, your warmth and energy is unmatched. Gabriella Francesca Jukes Strength in unity. Now, time to plan IWD2026?? The Alacrity Foundation UK Blake Morgan LLP PureCyber Limited FinTech Wales Tramshed Tech #shewho #iwd #internationalwomensday

She Who UK 2025, that’s a wrap and wow! What an event it was, the energy in the room, the volume of attendees, the panelist’s - just on another level! A huge thank you to our amazing panel for giving up their time to be with us today. It was both humbling and inspiring to hear their personal and realistic perspectives on overcoming challenges, handling negativity, and using those experiences as motivation to succeed. ?? Asel Sartbaeva is pioneering technology to reduce the need for vaccine refrigeration before administration, an innovation that, once licensed, will save lives. She highlighted the importance of having a strong support system, regardless of gender, to help us all thrive. ??Andries Pretorius business psychologist and former rugby player, reflected on the disparities between men’s and women’s sport and emphasised the importance of curiosity and allyship in accelerating change. ?? Sophie Mason from ThinkEDI bravely shared her experience of domestic violence, reminding us that assumptions about a person’s background should never limit their opportunities or the support they receive. ?? Beren Kayali co-founder of Deploy Tech Ltd, spoke candidly about being one of the few women in engineering and how male allies can play a key role in creating a more level playing field. Her company is delivering innovative water and infrastructure solutions, proving that diversity in leadership drives meaningful change. ?? Our panel was hosted by the talented Gabriella Francesca Jukes ???? ??We were proud to support Vale Domestic Abuse Services as this years nominated charity and it was great to hear from Vicky Friis about the amazing work they do. A huge thank you again to our incredible sponsors; Admiral Money, Hodge, Confused.com, Ogi and tiQtoQ Ltd - Quality Engineering. And to the phenomenal She Who team, this partnership was created because each business wanted to bring about positive change, to challenge the status quo and take meaningful action and by working together we are turning that vision into a reality. We’ve built something truly special here! So, what’s next, team?! Ceri Maund MCIM Sarah Jones Lauren Thomas Flo Ellis Sophie Webber Louise Harris Eve Piffaretti Sophia Wu Nicole Allen Rachel Stoneman Hannah Williams FCCA Blake Morgan LLP The Alacrity Foundation UK Tramshed Tech FinTech Wales PureCyber Limited #IWD2025 #SheWho #AccelerateAction #Partnership

Celebrating International Women’s Day at the SHE WHO Event! ?? This morning, we attended the SHE WHO – International Women’s Day Celebration at the Marriott Hotel in Cardiff. It was an inspiring event, filled with powerful conversations on EDI, gender inclusivity, and unconscious bias - key topics shaping workplaces today. Hearing from incredible panellists like Andries Pretorius, Dr. Asel Sartbaeva, Beren Kayali, and Sophie Mason reinforced the importance of breaking barriers and championing inclusivity across all industries. A huge thank you to the organisers FinTech Wales, PureCyber Limited, Blake Morgan LLP, Tramshed Tech and The Alacrity Foundation UK with sponsors - Admiral Group Plc, Confused.com, Hodge, Ogi and tiQtoQ Ltd - Quality Engineering - for bringing this important discussion to the forefront. #SheWho #InternationalWomensDay #IWD2025

We had such a lovely morning at the wonderful She Who UK, International Women's Day Event listening to the amazing and inspiring panel. A great event, as always. A huge well done and thank you to all involved in making today happen?? PureCyber Limited The Alacrity Foundation UK Blake Morgan LLP Tramshed Tech FinTech Wales Stephanie Hanwell Chloe Ferris (Cert CII) Emma Childs Fiona Terry BA (Hons) DipPFS Naomi Eaddy (Cert CII)

I had the very great pleasure to spend a couple of hours talking to/with the current cohort at the The Alacrity Foundation UK in Newport yesterday. I spent the time talking about some of the lessons I have learned over my career and how they applied to topics that the founders were currently grappling with: 1) how to get early traction; 2) metrics that matter; 3) and, mistakes that first time founders make. I’m interested in what my network think about these topics. Comment below!