The 2014/2015 Apax-Mosaic Enterprise Challenge competition was launched at the first Mosaic Women’s Entrepreneur and Business Network event of the year; a network event organised in anticipation of Global Entrepreneurship Week 2014.

The event invited successful women to share their unique experiences and inspirational stories, acting as role models for future generations. Shehneela Ahmed, the Football Association’s first Asian female football agent and Priya Lakhani OBE, a successful food retailer headlined the event and spoke strongly about their hope that other women, particularly those from ethnic minority backgrounds, will be inspired and motivated to achieve their aspirations.

Priya said; “It was such a pleasure to be able to share my story to a diverse room filled with peers and budding entrepreneurs alike. Since I started my career I have faced many challenges, but the key to overcoming them is to keep on believing and being creative in your determination to overcome them. I particularly enjoyed hearing from the Southfields Academy girls, previous winners of the Mosaic Enterprise Challenge, which gave me renewed hope for the future of women in business.”

The event proved to be a fitting backdrop to launch Mosaic’s annual Enterprise Challenge, a national competition designed to develop and encourage entrepreneurial skills amongst secondary school children nationwide. The programme recruits volunteer mentors from different professions to work with teams of young people to increase their aspirations, confidence, self-belief and self-motivation.

Showcasing the impact and legacy of the competition, two former female winners of the competition from Southfields Academy in London attended the event and spoke to the audience about the importance of business mentoring to cultivate the next generation of female business leaders and entrepreneurs/

Zikra Khan whose family moved from Pakistan to south London in 2012 commented; “Taking part in the Enterprise Challenge has not only helped me with my own personal development such as public speaking, presentation skills and general confidence, since taking part in the challenge I have been inspired to push myself further and harder.

“I have recently gained AS levels in Economics, Maths, Biology and Chemistry and I am currently studying Biology, Maths and Economics at A level and hope to go to study Maths and Economics at University.”

Fellow student Adeela Dar also credited the Enterprise Challenge as being pivotal to her development.

She added; “The challenge has changed my whole life. Before moving to London I had only been taught English as a foreign language and was finding it difficult to talk to the other students. As soon as I entered the programme my confidence started to grow. It’s helped my spoken English so much and I am now even happy to stand up in public to speak.

Upcoming Mosaic Women’s Entrepreneur and Business Network Events

20 January 2015

Theme: Women in Media/Journalism

Speakers: Tasmin Lucia-Khan, Media, Journalism and Mobile entrepreneur; Kala Patel, Kiddicare

Venue: TBC (London)

10 March 2015

Theme: Women in Business

Speakers: Ruby McGregor-Smith CBE, CEO Mitie Group

Venue: TBC (London)

03 June 2015

Theme: Women in the Arts and Fashion

Speakers: Shoshana Stewart, Founder Turquoise Mountain; Ahlya Fateh, Managing Director of Tata Naka
Venue: TBC (London)