Women's networking clubs

Leafing through Monday's issue of the Evening Standard - now a free newspaper that my daughters pick up and read on the bus back from school, I was intrigued by an article titled "Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves" . Liz Hoggard reports the launch of various women's networking clubs which aim to redress the obvious imbalance between men and women's networking opportunities. Traditional male networking revolves around sports, business conferences or the pub - not the most welcoming environments for women.

The picture illustrating the article shows a group of very glamorous women involved in The Sorority , including fashion consultant Frances Card who sports her grey hair with aplomb and style.
The Sorority, launched by branding consultant Lisa Tse counts film director Gurinder Chadha, broadcaster Katie Derham, shoe designer, Beatrix Ong (I own a lovely pair of her slip-on metallic kitten heel mules) and TV chef Ching-He Huang. Membership is by invitation only and will set you back £1000 for its annual fee. Lisa Tse describes the membership as follows: "Derived from the Latin term for 'sisters', our sorors are independent and stylish women who pursue business with passion and integrity".  I am struck by the mention of "style" within the mission statement of what is, in effect, a business networking organisation. I imagine that the picture of a similar outfit for men would feature a lot of identikit dark suits and boring haircuts, and would never mention style as an aim for the organisation.
Style is also part of PR and Marketing guru Lynne Franks' women's business club, The Garden, set up in Covent Garden, London. The building on Southampton Street is refurbished with an eye to glamour and a preference for eco-friendly materials. Membership is set at around £200/year with branches to open in other parts of the country. Information on the upcoming club is available through her social network site, http://www.seednetworkingforwomen.com/
To those business networking clubs, I would like to add established women's online magazine and networking event organiser, The Next Women.

The Next Women's founder Simone Brummelhuis, who by the way is a founding member of The Sorority, reports on female internet entrepreneurs, funding opportunities and upcoming networking events. A successful internet entrepreneur in her own right, Simone also runs a mentoring programme.
I will be looking out for a new entrant in the exciting field of women's business networking, Anzaja, currently in development. Founder Liz Williams created Anzaja to bring together women owned and run enterprises.
I am very inspired by those various ventures that aim to help women in business, bring them together in a spirit of cooperation and mutual support. Add a little bit of gossip, style and glamour and I think they're on to a winner!