Yvette Ankrah, business coach and consultant was awarded with an MBE for her work supporting women in business in the Queen’s Birthday Honours 2017.

Yvette has been campaigning for more support for women in business and co-wrote the Manifesto for Women in Business in 2015. She has supported hundreds women in business over the last four years as a former host of a network and through her Harlow-based practice.

She said:

“I have been humbled and honoured to receive an award as part of the Queen’s birthday honours. As a coach to women in business, I am passionate about what I do but also campaign nationally and locally for women to get support in business. I do believe that even one person can make a difference.”

Yvette has worked in marketing and business development for over 20 years. She trained as a journalist before moving into public relations and then worked in marketing and business development across the arts, voluntary sector and education sectors. She is also currently completing a PhD on the Ghanaian second generation.

She trained in coaching and mentoring whilst in employment. She found that she was using coaching and mentoring skills with colleagues and also with marketing consultancy clients and decided to focus more on that area. She switched from working with organisations to women in business because of the women she was meeting at mother and baby groups. Yvette met women with business ideas or who actually had a business but needed support so decided to use her skills to support them.

Yvette recently become an accredited Bird Table coach – an organisation dedicated to developing more women in business – and is launching group sessions for locally based female SME owners starting in September.

Visit: www.www.ankrahassociates.co.uk