Female Entrepreneurship and Innovation

Christina Schiøtt Liaos, European Investment Lead & Regional Director Europe North, Department for International Trade (DIT)

Christina Schiøtt Liaos is responsible for the leadership, strategic alignment and coordination of investment activities in DIT Europe. She leads a large team of investment professionals operating on the ground in over 25 European markets and covering both Foreign Direct Investment and capital investment into the UK.

Christina also leads DIT’s 8 trade and investment teams in the Nordic and Baltic region, delivering trade services to UK companies taking advantage of Nordic and Baltic market opportunities, assisting Nordic and Baltic companies to establish a UK business platform for global growth and providing specific trade policy and market access support to companies trading between the UK and the Nordic-Baltic region.

Currently, Christina and her teams are supporting businesses to continue to trade and invest despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, and to ensure that UK and European companies are ready to trade after EU Exit. Christina has been with the Department for International Trade for over 10 years, holding positions as Director for Denmark and Director for the Nordic Region. Prior to this, she has many years of business development experience within international trade and investment organisations, including Schneider, PowerPlant, Invest in Denmark and the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Whereas a Danish national, Christina has an international background and holds a Master of Business Administration from the UK and a Master of Public Policy from Denmark.

Ilse Jacobsen

Ilse Jacobsen is entrepreneur, creative director, designer and founder of the company ILSE JACOBSEN HORNBÆK. Since 1993 the company has grown rapidly both at home and abroad and the lifestyle brand is present in more than 30 countries across four continents, challenging the traditional compromise between functionality and style. The brand ILSE JACOBSEN HORNBÆK also encompasses the dog series VOV & VUF, the flower shop BLOMSTEN, the spa KURBADET and the line of spa & beauty products Ilse by Ilse Jacobsen. 

Ilse has also been one of five investors in the TV show “Lion’s Den” shown on Danish television. As an investor and mentor in the TV show, Ilse has invested in a number of startups and entrepreneurs, that she is continuously working together with. In addition, Ilse Jacobsen is a former board member of the Danish Growth Fund.

Stine Jersie Olsen, Chief Consultant – Growth & Impact at Danske Bank

Stine is part of the Growth & Impact team in Danske Bank that works with the Nordic startup eco-system. Stine is driving the investor/investment related activities; matching investors and startups and is the lead on an internal Angel Investor Academy education program

Sophie Trelles-Tvede 

She calls herself a “Third Culture Kid”. She was born in Denmark, went to school in Zurich, studied in England and now works in Munich. After founding invisibobble in 2012, the idea of the spiral hair tie became a true success story. In 2016 Sophie was honoured by Forbes Magazine 30 under 30. She is also author of 100 Million Hair Ties and a Vodka Tonic (LID Publishing, 2020) which recently won Business Book of the Year Award 2021 in the Business Journey category.

Moderator: Sangeeta Waldron

Sangeeta Waldron is a multi-award winning Public Relations professional and recently named in Commetric’s top ‘15 of Women Influencers in PR & Communications’ and in the ‘Top 100 of the PR Influencer Index.’ She runs her own London based PR agency, Serendipity PR & Media. 

Sangeeta’s new book, Corporate Social Responsibility Is Not Public Relations is out. Her first business book, The PR Knowledge Book published in 2019.

A regular international speaker and moderator, she is also a podcaster for the award-winning podcast platform, Irish Tech News and contributing global editor for the India CSR Network, the largest news platform on sustainable business news in India. She guest lecturers at Coventry University.
 
Sangeeta started out her career writing speeches for a previous UK Prime Minister and Ministers, and has worked at the top level with big, powerful global brands, which includes – being global communications director for the Economist Group; the Mayor of London; Cass Business School; and charities.