Our busy networking events help women in business to build relationships, learn new skills, and support each other, while having fun in the process!
Our not-for-profit events have no annual membership fee, and cost just £10 per person. Visit our events page to book your place on our next event.
Chair
After leaving 6th form college, Sue’s hospitality career started at The Portland Thistle Hotel in Manchester in a conference and events sales role.
For the next 30 years, Sue’s career took her to a hotel in Stockport followed by Bolton to oversee the opening of the Bolton Moat House Hotel, Reebok Stadium and Whites Hotel.
After almost 15 years in Bolton, next she joined her beloved Manchester United Football Club. Leaving here, she went to the DW Stadium (Home of Wigan Athletic and Wigan Warriors) and then to Sodexo as Business Development Manager for the Sports & Leisure Division.
Following redundancy from Sodexo due to COVID, she joined the ATTAIN Team.
In her spare time, Sue likes all things sport; especially jogging, trail running, yoga, going to the gym and of course, football!
You can contact Sue at sue.france@attain.uk.com
Secretary & Marketing
Bringing more than 15 years’ hospitality management experience to the world of digital marketing, Jackie Salt joined ATTAIN Group Limited in 2011. Jackie acts as the main point of contact for both partners and clients; providing them with proactive and friendly support.
Jackie’s role within ATTAIN is essential as she is the backbone of the team liaising with creative, technical and sales to develop meaningful marketing strategies for the ATTAIN client base. Her experience in working with clients from business start ups to blue chip clients gives her a great foundation to help new and aspiring clients.
Working alongside the ATTAIN board of Directors Jackie plays an instrumental role in planning business strategies and driving the business forward.
Jackie’s experience includes Email Marketing, Business Strategy, Digital Marketing, Finance, Customer Services and Event Planning
To her ATTAIN colleagues, Jackie is known as the ‘mother hen’ of the team; making sure the team have the assets, assistance and information they need to create outstanding results for clients.
Outside of work Jackie is a keen runner and has taken part in numerous events to raise money for charities close to her heart. Jackie also enjoys travelling and walks in the country with her Labrador Morgan.
Committee Member
I am a professional photographer based in the North West and I’m currently celebrating 11 years in the photographic industry. Last summer I decided to open a studio in my own name in my hometown of Wigan. I feel very lucky to be able to carry out something I’ve been passionate about from a very young age as a career, this I feel reflects in the images I produce, whether I’m capturing babies or the latest fashion trends.
My passion for the photographic image began as a child. I was obsessed constantly studying photo albums and family photographs wherever I went.
Creativity was always a big part of me art was a favourite subject at school and after studying ‘a’ level art at college I decided look into creating memories as a profession by studying BTEC photography and then progressing to a degree in Photographic Art in Newport.
After University I gained experience assisting some of the most successful photographers in Cardiff and carrying out various work as a printer/digital artist/photographer for a large independent professional lab, which also enabled me to speak to photographers on a daily basis gaining valuable knowledge of various areas of the industry.
A keen interest in Fashion Photography brought me back to the North West and to an online retailer shooting e-commerce and commercial shoots which resulted in images being featured in national magazines and at The Clothes Show Live.
After opting to go freelance in 2011, I was voted as one of the 10 of the best in the photography category for Manchester Fashion Network’s annual awards. I have since been carrying out freelance work for a number of companies from equestrian wear shoots to assessment days for model agencies, as well as working successfully on combined packages with a make up artist for portraits weddings and portfolio shoots.
Committee Member
Anne started life as a professional singer working in the entertainment industry. She has travelled the world working on cruise ships, for the Armed Forces in Bosnia and Germany and performing as a guest artist on flybacks for Turkey. Anne has also taught aerobics classes around her events work.
After some time working in Hiroshima, Japan, Anne decided she needed a change and after studying for an HNC in Business she wanted to focus on running her own company and bought Wigan Pier Promotions (WPP) from her old agent.
Anne has expanded and diversified WPP, taking the business from bookings with holiday parks, pubs and social clubs to providing entertainment on a larger scale on ferries, in stadiums and working with shopping centres and local councils. WPP now offers a wide range of services, from providing a singer or DJ, through to supplying grottos or planning and running a whole event.
During lockdown in 2020, Anne also started a new business. The Gift Getter is a concierge service for gift buying for people who perhaps haven’t got the time or inclination to do it themselves.
Anne is also a partner in the family business G & A Grabhire, which she runs alongside her husband.
Outside of work, Anne is a keen runner and gym-goer. She enjoys cooking, travelling and spending time with her husband and dog. She also still does the odd gig working solo, with a pianist and in an Abba tribute.
Committee Member
Caeryn has had an interesting and varied career which began working in theatre and comedy, and included working in the public sector and in Politics.
For the last 10 years she has owned and run Impressions Uniforms (formerly Standish Sports and Uniforms) which sells Schoolwear, work wear and leisure wear in a variety of innovative and customer friendly ways and now has it’s own in house design, print and embroidery team.
In March 2020 she launched a CIC Smart Futures, a CIC set up to increase the social inclusion of children across our borough living in poverty by providing school uniform packages. They do this by collecting donations of uniform from selected drop off points around the borough (cutting waste too!) and selling it on line, in their shops and in pop up shops Money raised from the sale of the uniforms will then be used to provide full packages for children whose families can’t afford uniform.
Establishing this as a CIC is a radical solution for the local community as this provides an opportunity to train people in a variety of employment related and life skills within the workplace.
They envisage unlocking the potential of our local citizens supporting and training volunteers, adults with learning difficulties, care leavers, 14-16 yr old requiring more vocational training and potentially even more.
