Women’s Jewellery Network to Launch at IJL
Women’s Jewellery Network to Launch at IJL
The Women’s Jewellery Network (WJN), a new organisation designed to connect, grow
and inspire women in the industry, will make its debut at International Jewellery London
(IJL) in September.
The WJN aims to create a UK-wide network of women working across all sectors of the
UK jewellery and watch trades, providing career advice and business networking
opportunities. It will launch as a membership platform with access to online support and
resources, strengthened with seasonal meet-ups and events to connect women with their
peers in the trade.
While the full concept will be unveiled in due course, IJL will offer an introduction to the
WJN and the opportunity for prospective members to share their thoughts on the types of
support they need or would like to be available.
Those wishing to know more can visit the IJL Skills Lab on Sunday, September 3rd from 3:30pm - 5pm.
The WJN represents a new course for the proposed Women’s Jewelry Association – UK
Chapter. While plans for the UK Chapter have been terminated, the WJN will instead
deliver a favoured independent format that will enable it to work with greater autonomy in
the UK.
Its launch arrives at a time when only 45% of female undergraduates have some form of
mentor in the workplace – compared to 58% of men – and 41% of mid-career women state
they don’t have the same opportunities to advance as their peers.
Speaking of its debut, WJN founder Victoria McKay states
“We have chosen to launch the Women’s Jewellery Network as an independent initiative that will have greater freedom and fluidity to meet the needs of our peers and colleagues in the UK trade. Working with a network model, we will operate as a membership platform, with the aim of forming a strong and diverse network of women across the UK jewellery industry, ready to learn from each other, future-proof skills and provide exciting and inspiring career opportunities.”
McKay and her WJN co-founders Kathryn Bishop and Anna Chapman will be present at
IJL on Sunday September 3rd, hosting drop-in sessions within the IJL Skills Lab. They will
be on hand to provide prospective members with a chance to share their wants and needs
for the WJN, while giving more insight into the Network itself.
While focused on advancing and implementing plans to support women working in the
trade, the Women’s Jewellery Network will welcome expressions of interest from men
working in the trade that wish to support the Network.
“We look forward to catching up with our established associates in the trade, while
welcoming prospective members to hear their needs. Join us at the Skills Lab to share
your thoughts on what the WJN can do for you," McKay adds.
Those interested in knowing more register their interest online at:
womensjewellerynetwork.com
