Olivia at No. 10: Representing Female Founders from the North East.

This month, Olivia Norton-Ogilvie, founder of The Female Panel, was invited to 10 Downing Street as a representative of female founders from the North East of England.

The event brought together a select group of women entrepreneurs from the region, with speakers including Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Kim McGuinness, Mayor of the North East. The setting was, of course, remarkable, but it was the quality of the conversation that left the greater impression. Honest, grounded, and focused on the realities of building and scaling businesses outside of London, the discussions centred on the themes that matter most to founders in the region: access, investment, and the conditions needed for long-term growth.

For The Female Panel, the evening felt like a natural extension of the conversations already taking place within our community. Being in the room was not about visibility for its own sake; it was about demonstrating the ambition and collective strength of what we are building together.

"There is no shortage of ambition in the North East. The gap is still access."

We will share a fuller reflection on the evening, and what it means for founders across the region, in Issue 02 of The Female Panel. Pre-orders for Issue 002 are open now - click here.