Businesswoman sets an example

The boss of a Bolton accountant firm has been held up as a role model to businesswomen across the region.

Diane Pilling, who launched Affordable Accounts in 2003, has been named an Ambassador for Women in Business by the Government.  She joins a network of 1,000 volunteers who have pledged to encourage others to follow in their footsteps by setting up their own businesses.

Mrs. Pilling, aged 42, whose firm employs eight people in The i-Zone, at The University of Bolton, joined new colleagues for a conference lunch at London’s Lancaster House where the scheme was officially unveiled.

The mother-of-two, from Lostock, said “I feel really excited and very privileged about this role.”

“It was a fantastic day.  We had lunch generally mingled and had a chance to network.”

“As ambassador, my primary aim is to make women realize that they can actually step forward and launch their own business.”

It is not the first time Mrs. Piling’s efforts have been acknowledged by the Government.  In February, Affordable Accounts was named an Exemplar Employer for its efforts to reduce the gender pay gap and improve the work-life balance in the workplace. 

In her ambassador role, former college lecturer Mrs. Pilling will speak to groups, including university students and schoolchildren, about the challenges involved in running a business.

Industry minister Margaret Hodge said “These ambassadors can encourage and support new female entrepreneurs, boosting the number of women in business.”

“If we had the same rate of entrepreneurship among women in the UK as they have in the USA, we would have 700,000 more businesses in Britain today. Men are twice as likely as women to set up their own business.”

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