Simone Roche is the CEO and Founder of Northern Power Women, a campaign to connect and engage with people about gender equality, and the Managing Director of events management company Events 1st. Simone started her career in the male-dominated military and then held roles at Aintree Racecourse, Blackpool Pleasure Beach, the Arena Convention Centre Liverpool and the Olympics. It was when she became the Director for a campaign supporting women in the hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism industry – and she was asked to be a champion for the Government Equalities Office – that gender equality grew to be her passion. When the International Festival for Business was held in Liverpool in 2014, Simone campaigned to include businesses’ role in promoting gender equality and developing talent, and held a sell-out event focused on the role women played in driving the economy. Since founding Northern Power Women in 2015, she has been harnessing ministerial support to promote positive change for women in business.