Today is the third instalment of our five-week series of Friday Fifteen features, launched to mark International Women’s Day, highlighting some of Liverpool city region’s most remarkable women in business. Jennie Lewis reports
- Louise Kemp and Anna Viera, founders of marketing agency Nineteen, have raised the profile of prominent hospitality businesses both locally and nationally.
- Sue Chambers, a senior investment manager at River Capital, has a number of hospitality ventures in her impressive investment portfolio.
- Wild Thang director Sarah Howarth provides marketing materials and merchandise to multiple firms in the sector.
Keep a lookout on LBN every Friday for the next few weeks to see who else makes the Friday Fifteen list. Click here to see the week one trio and click here for week two…
Lifestyle and leisure marketing and communications specialists Louise Kemp and Anna Vieira founded Nineteen in 2019 and the company has since become a go to for leading names in the hospitality sector.
Having previously headed up the sales and marketing for Living Ventures Group for over a decade Louise and Anna are well-experienced in taking some of the UKs best-known hospitality brands to market, including Gusto, New World Trading Company, The Alchemist, Blackhouse, Australasia and Grand Pacific.
After LV sadly began to disband around 2018, the pair, having cumulatively amassed more than 40 years’ experience in the sector and understanding one another’s unique strengths, made the decision to go it alone – and they say they have never looked back.
Louise has built an impressive network of media and industry contacts across the North West and beyond, developed trusted relationships in the sector and the wider business community and has a keen eye for creative campaigns.
Anna, on the other hand, is highly-organised, data-driven and results-focused. She says she lives by the mantra “if you can’t measure it you can’t manage it.” It is this blend of individual skills that has underpinned Nineteen’s success and ensures they deliver tangible outcomes for their clients.
In the last seven years the pair have represented leading local, as well as a number of national brands across the hospitality, retail, beauty and charity sectors.
Most recently, Louise and Anna led on the launch of Permit Room in Liverpool city centre, which attracted attendees in their hundreds over the course of a fortnight-long strategic campaign.
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Sue Chambers is a senior investment manager for Liverpool fund management firm River Capital, part of MSIF. She supports ambitious SMEs across the North West to access finance between £25,000 to £100,000 to start or scale their business.
She has an extensive portfolio of businesses, across a range of sectors, but has specific expertise in helping to establish and grow hospitality ventures, including So Salsa, which now operates three sites in Crosby and the city centre.
Sue also supported the expansion of Bamboo Brunch and Cocktails into its second site on Lark Lane in South Liverpool just last year.
And she has supported the continued growth of family-run hospitality business Pasta Cosa, which specialises in fresh pasta and now operates multiple sites across the city centre.
Founded in 2016 by siblings Kayleigh, Talia and Gerard Baccino, Sue has worked with the family over the years, helping to access multiple rounds of investment to support its impressive growth.
Sue is diversity and inclusion champion for River Capital and says she is passionate about championing female-led businesses.
She says: “Pasta Cosa is a great example of how targeted funding can help ambitious businesses in harder-to-reach areas scale sustainably.
“Kayleigh, Talia and Gerard had a clear vision for the business and used the funding to unlock their next stage of growth, investing in new locations, taking on more people and delivering even more great quality food.”
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As sales and commercial director, Sarah Howarth has played a key role in the rapid growth of Bootle brand specialist Wild Thang.
However, her career started not in the family business but in the corporate world and her talents were quickly spotted. At 18, she became a manager at the firm she then worked, leading a team of people twice her age.
Aged 21, Sarah was part of managing a major corporate acquisition, supervising teams, implementing systems, and learning at what she described as a “relentless pace”.
“I stepped into industries dominated by men – sales, automotive, finance – facing stereotypes, setbacks, and at times, tough environments that didn’t always align with my values. But I had a fire inside me, a family behind me, and a vision ahead of me,” she said.
By 2004 Sarah was raising a young family and decided she needed to make a career switch that aligned with her priorities. She joined Wild Thang, founded by her brother Andrew Dwerryhouse.
Sarah has been instrumental in the overseas expansion of the business, which provides branded materials for blue chip clients. And in January this year she and fellow director John Howarth relocated to Northern Ireland to establish the firm’s new operation.
She said: “Success isn’t about dividing men and women. It’s about creating environments where everyone can thrive, removing barriers, and ensuring that no potential is cut short. Find your mentors, trust your intuition, and never let self-doubt hold you back.”
Wild Thang, which will next week hold a major expo in Liverpool to celebrate its 30th anniversary, is the longest supporting partner of the Liverpool City Region Tourism Awards, having sponsored the event for more than 10 years.
It has worked with major names in the lifestyle and hospitality sector over the years, from big brands to well-loved local firms.
Its impressive portfolio includes breweries Asahi and Budweiser, established and emblematic eatery The Quarter in Liverpool’s Georgian district, and both Liverpool and Everton Football Clubs.