Meet The Hikers

Farana is the founder of Forever Farana Coveralls, CEO of MiDesk Global and Avita Mining Innovations, with 23 years of entrepreneurship leadership experience in mining. She is the owner of two patents and has been the recipient of numerous professional and entrepreneurship awards.

 

Farana graduated from UCT GSB with an MBA in Executive Management, Business Leadership through Harvard Business Publishing, Women's Empowerment program with Cornell University and has submitted her completed thesis for her PhD at UCT. She is the vice chairperson of the Graduate School of Business Alumni Board. She a director of WIMBIZ SA (Women in mining business) – a non profit established with a vision to create a sustainable, successful organisation that ensures the empowerment and success of African entrepreneurs and a patron at WIMSA (Women in mining South Africa).

Anne Butterly is the CEO and Founder of Easydry. Her mission is to create a range of innovative, eco-friendly textiles to revolutionise industries that depend upon cotton, plastic and foil.

 

One of her most successful products is the Easydry disposable towel, a biodegradable/compostable towel that replaces outdated cotton and inefficient, traditional laundry. The Easydry towel was launched almost twenty years ago and has achieved coveted FSC Certification in addition to becoming a B Corporation. Since then, the Easydry product range has expanded, and Easydry has grown to have a presence in more than twenty countries and to save millions of gallons of water globally each year.

 

Anne is passionate about the environment, entrepreneurship and education.

Angela Byrne is the General Manager for Easydry and has been with the brand for over 15 years. Easydry is a B Corporation and their products have achieved FSC and OK Compost certification.

 

She is passionate about our planet and about education and equality.

Verónica is the mother of a lovely boy and girl and an optimist engineer. She is the founder and CEO of Didimo, with 20+ years of experience in research and development on facial technology. Fascinated by the many ways in which people communicate, learn and share knowledge, she set out to discover a new way to interact and install trust and empathy in the digital era - at scale through high-fidelity digital humans.

 

Veronica has a PhD in Computer Graphic and is a professor at Porto University. She has been a featured speaker at TEDx, SIGGRAPH, GamesBeat Summit, she won multiple awards such as the Women Who Tech Award in New York, the IBM scientific award, Entrepreneur of the Year by UCP, was shortlisted for the EU Women Innovators award in 2021, the EY Winning Women 2022 and part of the Deep Tech Tech Tour Program, she is a TEDx Embassador and mentor for women in technology in multiple programs.

 

She is a dreamer and an optimist and strongly believes everyone should have access to education by creating a safe digital future for her children and all kids around the world.

Ciara Crossan is the CEO and Founder at WeddingDates, a leading online platform for wedding venues and couples in the UK and Ireland. An avid networker who loves to learn, Ciara completed a Post Graduate Diploma in International Sales with Technological University Dublin in 2020.

 

Her expertise has been recognised with multiple awards, including accreditation as a Thought Leader in International Hospitality Marketing by the All Ireland Business Foundation in 2019 and Ciara was named Business Woman of the Year at the Network Cork Ireland Awards in the same year. In 2021 Ciara was recognised with the Dominick Lewis Excellence In Leadership Award by LIFT Ireland.

 

An advocate for young entrepreneurship and in particular Women in Business, in 2018 Ciara was honoured to be chosen as one of 11 female entrepreneurs for the Vital Voices Global Ambassadors Programme, the goal of which is to accelerate women’s leadership and economic empowerment throughout the world.

 

Outside of work, Ciara enjoys sea swimming, hiking and travelling with her 10 year old twin boys. She is passionate about supporting local businesses and women in entrepreneurship, and actively promotes these causes through her work at WeddingDates. Ciara's dedication to the hospitality industry and her entrepreneurial spirit have made her a leading figure in the field, and a role model for aspiring entrepreneurs.

Tina is Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Warner’s Distillery, certified BCorp and the UK’s leading farm-based distillery best known for creating Warner’s Rhubarb Gin (the world’s first rhubarb gin), Warner’s 0% range and the newly launched Trash & Treasure Spirits, creating great tasting spirits from waste ingredients.

 

Tina hails from a potato farm in North County Dublin, Ireland. After an early career in private equity in London, Tina set upon helping her husband Tom diversify his Northamptonshire farm to growing and distilling botanicals for delicious flavour on their mission to “Save the world from mediocre drinks and help to save the planet, one sip at a time!”. Tina and her husband Tom pioneered the flavoured gin craze with their “Real tastes better” ethos of being crafted with nature because real farm-grown ingredients not only taste better, they do better for our planet.

 

Tina is driven by learning and growing every day and an energetic supporter of women in business. Since becoming an EY Winning Woman in 2021 she has progressively found her voice and wants to motivate and empower as many women as she can to find theirs. Tina is a Goldman Sachs 10KSB alumni and a member of the Buy Women Built community led by Sahar Hashemi OBE. Under her remit Warner’s has been awarded the Sunday Times Fast Track 100 fastest growing drinks business in the UK for two years running, and has achieved multiple Footprint Drinks Sustainability Awards. Both Tina and Tom were winners and national finalists of the coveted Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award and are proud patrons of the Weetabix Northamptonshire Food & Drink Awards.

Bevin is a Passionate Leader, Multi-Award Winning Entrepreneur, International Business Coach, Business All Star & Fellow and the Owner/Managing Director of Dentaltech Ltd. A Digital Transformer. Wife and Mother to 3 teenagers. With Bevin at the helm, Dentaltech has become a multi-award winning company and is the largest service provider and manufacturer of removable partial and full dentures in Ireland.

 

Over the years Bevin not only grew the business but she herself continued to grow and develop her own skillsets and qualified as an employee engagement coach in 2017. Bevin participated in numerous entrepreneurs and scaling groups including Going For Growth to which she is now a proud Ambassador, the Global Ambassadors Program which is a Vital Voices program in partnership with Bank of America. In 2019 Bevin won a place on the EY European Winning Women program and is an active member of the Alumni. Bevin has won the Graham Norton Gin Inspiring Women Awards for Healthcare Pioneer, was a finalist for the Irish Inspiring Women Awards has been awarded the All Star Inspiring Business Leader for 2021 and was awarded an All Star Fellow in 2022.

 

Bevin is positioning the company for national and international expansion, having opened 3 more locations in the last 18 months and she is super excited for her personal goal of climbing the highest free standing mountain in the world, Mount Kilimanjaro this year.

Michelle Pesce is an internationally acclaimed DJ, Founder/CEO of the artist agency, nona entertainment and a Co-Founder of woman. collective. She was featured on Forbes.com and in InStyle Magazine’s 2020 Badass Women issue.

 

A native from Youngstown, Ohio, Michelle developed a deep love for 80s and 90s hip-hop and pop music at an early age.  She is currently the most in-demand DJ for major Hollywood Award Season parties, including those for the Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild, Emmys and Academy Awards, and she is the only DJ to spin for the Recording Academy eight times on music's biggest night: the Recording Academy's Official Grammys after-party. ​

 

In 2015, Michelle created nona entertainment, an artist entertainment company. nona entertainment works closely with industry leading clients and DJs to craft the perfect musical vibe for a wide range of events. ​ Michelle leverages her status as a veteran DJ and the reach of her company, nona, to advocate for pay equity, to keep quality DJs working, and to achieve epic dance floors.

Hannah Wrixon, Co founder & CEO of Kella, is an accomplished entrepreneur with over 25 years of experience in startups, technology, and HR.

 

She recently exited WrkWrk, her third startup and a multi-award-winning company formerly known as Get the Shifts Ltd. Hannah serves as the lead entrepreneur for "Back for Business" and "Going for Growth" programs, and has been a judge for the National Enterprise Awards for the past three years. With a background in leading international teams and developing bespoke software, Hannah is also an alumni of the prestigious EY European Winning Women program.

 

She was honoured as Image Digital & Technology Businesswoman of the Year in 2019 and holds qualifications in Strategic Management (L9) and Corporate Governance.

Samuel Silva, hailing from the picturesque landscapes of Portugal, is the fortunate gentleman amidst the group of nine adventurous and brave women embarking on the exhilarating journey of conquering Kilimanjaro.

 

His professional journey has been as diverse as the trails he loves to tread. Starting his academic pursuits with a passion for philosophy, Samuel delved into product design, CAD design, and 3D printing. Today, as the Lab Manager at DentalTech, he proudly and passionately contributes to improving people's lives.

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Beyond his professional endeavors, Samuel is an avid cyclist and hiker, often immersing himself in the tranquility of nature and the joy of human connections during long cycling trips. His adventures have been filled with memorable encounters and breathtaking experiences, collecting beautiful moments that keep inspiring him to work for a better world.