The South Wales Argus has teamed up with NatWest to bring you an event for female entrepreneurs.

"Cultivating confidence - the art of being 'you'" will feature guest speaker Lianne Weaver - managing director of Beam Development and Training.

She will be in conversation with Gemma Casey, NatWest Cymru's Ecosystem Manager for Wales.

It will take place on May 19 from 5.45pm to 7.30pm and be held at the South Wales Argus' new offices at Chartist Tower in Newport city centre.

Women are less likely than men to believe they have the skills needed to start and run a business. Those who do take the plunge are less likely than men to know others in the business world - and can often find traditional networking daunting.

These were among the findings of The Rose Review of Female Entrepreneurship, authored by NatWest CEO Alison Rose, which examined the barriers facing women in business.

The report highlighted that only 39 per cent of women are confident in their capabilities to start a business compared to 55 per cent of men. This is a perceived gap in ability, rather than an actual gap in skill sets.

The Covid 19 pandemic has exacerbated the challenges faced by women in starting and scaling businesses. Encouraging figures show that more women than ever are starting new businesses - but nevertheless an unacceptable disparity between men and women starting businesses remains.

As we return to face-to-face engagements after more than two years of building our businesses - and careers - online, how we can ensure we are both confident and connected?

At this event brought to you by NatWest Cymru and Newsquest, Lianne Weaver, whose purpose is to help employers and employees take responsibility for their wellbeing, will be the guest speaker.

The event will discuss what confidence really is; how and why our confidence can take a knock; tools and techniques to build confidence; and the importance of staying connected.

And, as Newsquest gets set to unveil the South Wales Argus Business Awards 2022, we'll explore how to find the confidence to put yourself forward for an award - and why it's a great thing to do.

There will also be plenty of time for networking - with an ice breaker over a really short team quiz, before giving you time to chat.

While this event is particularly aimed at helping women gain confidence and build networking skills, we welcome all attendees.

Free parking will be available from 5.30pm - 8.00pm at Friars Walk Car Park

For more details and to book a ticket go to www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/cultivating-confidence-the-art-of-being-you-tickets-325924969357