2021 Influential Businesswoman Awards

28 Acquisition International - Influential Businesswoman Awards 2021 Jul21382 Most Influential Health & Wellbeing Entrepreneur (NI & ROI): Mairead Mackle & Distinction Award for Gender Equality Initiatives 2021 To use the power of business to make a better world. That is the mission of Tarasis Enterprises, a company that is creating innovative solutions to tackle social issues such as homelessness, healthcare and housing. At the helm is CEO and Founder, Mairead Mackle, whose dedication and leadership have built a robust business with a proven track record of success spanning over 25 years. Mairead Mackle was a mum of two and a successful podiatrist with her own practice when she realised something had to give. Being bound by clinical hours was too restrictive. She craved more freedom and flexibility in her life. Not afraid of change, Mairead set about creating a new business from her kitchen table. From the start, Mairead knew that she wanted to make a positive difference in her community. She set up Homecare Independent Living (the first division of Tarasis Enterprises) to help those most vulnerable. The company also offered flexible working opportunities for staff. Once bitten by the entrepreneurial bug Mairead continued to expand her business into other areas. These included crisis housing, support services and renewable energy. Rolling forward a few years, Mairead travelled to India when she was named Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year. There she realised that her purpose in life would be to use the power of business to create a better world. Mairead tells us that the trip transformed her approach to corporate social responsibility. Although the company was already having a positive impact on people’s lives, Mairead identified a way to do much more. By forming Tarasis Enterprises charity iCare, the company has been able to help many more people. The charity collects “wishes” from members of the community who nominate a person, family or group to receive a simple act of kindness. The charity then makes the wish a reality. Recent wishes include gifts of groceries and toys to a local family and providing a first aid course for children at a local primary school. iCare sits within the Foundation division of the company. Today, Tarasis Enterprises is made up of distinct divisions: Healthcare, Housing, Wellbeing, Restoration, Renewables and the Foundation and employs over 1200 people. M Tarasis Healthcare (www.hcil.com ) comprises the original Homecare Independent Living with Homecare Support Services and delivers 1 million hours of care and support to over 60,000 clients each year. Tarasis Housing provides 3500 crisis beds every night via Homecare Housing. And manufacturing arm, Fabraco, makes and delivers a range of energy-efficient modular space solutions. Tarasis Wellbeing provides essential biometric testing services and hand sanitation products. The company is also involved in building preservation and restoration projects via its Restoration Division. As well as iCare, the Tarasis Foundation boasts Evolve, an inclusive community established to encourage, support and inspire women to move towards their personal and professional goals with confidence. Evolve is multi-generational, aiming to include women in every stage of their lives and help them to be the best they can be. Mairead, who is now a mother of 7 children, tells us that a desire for an equal world was the inspiration behind the creation of Evolve in 2018. Since then, Evolve has become a powerful global community. Mairead believes that society as a whole needs to continue challenging policy, culture and behaviours that have a negative impact on women, both at home and across the globe. As part of Evolve’s Leading Change Conference 2021, Mairead highlighted how gender inequality has affected women during the past year. Over 78% of jobs lost in this time were occupied by women. This combined with higher rates of poverty and illiteracy, and of course, the global gender pay gap means that we are unlikely to see full equality any time soon. In spite of this, the Evolve community has made a commitment to do everything in its power to promote equality, challenge behaviours and provide education and support for the leaders of the future.