mexgrocer.co.uk’s Katya Torres de la Rocha inspires as keynote speaker at I AM WOMAN event
Katya Torres de la Rocha, CEO of mexgrocer.co.uk, captivated an audience of over 100 women at the inaugural International Women’s Day Celebrations, hosted by I AM WOMAN, on 25 March 2014 at the Mercure Holland House Hotel in Cardiff.
Katya spoke about her life as a Mexican woman running a business in another country and the stereotypes she has encountered along the way.
The International Women’s Day Celebrations took place a day before the publication of a report by Lord Davies of Abersoch, working with Cranfield University School of Management's Female FTSE Board. *
The report shows women now make up 20% of board members at the UK's biggest companies, up from 12.5% in 2011.
From separate research, I AM WOMAN reports that 87% of women believe support networks and collaboration are key to a successful business career. A third (35%) believe it remains difficult for women to succeed in the workplace, while 50% feel it’s even harder for women moving to the UK from overseas to work.
Cheryl Bass, founder and Managing Director of I AM, said: “These statistics are a real vindication of why I started I AM WOMAN. I have always wanted to help women to succeed in business. To hear that they feel networking and support is the best way to achieve their goals fills me with pride. Groups such as I AM WOMAN must keep progressing and developing to ensure the number of women coming up against obstacles in business gets smaller and smaller, year on year.”
Katya said: “It’s no surprise that so many women find support in networks such as I AM WOMAN. It was hard for me to come to the UK. As well as embracing a new culture, I had to single handedly grow my company from nothing into the award-winning business it is today. I hope my story will encourage woman of all ages, backgrounds and business sectors to achieve their goals. The services that I AM WOMAN provide are vital to the development of hundreds of businesses across the UK.”
Since Katya took over mexgrocer.co.uk in 2009, the business has been named among the Top 50 best food sites by The Times.
More than 150 businesswomen attended I AM WOMAN’s International Women’s Day Celebrations. The event enabled businesswomen to network with likeminded people and hear inspirational women speak about their exceptional journeys through life.
I AM WOMAN is a dynamic global network of business women, supported by a franchise network of business clubs with a membership structure exclusively for women.
Founded by Cheryl Bass in 2010, one of the 100 brilliant Women in Britain for two years running and Speaker and Trainer of the Year 2012, I AM WOMAN is supported by The Welsh Assembly Government as a Gazelle Company.
At the heart of I AM WOMAN is the Aspire programme. Aspire is inspired by Bass’s award-winning research paper, How childhood development impacts upon entrepreneurial posture.
Aspire breaks the code of what makes people do what they do in business and equips women to break down barriers and grow as supportive parents, partners and businesswomen. Aspire is recognised by the ILM (Institute of Leadership and Management) as an entrepreneurial development programme for women in business.
For more information, visit www.iamwoman.biz
To join an I AM WOMAN Business Club in your area, visit www.iamwoman.biz/clubs/
To start an I AM WOMAN Business Club in your area, visit www.iamwoman.biz/i-am-woman-franchising-opportunities/
To become a member of I AM WOMAN, visit www.iamwoman.biz/i-am-woman/membership/
For further information on authentic Mexican foods products, visit www.mexgrocer.co.uk
Follow mexgrocer.co.uk on Twitter: www.twitter.com/mexgrocercouk
Like mexgrocer.co.uk on Facebook: www.facebook.com/mexgrocercouk?fref=ts
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Or call 07921 160 134
*From Real Business, http://realbusiness.co.uk/article/26187-women-now-make-up-20-of-ftse-100-boardrooms?utm_campaign=2408644&utm_content=520477959&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Emailvision
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Meet Katya Torres de la Rocha Chief Executive Officer of mexgrocer.co.uk
Katya Torres de la Rocha’s passion for Mexican food has infused every part of her life and dynamic entrepreneurial career, leading her to take ownership of the authentic Mexican food grocery distributor, mexgrocer.co.uk.
Since taking over in 2009, Katya has made it her mission to share her passion for her Mexican heritage through mexgrocer.co.uk. She aims to inspire families, foodies, restaurateurs and chefs across Europe. In doing so, she proudly celebrates the culture and cuisine of her native Mexico every day.
Katya takes a very hands-on approach to her business. She oversees all operational aspects of the company from dealing with suppliers around the world to pricing and customer engagement. Katya is constantly looking to source new and inspiring products. Some of her latest stock includes ‘gluten free’ and Mexican Kosher products.
Spicing things up regularly online, Katya is keen to promote exciting and innovative Mexican recipes and menu suggestions. This gives visitors the added of being able to easily source ideas for delicious authentic dishes and Mexican themed events. Katya wants to alter the image of Mexican cuisine as it is more about the infusion of flavours rather than heat and spiciness.
mexgrocer.co.uk has recently been named among the Top 50 best food sites by The Times. This is testimony to the hard work and dedication that Katya has put into the company and its increasing popularity with consumers; the majority of whom are Mexican ex-pats living in the UK.
Katya has enjoyed an impressive career around Mexican food as a proud Mexican businesswoman. In 2004, she co-founded and co-owned Mestizo, an authentic Mexican restaurant with locations in both London and Madrid. Prior to that, she held the top job at CSG Financial Consultancy. She also owned and ran the elite Mexican restaurant, Barra Vieja, in Mexico City.
In 1998, Katya gained a business degree at Universidad La Salle in Mexico City and obtained a masters in finance at UNAM (The Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México) in 2002. She went on to lecture at Universidad La Salle, teaching business, entrepreneurism and economics. While at UNAM, Katya taught finance. In London, Katya has lectured on chocolate and mole sauce.
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mexgrocer.co.uk Backgrounder
mexgrocer.co.uk is an online supplier of authentic Mexican groceries and ingredients. The company specialises in selling and distributing Mexican food products not generally available in most UK and European supermarkets. Food supplied by mexgrocer.co.uk is imported directly from Mexico and shipped in the company’s own containers. At its warehouse just north of London, customer orders are turned around in just 24 hours.
The company was founded in 2006. Sol Flamberg and his wife, Monica Anaya Garcia, saw a gap in the market for bona fide Mexican ingredients. After three years, Sol handed the reins of mexgrocer.co.uk to Katya Torres De La Rocha, who has steered the company to its current success.
Katya previously ran a consultancy company and a restaurant in Mexico. Soon after leaving Mexico she started restaurants in London and Madrid. Katya understands that Mexican restaurants in the UK and Europe thrive on using genuine authentic Mexican ingredients and products.
Since taking over mexgrocer.co.uk, Katya has successfully developed the company’s profile and has built a loyal and growing customer base. As the business has grown she has been able to invest in new product lines and a new warehouse and distribution centre.
mexgrocer.co.uk, based in Luton, sells over 500 different products, ranging from generic Mexican-brand flour tortillas to INES Aceite de Aguacate Avocado oil. Other products supplied by mexgrocer.co.uk include:
- Jose Cuervo Margarita Mix
- Fresh Tamales
- Poco Loco Nacho Cheese Sauce
- Oaxaca Cheese
- Habanero Chili Sauce
mexgrocer.co.uk publishes traditional Mexican recipes on its website to inspire customers get the very best from the ingredients they buy. The site also sells authentic Mexican utensils and other kitchen items to help consumers prepare delicious meals. The range of utensils available at mexgrocer.co.uk includes:
- Mexican Wood Molinillo Chocolate Stirrer
- Molcajete (a traditional, Mexican Pestle & Mortar)
- A full range of tortilla warmers
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Cheryl Bass
Award Winning Inspirational Business Growth Speaker and Coach
Over 10,000 CEOs, business owners and others have experienced transformational change!
Creator, Founder and Managing Director, I AM WOMAN
Cheryl Bass, The business expert, has spent over 20 years leading national and international businesses at the highest level, putting her in a unique position to deal with contemporary business challenges.
Her mix of vast experience allied with an accomplished ability to make business simple and her infectious enthusiasm and energy has inspired global audiences to seek Cheryl’s advice to achieve immediate, yet sustainable business and personal growth.
One of the 100 brilliant women in Britain for two years running and Speaker and Trainer of the Year 2012, Cheryl Bass is creator and Managing Director of I AM WOMAN, a global network of exclusively women business clubs that she founded in Cardiff in 2010.
I AM WOMAN also has business clubs in Cheltenham and Swindon and is set to expand nationally and internationally over the next two years.
Cheryl’s commitment to providing support and encouragement for female business executives and entrepreneurs dates back to 1992 when she launched one of the first Enterprise Centres for women in business. The centre became a global model for best practice in developing enterprise services to women in business and led to the first Women’s Initiative Group in Wales, funded by European Funding. As a central figure in the initiative, Cheryl directed and managed its programme, contracts, budgets and PR and created evaluation strategies for developments affecting businesswomen.
Cheryl went on to work as a high growth business trainer and mentor, working nationally and internationally in a freelance capacity. Clients included Kraft Foods, GEES, Excel Logistics, Premier Forest Products, Penn Pharmaceuticals, BBC, Dynamo Productions, Telesgop, CDSM and public sector organisations for whom she managed change through business growth.
In 2001, Cheryl gained an MA in Entrepreneurship from Durham University, winning Dissertation of the Year for advancing research in entrepreneurial personality with ONCE UPON A TIME – How childhood development impacts upon entrepreneurial posture. In the years since, Cheryl has returned to Durham many times to give lectures to aspiring entrepreneurs attending the university.
Cheryl is a graduate and member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), an NLP (neuro-linguistic programming) Master Practitioner, Reiki Master and has trained extensively in clinical and organisational psychotherapy.
Cheryl won the Trainer and Speaker of the Year Award for 2012 at the Women Inspiring Women Awards and appears regularly as an expert for BBC business bulletins. She contributes articles for business magazines and is editor of www.iamwomanglobal.biz/, the online magazine for women in business.
Cheryl is also a published author. Her works include Walking in My Shoes, a collection of short stories about inspirational women, a series of books exploring the childhood development of entrepreneurs, and several anthologies, self-help and tactical business planning books and online materials. Cheryl’s poetry appears in Sue Maggott’s Believe: the Gift of Inspiration for Female Entrepreneurs.
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For editorial, contact redheadPR:
Email Emma De Maio at emma@redheadpr.co.uk
Or call 07921 160 134
