Sheena Sumner has secured a spot in Natwest and The Telegraph’s inaugural 100 Female Entrepreneurs to Watch list, designed to "shine a spotlight" on the UK’s leading female-founded businesses and businesswomen.
Finalists were selected from 700 entrants and will benefit from mentorship, workshop support and networking opportunities to help them grow their businesses and careers further.
Speaking to TTG, Sumner said it "didn’t feel real" when she arrived home in September to an email saying she had secured a place on the list. "I entered on a whim really," she said. "I thought I had nothing to lose by doing it so I threw my name in the hat, and I was chosen. It didn’t feel real when I found out."
"I didn’t really think about it for a while, and then to my surprise I got home on 30 September to find an email saying I had been selected, which was just phenomenal. I’m absolutely delighted."
Since gaining a place on the list, Sumner has benefitted from a range of networking events, including one hosted at the Houses of Parliament, and several training initiatives, as well as enrolment into a KPMG mentorship and coaching programme.
"The great thing is is that some of the coaching I have been offered, like the opportunities with KPMG, are really exciting ones I’d never usually have access to," she added.
"You can never have enough help and advice when your first start out, so gaining the mentorship links and the access to training is brilliant for me and Wonderluxe."
Sumner launched Wonderluxe in 2019 as a homeworking agency, and despite the impact of the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, took on several new team-members and launched an affiliate programme for independent agents.
Following a "strong recovery" from the pandemic, Wonderluxe is set to relocate to new headquarters in Derby city centre, with further plans to open high street premises next year.
