A NEW women in business networking group has been established.

The network, known as Women in Management, which will meet monthly, is designed to inspire female managers and provide them with opportunities to learn from each other's experiences.

Already more than 160 women have registered for the launch event next month.

Among those who will address its meetings over the coming months are the Chief Constable of South Wales Barbara Wilding, Wales director of BT Anne Beynon, Euro MP Eluned Morgan and Rachel Clacher, managing director of North Wales call centre outsourcing company, MoneyPenny.

The new Women in Management South Wales, is a professional network within the Chartered Management Institute. It will be launched at the Vale Hotel near Cardiff on September 25.

The creation of network has been supported by Wales Management Council, the employer-led body which promotes better management and leadership in the Welsh economy.

Sian Rees, the council's development executive, said the new group would examine and tackle the issues that tend to hold women back professionally, and would identify the key success factors displayed by those women who have made it to the top.

Ms Rees, who will chair the new network said: "We realised the necessity for such a group because, at present, there is no learning network specifically for women in management and leadership positions."

She added that entrepreneurial activity among women in Wales is still lower than elsewhere in Britain.

"Last year the Prowess report revealed that the role of women in the Welsh economy was disappointing, with female early-stage entrepreneurial activity at only 3.6%," said Ms Rees.

In addition she said that female managers across the UK still experienced a "glass ceiling", with only 9% of FTSE companies having female board directors.

She said: "There is a very real need for some sharing of expertise among women managers in Wales in order to achieve greater rates of progression in many different fields."

Ms Beynon will address the inaugural meeting of the group, following which group members will be able to work in small facilitated "learning" sets to examine how the speaker's experiences relate to their own situation and how these insights can be used to improve or assist their leadership and management skills and aspirations. There will be a group facilitated in Welsh during each meeting.

Ms Rees said: "Guests will then have the opportunity to network with women from their own and other sectors, and these sessions will be facilitated in order to help break the ice and forge productive professional relationships.

"We are also very excited about providing opportunities for women to learn from and with each other."

She added that, in due course, a similar group would be launched in North Wales.

To join the network contact Claire Swindell at info@dontblinc.co.uk