Women-owned businesses. Talent and creativity drive growth

Lariofiere. Craft Show, a special award dedicated to the work of our home-grown women entrepreneurs Five awards, from Mandello to Como

Numerous even beyond expectations were the nominations for the first edition of the Im-prese Femminili Award promoted by the Como-Lecco Chamber of Commerce’s Committee for Women’s Entrepreneurship, a sign of interest and enthusiasm for the companies led by women in the Lario area, interesting for the creativity and entrepreneurial skills they san-no express. Yesterday evening the award ceremony for the five selected companies was enthusiastically attended by many women entrepreneurs from Como and Lecco and was opened by the greeting of Marco Galimberti, president of Lario-fiere: “Good first,” he commented, “given the considerable interest that the award from the Committee for Women’s Entrepreneurship, which is and has been a point of reference for our Chamber of Commerce, has aroused.

Balancing work and family
“In this context, it is not about protecting ro-sa quotas, but celebrating the work of women, their skills and creativity,” added Giacomo Zamperini, regional councilor of the Lombardy Region. “More and more women are also in top positions in the working world,” noted Alessandro Fermi, regional councillor for university, research and in-novation, “also thanks to the stimulus of initiatives such as the Female Enterprises award, which is above all a cultural message. Marisa Cesana, regional councilor, recalled the difficulty and need to reconcile work and family that still affects, above all, women. “There has been a cultural change, but there is still work to be done and only by example can new young female entrepreneurs be encouraged.” Without a ranking, because they are all equally deserving, as Antonella Mazzoccato, chairwoman of the Como-Lecco Committee for the Promotion of Women’s Entrepreneurship, was keen to point out, the five women-owned businesses in the Como area that received the 2025 award are: Icma of Mandello del Lario, Il Girotondo, a social cooperative in Albavilla, J.and.C. Cosmetici of Como, Quattordici Lab of Linda Scola, Civate, Isti-tuto di bellezza Mary Center di Rubino Mariangela of Cantù.

Broad participation
The initiative aims to support women-led micro, small and medium-sized enterprises in the provinces of Como and Lecco. The primary objective is the enhancement of projects that are distinctive for innovative capacity applied to pro-ducts, services, production processes or market strategies. This first edition registered a wide participation, highlighting the remarkable creative and design aptitudes of women entrepreneurs in the area. “With this award we want to give visibility and concrete support to-women who innovate and contribute to the growth of the territory,” said Antonella Mazzoccato, chairwoman of the Como-Lecco Committee for the Promotion of Female Entrepreneurship. “Each awarded project represents not only talent and creativity, but also de-termination, strategic vision and great strength of spirit, qualities that characterize the women entrepreneurs of our territory. Women play an increasingly central role in the business world, able to take on complex challenges and turn them into opportunities. And winning projects are concrete proof of this ability. We want to valo-rize their energy and strength, showing how female entrepreneurship can drive innovation, development and cultural change in our territory.”