Derry entrepreneur featured by Forbes set to make keynote address

The Forbes Magazine featured and two time TedX speaker will be joined by Arc Fitness Founder Gary Rutherford and In Your Space Circus Director Kate Mitchell for the event which is open to the public and is one of the highlights of Derry-Strabane Enterprise Week.  

Jude is the founder of Neurodiversity International, the world’s premier autistic-led training and consultancy firm and will share his story of international success through his entrepreneurial spirit.

He travels the world to showcase through his talks that autistic children can grow up to live happy and successful lives.

“We are delighted to have secured three local success stories to present at this event which seeks to celebrate those who have challenged the way people think through their entrepreneurship,” said Head of Business at Council, Kevin O’Connor.

“The guest speakers will share their stories and experiences of driving positive change through their business journey and explain how they innovated to meet the challenges they faced along the way.

“We hope their stories will inspire people to follow their dream and demonstrate to them that there are many different ways and routes to build a successful business.”

Gary Rutherford is a registered mental health nurse professional and Director of ARC Fitness - a non-profit addiction recovery organisation that supports individuals and families impacted by substance use through physical activity, professional support and re-connection with community.  

ARC Fitness is the only UK based organisation to use physical activity as a treatment option for addiction recovery.  

Gary’s work has been recognised by the Royal College of Nursing who awarded him ‘RCN Nurse of the Year’ 2022.

Circus Education Director at In Your Space Kate Mitchell first ran away with the circus in 2013 when she began training aerial silks and hula hoops in Cork and has gone on to become a performer and tutor.

Kate graduated from University College Cork in 2019 with a BA in Youth and Community, her passion is delivering circus to as many people as possible through classes and performance.

A limited number of free tickets are available for A Celebration of Innovation, Diversity and Inclusion, you can book your place now and view the full Enterprise Week programme at derrystrabane.com/enterpriseweek.