Emma Murphy, founder and CEO of health technology enterprise Eating Freely, has been announced as the winner of Digital Business Ireland's female mentoring initiative.

Eating Freely is a leading network of binge eating disorder specialists with structured programming that combines psychology and nutrition that is delivered by qualified health professionals.

Murphy herself is a qualified psychotherapist who specialised in disordered eating and developed the programme over 10 years in private practice before migrating it online at the outset of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Eating Freely supports an extensive group of clients and licensed practitioners who provide client services, and the move online has brought the programme to a global audience, stimulating growth.

Lorraine Higgins, secretary general of Digital Business Ireland, said Murphy had "demonstrated her innate creativity and drive, in successfully pivoting her business online.

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"On behalf of all at Digital Business Ireland, I want to applaud Emma for the enthusiasm that she has demonstrated, and wish her all the very best as she works to realise the export potential of her business.

"I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all of the extraordinary women who applied for the initiative. As Ireland’s leading representative body for online businesses, we remain committed to empowering women to thrive, prosper and accomplish their professional goals”. 

Supported by former Minister for Enterprise Mary Mitchell O'Connor, who will provide a series of one-to-one mentoring sessions as part of the winners' prize, the female mentoring initiative is now in its second year.

Reacting to the announcement, Murphy said: "I am thrilled to have won this initiative. Eating Freely is now ready to scale internationally and our membership of Digital Business Ireland gives us credibility and trust in an era when this is hard-won.  

"The mentoring sessions with Mary Mitchell O'Connor are a unique opportunity for me and my business to receive guidance from a woman who served at the highest level. Given our ambitious plans for expanding the business across new markets -- I know Mary will bring a unique and valuable perspective." 

The female mentoring initiative is one of several announced by the ecommerce sector representative body recently, including a collaboration with Guaranteed Irish and a partnership with leading retail show Shoptalk Europe as well as the appointment of chairperson Ashley McDonnell.

"Digital Business Ireland’s female mentoring initiative aims to empower and support women across Ireland, and equip them with the tools to succeed," Higgins said. 

"We had a marked increase in applications from last year -- a clear sign of business confidence, as we begin to emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic -- and entries were highly competitive. The quality and standard of this year’s applicants was exceptional, and many entrepreneurs stuck a real chord with us”. 

Photo: Eating Freely's Emma Murphy. (Pic: Paul Sherwood)