Hertfordshire kitchen retailer Toma Navickiene, has set her sights on giving back to the local community, by growing her women in business initiative.

Owner of Kutchenhaus German kitchen showrooms in Potters Bar and Welwyn Garden City, Toma Navickiene is opening up her businesses on evenings, every three months, to welcome local businesswomen from different industries.   

Navickiene hosted her first business event at the Potters Bar showroom in December 2023, and this has inspired her to plan more evenings, with the next scheduled for the end of March 2024.

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Hosting the free-to-attend event in a kitchen setting brings a comfort that otherwise can’t be replicated, Toma Navickiene believes: “People are relaxed when they’re in a kitchen chatting. It helps to remove nervousness as it’s a familiar environment, which is much more informal than a board room, for example.

“It feels very homely, and this is one of the reasons why I think it works so well.”

The Kutchenhaus Potters Bar showroom celebrates its second anniversary in February 2024 and Navickiene’s new Welwyn Garden City space is scheduled to open its doors in the same month.

Both of the kichen showrooms are owned and managed by her and her husband.

Toma Navickiene continues: “At our women in business events, there will be set topics for each session, such as how to find your perfect client, or how to maximise your social media.

“We look at potential challenges and solve them together.

“People from different backgrounds attend and it’s a friendly atmosphere to be part of.”

With a Lithuanian background Toma Navickiene was recently asked to speak at an event hosted by the Lithuanian Embassy in London for professionals in the construction industry.  

The event brought together professionals including architects and interior designers to share ideas, engage in conversation and connect regarding their businesses.

This helped to further spark her enthusiasm to create a thriving network of local women in business.