Women’s Enterprise Scotland (WES) has announced a new strategic partnership with leading law firm Harper Macleod, aimed at strengthening support for women-led businesses across the country.
The collaboration will see Harper Macleod become the Founding Strategic Partner of the Women’s Business Centre, WES’s free digital platform designed to support women from pre-start-up through to scaling and growth. Since its launch in 2020, the platform has played a key role in improving access to resources, networks and expertise for female entrepreneurs.
As part of the partnership, Harper Macleod will provide direct legal guidance to WES members, focusing on three critical areas of business growth: raising investment, planning exit or succession strategies, and developing effective employee structures. The firm will also contribute through events, roundtables and tailored communications, bringing specialist legal insight directly to women in business.
Notably, the initiative is supported by Harper Macleod’s all-female entrepreneurial Corporate team, underlining a shared commitment to addressing gender imbalance within the business landscape.
Amy Mackenzie, Partner in the Corporate team at Harper Macleod, said: “Supporting businesses of all types at every stage of their lifecycle is central to what we do at Harper Macleod. That includes early stage founders, scaling companies and those seeking investment in highly competitive markets.
“We have particular expertise in working with women-led businesses and understand the additional structural challenges they can face when seeking investment in what has traditionally been a male-dominated environment. By recognising these barriers and providing clear, commercial advice, we help women founders and investors navigate the process with confidence.”
The partnership comes against a backdrop of ongoing inequality within the entrepreneurial ecosystem. Recent research by WES found that experiences of discrimination among women business owners have risen sharply, from 34% in 2016 to 68% in 2025. Meanwhile, the proportion of women-led employer businesses has fallen from 20% to 16% in just one year, with female-founded companies receiving only 1.3% of total equity investment.
Carolyn Currie MBE, CEO of Women’s Enterprise Scotland, said the collaboration is designed to tackle these barriers head-on.
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“Women-led businesses in Scotland are ambitious, investable and ready to scale — but too often they hit barriers when it comes to legal and financial complexity,” she said. “This partnership with Harper Macleod puts the vital expertise directly in front of women business owners when they need it most.”
She added: “We are delighted to have formed this partnership with Harper Macleod. It is a significant milestone in our mission to create a robust ecosystem of support for female founders and entrepreneurs at every stage of their business journey.”
The partnership marks a significant step in strengthening Scotland’s support infrastructure for women in business, with both organisations aiming to drive more equitable access to growth opportunities and investment.
