New York-Based Global Women’s Business Organization, IWEC Foundation, Wraps 13th Annual Conference and Awards Gala Virtually
The International Women’s Entrepreneurial Challenge Foundation (IWEC) celebrated some of the world’s most successful women business owners during the IWEC Foundation Virtual Conference
photo: Meritxell Bautista, C0-Founder, Fibracat, Spain
IWEC Foundation 2020 Conference Press Release
New York, NY, November 11,2020 – The 2020 iteration of the IWEC Foundation Conference and Awards Gala, the organization’s 13th annual event, celebrated the significant achievements of 41 remarkable women entrepreneurs from all corners of the globe.
The conference, themed, ‘Connecting Women Businesses Globally: Sustainability in the New Decade’ was held virtually for the first time due to COVID-19. The event sponsors included CaixaBank, Microsoft, IBM, IESE, SDI International Corp. and others.
This year’s conference welcomed Her Royal Highness Princess Noor Asem of Jordan as Conference Chair, setting a high bar for attendees, and for the speakers who followed. The speakers and panelists provided insights into pivotal aspects of global business development, ranging from “Back to Business & Emerging Smarter Beyond COVID-19” to “Digital transformation – 2 years Packed Into 2 Months.”
Carmen Castillo, Vice Chair of IWEC, said of this year’s event: “The 13th annual conference is a significant milestone for us because this year IWEC introduced two curated networking sessions between current and past awardees and local and global companies interested in expanding commerce to other regions and developing opportunities around the globe. Fostering connections and global business development are two of our most important pillars.”
Speakers included: Fernando Hernandez, VP Global Diversity at Microsoft; Denise Evans, VP of Women & Diversity at IBM; Regina O. Heyward, Sr VP Supplier Diversity, Wells Fargo; Ibukun Awosika, Chairwoman of the First Bank of Nigeria and president of the IWEC Foundation as well as others from around the world. Special guest, Sadhguru, founder of Isha Foundation and spiritual guide from India, spoke about the integration of spirit, mind and body and business. He was interviewed by HRH Princess Noor and Harjinder Kaur, Comvision India and former president of FICCI-FLO.
Ruth A. Davis, Chairwoman at IWEC, stated: “IWEC understands that providing access, resources, and support to help enable the success of female entrepreneurs is key to guaranteeing women’s active, sustainable participation in the global economy, and contributing to close the gender gap. We provide a global forum to exchange knowledge, experience, and connectivity among women business owners, setting the stage for education, disruptive business opportunities, roads to joint ventures, and promoting social dialog among women entrepreneurs and business leaders.”
This year’s 41 awardees come from Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East and the Americas, representing multiple industries and generating a combined annual revenue in excess of US$2.0 billion.
Dao Jensen, CEO, Kaizen Technology Partners, CA
Rohena Miller, CEO Niche Marketing, NC
Caron Ng, CEO, Nuset Inc, CA
Lilian Gil Valletta, CEO, Cien+ and Culturintel, NY
Carolyn Rodz, CEO, Alice, TX
IWEC announced that the 2021 Conference will be hosted in Bahrain by the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce & Industry. To learn more about IWEC’s work and Annual Conference and Awards Gala, visit www.iwecfoundation.org
Yvonne Munyikwa Dr. Asli Zulug Batool Dadabhai Gill Thorpe
Zimbabwe Turkey Bahrain UK
Fatima Begum Usharani Manne Isabel Furtado
Bangladesh India Portugal
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About IWEC Foundation
IWEC Foundation is a New York-based international economic empowerment organization exclusively for women business owners, formed in 2007 with the assistance of the U.S. Department of State. In addition to the State Department, its founders include the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce, Manhattan Chamber of Commerce (MCC), FICCI/FLO Chamber in New Delhi. IWEC’s mission is to develop a global business network for successful women entrepreneurs, helping them gain and expand access to international markets by presenting a platform to exchange knowledge, experience and connections, and to promote dialogue among women entrepreneurs and business leaders throughout the world.
