Our Impact
Since 2007, the IWEC Foundation has supported women business owners worldwide by creating meaningful opportunities to connect, expand, and grow. Through our global conferences and partner network, IWEC has helped build long-term international relationships, strengthened women-led enterprises, and opened doors to new markets across continents. Today, the IWEC Foundation’s impact is visible through a powerful and expanding global network:
605 Awardees
Represent industries ranging from fashion, consumer products, and consulting to STEM, agriculture, and manufacturing.
50 Countries
The IWEC Foundation network spans across five continents and female business owners from new countries join each year.
441K+ Employees
This is the current combined total number of individuals these successful women business owners employ.
US$ 50.5 Billion
The combined annual revenue generated by the IWEC Foundation Awardees’ companies.
Real Impact Through Connection
This is women supporting women in business at a premier networking platform.
Carmen Castillo and I connected in 2013 at an IWEC Peru conference in Lima. Today, we are business partners in SDI SA, an extension of SDI International, a leading global BPO organization with headquarters in the USA. Carmen continues to inspire me with her relentless drive in business and supporting "Women in Business". Together we are creating great presence for SDI's Procurement offering into South Africa and Africa. I am so grateful for the connecting opportunity through IWEC.
It was a life changing opportunity.
As a member of the Cape Chamber, I had the privilege of participating in the Dreams Beyond Borders mentee program, an IWEC Foundation program to support women entrepreneurs. Ferose Oaten and Renee Keeble were my mentors and the guidance of these established business women was invaluable in supporting me and helping me build my confidence. They allowed me to increase my business knowledge, challenge my existing business practices and equipped me with tools to grow my business and strengthen my strategies. It was a life changing opportunity and I thank Ferose and Renee and the program.
I thank the IWEC Foundation.
Renee and I met a few years ago during an IWEC conference. We immediately connected and saw synergies between our organizations. Due to the South African laws and regulations, it was difficult to open an office on our own. It took a while to set up a new corporation but a couple of years later, our partnership is flourishing and pursuing to expand to other countries within the African Continent. I thank IWEC and team for the blessing of connecting Renee, her impressive company and teams to me and SDI.
IWEC has been the ultimate means to live out a dream to go global.
Our company Nation Waste Inc. is a fully-certified, commercial waste disposal company specializing in construction, demolition, commercial/industrial non-hazardous waste removal, portable toilets and recycling services. As a woman in a male-dominated industry, I felt a tremendous source of IWEC peer support from other fearless, innovative and world-class women entrepreneurs from around the world. I am eternally appreciative for IWEC, Nancy Ploeger and the remarkably authentic and encouraging Carmen Castillo, who has mentored countless and blazed trails for top global women entrepreneurs fiercely committed to scaling their businesses.
Thanks to IWEC connections and women power!
I was able to connect to Anu Chadha, another IWEC Awardee from India. She and her daughter came to NYC to visit and I invited her out to my showroom. We discussed the challenges facing my company with suppliers and supply chain issues. She is now working with me to help identify new suppliers in India. We found we have the same business and family values. And we both love to help our communities, especially underprivileged children and women entrepreneurs.
When I was in Indonesia few years, I was so welcome by another IWEC Awardee, Poonam Sagar. Poonam answered all of my questions about my curiosity in doing business in Indonesia. She is also amazing and so willing to share just like like Anu. As a result, I now am doing more business with Indonesia.
