New York-Based Global Women’s Business Organization IWEC Celebrates 13th Annual Conference and Awards Gala Virtually
The International Women’s Entrepreneurial Challenge Foundation (IWEC) will be celebrating some of the world’s most successful women business owners during the IWEC Foundation 2020 Virtual Conference
New York, NY, November 5, 2020 – The 2020 iteration of the IWEC Foundation Conference and Awards Gala, the organisation’s 13th annual event, will take place Monday November 9th & Tuesday November 10th, 2020. The event will celebrate the significant achievements of 41 remarkable, diverse women entrepreneurs from all corners of the globe as well as offering educational and networking sessions to attendees.
The conference theme is ‘Connecting Women Businesses Globally: Sustainability in the New Decade.’ Our sponsors include a variety of international organizations including CaixaBank, Microsoft, IBM, Wells Fargo, IESE, SDI International Corp. and others.
This year’s conference welcomes Conference Chair Her Royal Highness Princess Noor Asem of Jordan who will also be interviewing Sadhguru, internationally renowned guru and spiritual leader and Founder of Isha Foundation during the conference. The additional panels and speakers will be providing 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.”
Ruth A. Davis, former US Ambassador and Chairwoman of IWEC, says of this year’s event: “The 13th annual conference is a significant milestone for us because this is our first virtual conference which enables us to reach beyond our IWEC network and bring more successful women business owners into the family. We also will be holding two curated networking sessions for attendees who are interested in expanding their companies to other regions and developing opportunities and introductions throughout the globe. Fostering connections and global business development are two of IWEC’s most important pillars.”
Speakers include presenters such as Fernando Hernandez, VP Global Diversity & Sustainability at Microsoft; Ibukun Awosika, Chairwoman of the First Bank of Nigeria and Denise Evans, VP of Women & Diversity at IBM and Regina O. Heyward, Sr VP Supplier Diversity, Wells Fargo. The Master of Ceremonies is Dima Ghawi, Jordanian-American award-winning author, leadership keynote speaker, and executive coach. She is the founder of Dima Ghawi, LLC.
Carmen Castillo, Vice Chair of IWEC and CEO, SDI International, states: “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, Europe, the Middle East and the Americas, representing multiple industries and generating a combined annual revenue in excess of US$2.0 billion.
Awardees from Indonesia include:
Shinta Kamdani, owner & CEO Sintesa Group
Inke Maris, CEO & Senior Consultant Inke Maris & Associates
Prita Kemal Gani, Founder and CEO LSPR Communications & Business Institute
Kristiina Kytoharju, Owner Santai Hotels Bali
Indonesia IWEC Awardees in 2019 were:
Monica Mohindra, Managing Director at PT. Pandawas Villas
Irma D Malibari, Managing Director at Deka Marketing Research
IWEC announced that the 2021 Conference will be hosted in Bahrain by the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce & Industry. The chamber was to host the 2020 Conference but due to the pandemic, hosting in Bahrain has been postponed to the fall of 2021.
To learn more about IWEC’s work, Annual Conference and Awards Gala, visit www.iwecfoundation.org
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.
IWEC Global Ambassador Indonesia
Poonam Sagar
IWEC Foundation
PO Box 1036
New York, NY 10028
