GWL Week Wrap: Women Power Leadership, Enterprise, & Impact

Women leaders and entrepreneurs advancing leadership roles have continued making headway this week, as they become more involved in determining the direction in which businesses and economies move across the globe. As businesses begin to realize the importance of having diverse talent at the forefront, attention is now shifting from inclusion to empowerment of women leaders and entrepreneurs.

Across diverse sectors, discussions regarding women’s advancement continue to revolve around finance, development, mentorship, technology, networking, and leadership. These are important aspects that help women entrepreneurs and professionals achieve success in scaling up their aspirations in dynamic business environments.

However, it is also important to note that the increased prominence of women in high-level positions and new fields of business indicates a slow but sure change in traditional paths of career and entrepreneurship. In both established corporate setting and emerging entrepreneurial landscape, women are contributing to innovation and development overcoming persistent barriers.

But to sustain this momentum, it is necessary that the companies, organizations, and policy makers continue to foster environments in which women can avail themselves of opportunities on an equal basis. The events of this week remind us yet again of the importance of developing women’s potential.

Here is this week’s GWL Week Wrap, providing a compilation of major events impacting women’s leadership and entrepreneurship around the world.

Women Advancing into Influential Leadership Roles amid Corporate Transformation

Stephanie J. Nelson has been appointed by Boston Scientific as the Vice President of Human Resources and will be working closely with the U.S. Cardiology Sales and Cardiology Clinical Science groups of the company. Stephanie has gained extensive experience in the human resources field of over 20 years in areas such as HR business partnership, talent management, leadership development, recruiting, employee relations, total rewards and organizational strategy. Previously, Stephanie has held senior positions in firms like Nestlé USA, Medtronic and Target. She has also worked in MBA career services at the University of California, Irvine.

Rebecca Hall has been named Chief Financial Officer & Executive Director at Hikma Pharmaceuticals, having extensive professional background as a pharmacist with over 20 years of financial management expertise in the pharmaceuticals sector, business strategy and corporate management across Europe, North America and Asia. Rebecca is moving to Hikma Pharmaceuticals from her role as Senior Vice President & CFO at ViiV Healthcare, where she was responsible for managing finances, supply chain and business development in addition to other senior level responsibilities in finance and commercial management and North American operations at ViiV. Prior to joining ViiV Healthcare, Hall had 14 years of senior level experience at GSK, where she held various finance leadership positions.

APCO has announced the appointment of Kyra Obolensky as Europe’s Health Lead, strengthening APCO’s capabilities as a health and life sciences advisor in Europe. With headquarters in Brussels, Kyra will head APCO’s European healthcare advisory practice while assisting with growing its Global Health business. She has over 20 years of experience in governmental affairs, policy strategies, communications, and crisis communications, especially in the pharmaceutical industry. Her job at APCO will include advising healthcare firms on regulatory trends, policy focus areas, stakeholders’ engagements, and reputation issues.

Women Expanding Entrepreneurship, Economic Participation, and Access

In a successful completion of its seventh cohort of Women in Tech Bahrain, the Standard Chartered Foundation has announced the winners of equity-free funding worth $75,000 among three women-led startups. Through the three-month initiative, 13 women entrepreneurs were trained on building their business and technology models, along with preparing their ventures for further investment opportunities. Apart from the three months of training period, the participants have also been offered an additional three months of incubation period, during which their startups have been evaluated by professionals of Standard Chartered Bahrain, Bahrain FinTech Bay, Tamkeen, and UNIDO ITPO Bahrain.

Canada Government has launched the application process for the Women Entrepreneurship Strategy (WES) Ecosystem Fund in 2027, which provides up to $80 million in repayable funding for building ecosystem supports for women entrepreneurs and women-majority-owned businesses. The four-year funding program would provide funding to eligible projects between 2027-28 and March 31, 2031, where the budget for each individual project could be between $250,000 to $6 million. The eligible organizations can be Canadian not-for-profit corporations federally or provincially incorporated, which have been operating for a minimum of three years and have a mandate or record to serve women entrepreneurs.

A two week training program supported by China has been launched in Johannesburg, South Africa to improve the capabilities for 60 South African women entrepreneurs in terms of doing business and building entrepreneurial skills and cross border collaboration. This program which is part of Global Female Entrepreneurs Empowerment Program (GFEEP) organized by Beijing Foreign Studies University kicked off on September 29, 2018 and has drawn about 100 individuals from the business community, education sector and media from both China and South Africa.

The FLIP Pre-Accelerator Intensive Program, initiated by the New South Wales Government, is a nine-week program that aims to enable women residing throughout NSW to turn their initial business ideas, innovative solutions for the community, and entrepreneurial business concepts into actual businesses. This program will allow the participants to learn how to validate their business ideas, gain an understanding of their customer’s requirements, enhance their skills as leaders, and gain confidence in entrepreneurship. In addition, they will also be assisted in various fields like finance for startups, business development, networking, pitching, and problem-solving.

Women Driving Empowerment, Community Development, and Social Change

Second Edition of EMPTISTORY OF ESTEEMED WOMEN has been dedicated to the late Hon. Theresa Uduego Nworah in appreciation of her efforts in education, women empowerment and the development of Omabala in Nigeria. The dedication was made at an event at UNGA 81 in the USA which discussed First Ladies and their involvement in High Level Forums. A trailblazing political figure, educator and champion of gender equality, Theresa Uduego created history in the middle of 1980s when she became the first woman councillor to be elected in Omabala area representing Umunya at Otuocha headquarters.

The United States-based fitness and wellness company named Become Fit Forever (BFF) has introduced an online coaching platform across the nation that offers customized fitness, nutrition, and accountability programs specially designed for women. The online coaching platform caters especially to women above the age of 40, who can access customized strength training programs depending on their goals and level of fitness as well as available facilities. This coaching approach incorporates sustainable nutritional advice and lifestyle modifications, along with accountability to help women achieve their desired fitness levels at various stages of their life such as perimenopause and menopause.

This year marked the eighth annual Women Veterans Empowerment Retreat held by the Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA), which was held from September 26 to 28 in Orlando, Florida. More than 40 women veterans gathered in Orlando for three-day program that included leadership, advocacy, resilience, and storytelling, which featured social impact filmmaker Ariana Vargas and former NASA astronaut Wendy Lawrence. Interactive sessions, collaborative work, and leadership seminars helped the attendees develop their voice and express themselves. In addition to this, PVA established the Women Veterans Leadership Alliance, providing even more leadership and support to attendees outside the retreat.

Lori Harvey capitalizes on her role of Chief Creative Advisor of Gran Coramino Tequila to help promote women entrepreneurs and women in business in general. The model, entrepreneur and founder recently held a private event for women entrepreneurs in Los Angeles on September 20 after participating in the Create & Cultivate festival where she talked about topics related to entrepreneurship, branding and business identity. Harvey has even collaborated with Akansha Mirchandani and FLUFF Studios for the event in Los Angeles in order to play an active role in its creative direction.

Women Shaping Sports, Culture, and Public Leadership

An Se Young, Paris Olympics winner, has set a record in badminton history after becoming the first female player to secure two Asian Games singles championships by beating Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi in Nagoya 21-7, 21-9. The South Korean ace has successfully defended her women’s singles championship at the Hangzhou Asian Games and also won a bronze medal in the women’s team tournament. She has also been runner-up at the All England Open and earned a second world medal in New Delhi, but a leg injury caused her to pull out of the Japan Open.

Moroccan king Mohammed VI has nominated Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri as Morocco’s first-ever female prime minister, a historic feat in terms of women’s political leadership in the Arab World. The 50-year-old, who is also a minister of urban planning and mayor of Marrakesh, has been assigned the responsibility of forming a new government after recent parliamentary elections where her Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) bagged the maximum number of seats. Addressing the nation through television, she described her nomination as a historic and proud moment for Moroccan women.

In conclusion:

As the week draws to a close, the recent trends indicate the way in which women are increasing their impact in areas of leadership, entrepreneurship, community development, and sports and in public life. Whether it is the fulfilment of important mandates at a higher level in organizations, or tapping into fresh sources of finance, or making themselves visible in public life as well as in sports, women are continuing to increase their visibility, impact, and involvement in diverse fields.