4th in a Series of “Corporate Ambassador” Events Emphasizes Opportunities between U.S. and Middle Eastern and North African Women CEOs
Washington DC & Manama, Bahrain, October 30, 2008 – Leading Bahraini and U.S. women business leaders will meet November 2-3 to explore critical issues surrounding leadership, trade opportunities and business strategies for success. This is the latest in a series of new Corporate Ambassadors Program events taking place across the region this year that bring together leading businesswomen from the U.S. and Middle East and North Africa for substantive discussion and educational exchange on key economic issues. With representation across the region, Country Hubs of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Businesswomen's Network host each Corporate Ambassador event.
Supported by the U.S. Department of State's Office of the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) and Vital Voices Global Partnership, the November 2-3 event in Manama , Bahrain , will be hosted by the Bahrain Businesswomen's Society. Featured speakers include:
- Julie Lenzer Kirk, President/CEO, Path Forward International – an award-winning IT entrepreneur, author and sought-after international speaker, Ms. Lenzer Kirk's company works with corporations to help them launch new ideas, grow existing ventures, find work/life balance and fine-tune their leadership skills.
- Dr. Sheikha Hissah Saad Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah, President of Council for Arab Business Women – served as the United Nations representative in the Regional Office for Narcotics Control & Crime Prevention of North Africa and the Middle East , as well as a board member of Ithmaar Bank.
- Barbara Kasoff, President/CEO & Co-Founder, Women Impacting Public Policy, Inc . – previously a highly successful telemarketing executive, Ms. Kasoff heads a non-profit, bi-partisan public policy advocacy organization with over a half million members to educate and advocate on economic issues for women in business.
- Afnan Al Zayani, President, Al Zayani Commercial Services – the leader of the Bahrain Hub of the MENA Businesswoman's network, Mrs. Al Zayani was recently named one of 100 top most influential Arabs in 2008 by ArabianBusiness.com and runs a successful technology company.
- Julie Adair Minerva, Holland & Knight LLP – a Senior Public Affairs Advisor with the law firm of Holland & Knight, Ms. Adair Minerva most recently worked on the U.S.-Bahrain Free Trade Agreement, focusing on labor and environmental issues and creating the U . S . -Bahrain Congressional Caucus.
“Women continue to hold great promise as a force for positive business growth, both in the U.S. and Middle East,” according Christopher Henzel, Chargé d'Affaires at the U . S . Embassy in Bahrain . “Although they are closing the prosperity gap fast, their potential is still not fully tapped.” Mary MacPherson, Program Director with Vital Voices Global Partnership adds “Through these series of focused, high-level exchanges, our goal is to equip the women that participate with innovative new ideas, approaches, contacts and knowledge that they will use to strengthen their businesses, help provide for their families and create jobs in their communities.”
Throughout 2008-2009, the Corporate Ambassadors Program will bring delegations of U.S. CEOs and senior executives to meet with businesswomen in the Middle East and North Africa to discuss critical business topics pertinent to the region. Similar events have taken place in Jordan, Morocco, and the West Bank/Palestine featuring high-profile U.S. executives such as Beth Brooke, Global Vice Chair of Ernst & Young; Sandra Taylor, President of Sustainable Business Solutions LLC and former Senior Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility, Starbucks Coffee Company; and Deborah Parker, President/CEO, International Business Solutions and former Vice President, Global Quality, Ford Motor Company.
Upcoming events will take place in Lebanon (November 6-7), Kuwait (November 19-20) and Egypt (November 22-23).
“I have a strong belief in the ability of women to help one another at the grassroots level, to advocate for better business practices and ultimately to have a positive impact on our nation's economy” comments Afnan Al Zayani, head of the MENA Businesswomen's Network in Bahrain and a featured speaker at the upcoming event.
For further details, including the program agenda, please visit http://www.womengateway.com/enwg/Business/Business+News/business.htm For more information about the Corporate Ambassadors Program overall please visit www.menabwn.org .
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MENA Businesswomen's Network
The MENA Businesswomen's Network is a partnership between local businesswomen's organizations across the Middle East and North Africa , Vital Voices Global Partnership and the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) of the U.S. Department of State. The goal of the partnership is to build a network of businesswomen in MENA in order to expand the number of women in business, to increase the value of their businesses, to advance the role of women in society, and to promote a regional culture of women's entrepreneurship. The MENA Businesswomen's Network provides a forum for peer learning, information exchange, business development and access to education, resources and tools, all of which are supportive of expanding economic opportunities and building networks for businesswomen in the region. Members of the Network are organizations that are committed to contributing to economic growth and reform, to supporting the needs of women-led businesses and professional women and to having a significant social impact. Network Hubs are in place in ten countries: Bahrain , Dubai , Egypt , Jordan , Kuwait , Lebanon , Morocco , Qatar , Tunisia , and the West Bank/Palestinian Territories. Additional Hubs will be added in 2008. To learn more about the MENA Businesswomen's Network and the Network Hub in your country please visit www.menabwn.org .
U.S. Department of State's Middle East Partnership Initiative
The Middle East Partnership Initiative launched in 2002, serves as the principal U.S. Department of State initiative to foster democratic reform and the advancement of vibrant, prosperous societies in the Middle East and North Africa devoting more than $480 million to over 450 programs in 17 countries. More information is available at www.mepi.state.gov .
Vital Voices Global Partnership
Vital Voices Global Partnership is the preeminent non-governmental organization (NGO) that identifies, trains, and empowers emerging women leaders and social entrepreneurs around the globe, enabling them to create a better world for us all. Our international staff and team of over 1,000 partners, pro bono experts and leaders, including senior government, corporate and NGO executives, have trained and mentored more than 5,000 emerging women leaders from over 150 countries in Asia, Africa, Eurasia, Latin America, and the Middle East since 1997. We have equipped these women with management, business development, marketing, and communications skills to expand their enterprises, help to provide for their families, and create jobs in their communities. These women have returned home to train and mentor more than 100,000 additional women and girls in their communities. They are the Vital Voices of our time. For more information about Vital Voices, please visit www.vitalvoices.org .
Bahrain Businesswomen Society
Founded in 2000 , the Bahrain Businesswomen Society (BBS) is dedicated to developing and enhancing economic and social relations among businesswomen in Bahrain; activating and enhancing the role of Bahraini women and their contribution to the commercial, economic, investment and development in the country; promoting and supporting the participation of Bahraini women in the Boards of Directors of the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry, banks and investment companies; and participating in conferences and promoting economic co-operation and interaction with the other Gulf and Arab states and the world in general.
