CIPE’s most recent case study on women’s business associations focuses on Central and Eastern Europe, and features Association for Women Entrepreneurship Development President Cornelia Rotaru’s case study on one of the most resounding success stories in the region – the Association of Business Women and Top Managers (AFAFCI), in Brasov county, Romania.

CIPE Regional Office has had the pleasure of sharing the study with its partners in the Coalition of Business Women Associations (CAFA) and the Balkan Coalition of Women Business Associations. The two coalitions were born with CIPE support and CIPE Regional Office’s direct involvement in 2004 and 2005 respectively, AFAFCI being one of both coalitions’ founding members. CIPE Regional Office will also be represented at a press conference to be held in Brasov, in August, whose purpose is to disseminate the findings of the study, and more specifically the findings of Ms. Rotaru’s case study.

Continue reading ‘The Association of Business Women and Top Managers – the Case for Success’ »

There has arisen a new class - the women entrepreneurs, who have accepted the challenges of life and have emerged as leaders in the socio-economic development - earning for themselves and for their families or contributing towards the socio-political upliftment of women. Not only have their greater participation in remunerative work improved their living conditions and provided bargaining positions in the households and wider community, but they are also creating opportunities for the general womenfolk leading to their economic progress and paving the way for a dignified survival through sustainable development.

YEGAP’s 5th edition on Women and Entrepreneurship  includes the articles:

• “Dream Beyond What Is Possible” by Mukta Nandini Jain, Chairman
  of the Women Entrepreneurs Council of Asia Pacific
• “Diamond Memories” by Noemi Lirag Saludo, Past President of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce & Industry
• And more…

Continue reading ‘YEGAP Special Issue on Women and Entrepreneurship’ »

This year Central and North Punjab Woman Chamber of Commerce & Industry (CNPWCCI) accoladed women entrepreneurs with Laurels of Honour 2009 for recognition of women extraordinaire  who have achieved remarkable accomplishments in their respective fields. This was the first award ceremony and will go a long way to acknowledge women who have made outstanding achievements in various walks of life, who are role models, who demonstrate initiative and pioneering spirit, who have contributed to the economic advancement of women and the quality of women’s lives in Pakistan.

More than 50 women were honoured at the ceremony from sectors such as banking, SMEs, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, IT, media, politics, education, beauty, community development, judiciary, art, entertainment, sports, gems and jewelry, construction and housing, services such as health care, hospitals, environment and manufacturing.

Continue reading ‘Laurels of Honour 2009’ »

Each year the world celebrates March as a special month for honoring women. Different organizations hold seminars, conferences, and workshops about women’s role in the society, while media devotes a lot of attention to women issues.

But we at CIPE don’t think about women only in March. During the entire year we seek ways to improve women’s lives, their businesses, and their families’ livelihood. We work closely with women business associations, chambers of commerce for women, and other groups dedicated to building women’s leadership in public, community, and business life.

We’ve done many things in Romania to achieve just that…

Read the full article: Successful Women Prove that Value Has No Gender

From the New York Times:

“HSBC, JPMorgan Chase, Royal Bank of Scotland, UBS and Fidelity International in India are run by women. So is the country’s second-biggest bank, Icici Bank, and its third-largest, Axis Bank….

In a country where parents in some areas still prize boys over girls; where overall female literacy rates are poor; and Sania Mirza, a top tennis player, said this month that she would quit playing after marriage, the banking industry’s wealth of women in management may seem surprising. But women in the industry, many of whom have also worked in London and New York, say India provided the right combination of supportive, mostly male, managers and a diverse work environment that did not require them to be ‘one of the boys’ to succeed.” Continue reading ‘Women Bankers in India’ »

CIPE Regional Program Director Camelia Bulat recently attended the MEDA Women Entrepreneurs’ Forum, organized by AFAEMME (Federation of Organizations of Mediterranean Female Entrepreneurs), the Chamber of Commerce of Barcelona, and ASCAME (Associations of Chambers of Commerce and Industry of the Mediterranean). In response to a general lack of opportunities for business relations in the Mediterranean region, the event provided a networking venue for over one hundred representatives of organizations from numerous countries: Albania, Algeria, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Gibraltar, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Malta, Morocco, Palestine, Spain, Slovenia, Syria, Tunisia and Turkey. In some of these countries, CIPE has already established successful partnerships.

The Forum was organized in the context of the III Mediterranean Week of Economic Leaders and brought together businesses and organizations from both shores of the Mediterranean. This economic and business Mediterranean week was meant to increase support for and consolidate the economic pillar of the European Union for the Mediterranean and its Permanent Secretariat in Barcelona. This is an annual event that is organized with assistance from the European Investment Bank and the European program Invest in Med.

This event provided an opportunity for dialogue and networking between the private and public sectors, as well as the international organizations in the region. The participants were able to share their experiences and to discuss issues such as the costs of women’s low participation in economy, women’s vision of business, the role of international organizations in the promotion of women in the economy, the value of women entrepreneurship for economic growth, etc.

Paula Anastasiade
Program Assistant
CIPE Regional Office - Bucharest, Romania

To share an item with the Community of Women Entrepreneurs, send it to partners@cipe.org.

Read the interview in BusinessDay:
“Toki: Developing, Sustaining Entrepreneurs the Legal Way”

“Business development is her passion, law is her profession, women liberation is her message – for a truly developing economy with the needed infrastructure.”

Read the interview in the Nation:
“The Many Hats that Toki Mabogunje Wears”

At Toki Mabogunje & Co., “our by-line here is that we nurture enterprises for growth. I’ve realised that helping others to achieve their true potential is what makes me truly happy…

Part of wanting to help businesses develop networking is a very important aspect of consulting and this is how I’ve gotten involved in business associations. That’s why I’m involved in the Chamber of Commerce, NASME, AWLTT (African Women Leaders Think Tank) and so on.”

The goal of the Women of Success project was to promote positive values and to create awareness about successful Romanian business women. The core idea was to show people that success can be achieved, that regular persons who had the courage to start their own business are now the ones to speak about building enterprises and creating jobs.

The project was designed to feature stories of Romanian women who have become successful entrepreneurs in spite of all barriers. The business women, who are nominated by their respective associations, tell the story of their business careers and describe in their own words the secrets of their successes. This can be a source of inspiration for any women entrepreneurs’ association wishing to raise awareness about their activities and to promote the values of entrepreneurship in their respective societies.

Read more about the Women of Success project.

Paula Anastasiade
Program Assistant
CIPE Regional Office,
Bucharest, Romania.

In a video interview presented by McKinsey, Cecilia Ibru, CEO of Oceanic Bank, explores gender norms in Nigeria and the balancing act involved in alternately defying and accepting them in order to achieve success as a woman in business.

In a related interview, Ibru discusses the current challenges of managing a bank in Africa, where the global economic crisis meets an ongoing local crisis of development challenges.

I expect Ibru’s remarks will provoke different reactions. See what you think.

Kim Bettcher
CIPE

“For Romanian women managers, 2009 represents a more careful approach, business consolidation, building a healthy culture, and creating a business process…

In the next two-three years, the women entrepreneurial culture will develop gradually, on one hand due to the large number of women that start their own business, and on the other hand, due to the programs supporting women entrepreneurship.”

Here is a short article from Romanian newspaper Wall-Street. (Sorry, no English.)

Thanks to Melinda Muresan of AFAFCI, Association for Business Women and
Top Managers in Brasov, for sharing this article.