Programs A Leading Global Accelerator for Women Entrepreneurs

Mwayi Kampesi is the CEO and Founder of Planet Green Africa, a manufacturer of biofuel briquettes. Planet Green Africa provides households across Malawi access to safer, cleaner, eco-friendly cooking fuel options to reduce dependence on wood fuel for cooking and improve how thousands of Malawians cook. “Nyasa Moto”, their signature biofuel briquettes, are made from recycled agricultural waste procured from local smallholder women farmers. They also partner with a network of women who act as sales agents to promote access and adaptation to biofuel while earning a commission on sales. Planet Green Africa is on a mission to save forestry, lives and champion women’s entrepreneurship.

Today, Planet Green Africa has created a positive environmental impact by redirecting 2800 tons of waste into high-quality fuel and producing 650 tons of clean cooking fuel which has reduced indoor pollution in 3,000 households. In the process, they have saved 3,560 tons of forestry that would have otherwise been cut down. They pride themselves as pioneers and champions in innovative sustainable cooking fuel solutions in Malawi with a profound impact on the health, environment, and economics of Malawian homes. Planet Green Africa supports SDG3, Good Health and Well-being; SDG 5, Gender Equality; SDG 7, Affordable and Clean Energy; SDG 13, Climate Action; and SDG15, Life on Land. They were recently awarded the prestigious Commonwealth-Bangladesh Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Green Investment Award.

Mwayi believes cooking is a fundamental part of life and clean cooking should be a right for everyone. She is on a mission to ensure clean cooking across all Malawian kitchens.

What Mwayi can offer other fellows:

Mwayi can share her network and connections, specifically from her experiences attending conferences where she has connected with other business leaders and policy makers in both the public and private sector.

Connect with Mwayi on social media:

Business Website: www.planetgreenafrica.com

Personal LinkedIn: https://mw.linkedin.com/in/mwayi-kampesi-0

Business Facebook: Planet Green Africa

Personal Facebook: Mwaishah Kampesi

Business Instagram: @planetgreenafrica

Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mwaishah

Dr. AJ Austin is a master life coach certification trainer at The International Center for Life Coach Training, LLC and 1-Day Black Woman Christian Life Coach Certification Self-Study System. Their purpose-driven responsibility is to help drive social impact through the U.N. Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 of “Quality Education” via The Black Woman Christian Life Coach Certification Self-study System, an innovative online independent home-study course using audio, video, and text-based training materials to help Black Christian women become professionally trained, skilled, qualified, Certified Life Coaches. Their mission is to help Black Christian women gain access to a more equitable playing field as future entrepreneurs and guard against systemic structures and cultural barriers catered to people of privilege, future economic shocks, and life circumstances. Dr. AJ’s most notable career achievements and milestones include their official online launch in 2020 and receiving an Honorary Doctoral degree in Christian Psychology for serving over 30 years in ministry. The International Center for Life Coach Training, LLC was recently featured on the cover of “Self-Informed,” a digital magazine for The National Association for The Self-Employed (NASE). They are a Facebook {Meta} Leaders Network small business feature. They have earned over $137,000 in sales revenue and secured non-traditional debt-free business funding. They value their Christian beliefs and ethically engage in economic empowerment through an entrepreneurial education experience, beginning with self-study and then on to Dr. AJ’s church, community, and corporate cultures. Dr. AJ holds a Doctor of Christian Psychology (Hsc), is a Master Life Coach Certification Trainer, Activated Prophet, Master Life Coach Certified Personal Life Coach (PLC), holds a master’s degree in Life Coaching and a bachelor’s degree in Applied Science (Human Resources / Training & Development).

What Dr. AJ can offer other fellows:

Dr. AJ can help guide other fellows with researching resources that offer things like skills, knowledge and expertise to help enhance a business.

Connect with Dr. AJ on social media:

Business website: www.blacklifecoachcompany.com

Business and Personal LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/drajaustin

Business Facebook: www.facebook.com/blackwomenchristianlifecoaches

Personal Facebook: www.facebook.com/drajaustin

Business Instagram: www.instagram.com/blackwomenchristianlifecoaches

Business TikTok or other social media platform: @drajaustin

Chigozie Bashua is the founder and chief executive officer of The Nut Place, a sustainable food technology company that makes gluten-free food products from edible nuts. She is responsible for driving the vision, setting the goals and objectives of the business, and developing the business strategy and the roadmap of the company. The Nut Place improves nutrition and promotes healthy living in Africa and reduces post-harvest wastage and food losses within the agri-processing value chain. Her products include healthy nut flour, nut snacks, and crisps, ready-to-eat roasted nuts, and lactose-free beverages. She is committed to the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2, 5, 8, and 12. Her social impact programs include the provision of discounted healthy food products for diabetic patients, improving gender equality by running an 80 percent women-led company, and increasing the number of women suppliers and vendors. Chigozie studied Electrical/Electronics and Computer Engineering and has more than 14 years of work experience in information technology and telecommunications. She has certifications in ITIL, COBIT 5, Project Management, and Business Continuity Management Systems. She also consults other businesses on business planning strategy and business continuity management systems.

What Chigozie can offer other fellows:

Chigozie can offer other fellows training on business planning and strategy, share her knowledge of building an agribusiness in Nigeria and her expertise in building a great organizational culture.

Connect with Chigozie on social media:

Business website: www.thenutplace.com.ng

Business LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/the-nut-place

Personal LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chigoziebashua

Business Facebook: www.facebook.com/thenutplaceng

Personal Facebook: www.facebook.com/chigoziebashua

Business Twitter: www.twitter.com/thenutplace

Personal Twitter: www.twitter.com/chigoziebashua

Business Instagram: www.instagram.com/thenutplace

Personal Instagram: www.instagram.com/chigoziebashua

Adjoa Kittoe is a food and agricultural professional dedicated to bettering food systems in the United States and abroad. Adjoa received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from SUNY College at Old Westbury and her Culinary Arts certification from Institute of Culinary Education. She is currently pursuing her MBA at the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School. Adjoa has over seven years of experience in the entrepreneurial space, working as a private chef and in project management, digital marketing and operations. Her food advocacy organization Seulful Pantry, aims to provide technological resources, seed-to-plate education and revitalize the ancestral techniques of ecological agriculture. She is also involved with several organizations, including the Black Farmers United, the Montclair Community Farms and the City of Newark’s Office of Sustainability. Her work includes research on defeating food insecurity, developing initiatives to empower the community to healthier choices and lobbying for policy decisions that impact our food system. When Adjoa is not cooking, gardening, or writing, she spends her time tending to her house plant collection and improving on her front-end technical skills. She is enjoys pottery making, readings on African anthropology, and herbalism.

What Adjoa can offer other fellows:

Adjoa can offer her copywriting, strategy, and marketing skills, as well as her knowledge of urban agriculture, web development, and research skills.

Connect with Adjoa on social media:

Business website: www.seulful.com

Personal LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/adjoakittoe

Business Twitter: www.Twitter.com/seulfulpantry

Personal Twitter: Twitter.com/adjoakittoe

Business Instagram: Instagram.com/seulful

Personal Instagram: Instagram.com/chefadwoa

Maugbe Oladipo is the creative head of Sheets Accessories Scents & Interiors (SASI). SASI is primarily involved in furniture and interior design manufacturing. Balancing innovation with quality manufacturing practices has always been their strong point. Through her business, she is constantly building indoor and outdoor structures to help people live and work comfortably and efficiently. They strive to leave their clients with an experience and a lasting positive impression.

Maugbe’s interest in manufacturing furniture was unlocked when she found locally made furniture for her children’s rooms and also got a certain design of furniture for her parents’ space. She developed a reputation for freelance interior design from her undergraduate study days.

In 2018, she created a special section within her business dedicated to giving back to physically challenged persons in her community. Through this, she designs and builds furniture and equipment that supports physically challenged people to live more functional lives. In 3 years, she has supported over 60 people within her local community. This arm of SASI directly contributes to SDG 4 which focuses on “ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all”. Sasinteriors has constantly aimed to improve lifestyles and enabled both staff and clients across the board to optimize performance to support their overall well-being!

Maugbe is a Botany graduate of UNILAG (B.Sc & M.Sc) and an alumnus of the following programs: Road for Growth (Enterprise Development Centre), Center for International Business and Strategic Studies, and Shecluded Financial Literacy. 

What Maugbe can offer other fellows: 

Maugbe can host seminars or talks on the experience of being a business woman in a male dominated field and share simple DIY tips in ensuring you live by design. 

Connect with Maugbe on social media: 

Business website: https://sasinteriors-furniture-manufacturer.business.site/?utm_source=gmb&utm_medium=referral 

Business LinkedIn: Sinosasi 

Personal LinkedIn: Tosin hunjenukon-oladipo 

Business Instagram: Sinosasi 

Kristin Kagetsu is one of the co-founders and CEO of Saathi, a social enterprise in India dedicated to providing a sustainable solution for menstrual hygiene to women and girls. Saathi developed biodegradable and compostable sanitary pads from banana fiber and recently has created a new plastic avoidance program. Saathi measures its impact according to 9 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals: increasing income for farmers, employing women, providing access to pads and education around them, measuring the plastic waste eliminated and CO2 emissions reduced. Kristin has a passion for sustainable manufacturing and women’s issues. As an undergraduate, she worked on multiple projects including plastic bottle recycling, waste management, and natural product development with the MIT Design Lab (D-Lab) in Brazil, Nicaragua, and India. Her first product launch was of a set of natural dye crayons that she developed with an NGO in Uttarakhand where she fell in love with India. Kristin also volunteered with the Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers (SASE), to structure and expand the national collegiate team to better support over 60 collegiate chapters, as well as to develop SASE leadership in the Northeast. Since its founding, Saathi has been recognized globally by Time Magazine, Fast Company, UN Environment Program, UNIDO, Allure, Vogue and others, for its social impact, innovation and sustainability. She is an MIT DLab ScaleUps Fellow, Asia Game Changer Awardee, Global Citizen Awardee, Asia Society Young Leader, TEDx speaker, Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia Fellow, Cartier Women’s Initiative Finalist, and recognized by the Indian Department of MSME. 

What Kristin can offer other fellows: 

Kristin can offer her knowledge on hiring and training interns, share programs Saathi has participated in that have helped them, provide insight on finding your why and share her knowledge of problem solving/systems thinking. 

Connect with Kristin on social media: 

Business website: www.saathipads.com 

Business LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/saathipads/ 

Personal LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/saathipads/ 

Business Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SaathiPads/ 

Business Twitter: https://twitter.com/SaathiPads 

Business Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saathipads/ 

Business YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/SaathiPads 

Ceylan Rowe is a passionate social changemaker and entrepreneur. Whether it be through business, non-profit organizations, or government, she has been passionately fighting for gender equity locally and globally for over 25 years. She is the founder of Fihri, a social enterprise focused on ensuring all menstruators have access to period products that are sustainable, as well as reducing the stigma around menstruation and alleviating period poverty. 500 million menstruators globally do not have access to period products each month, and one out of five students in the United States do not have access to period products every month. To address this, Fihri hosts Period Palooza- their period kit-making event where companies, school groups, sports teams, religious groups, and non-profits assemble reusable pouches, pads, tampons, and environmentally friendly panty liners; and provide sponsorship for students in need of free menstrual products. They also offer a one-for-one program- where when you buy a period product for yourself, Fihri donates a pad or tampon to someone who needs it. Previously, Ceylan ran for State Representative, was a Commissioner on the Metrowest Commission on the Status of Women, was a board member for She’s Local, an Advisor for Greater Boston Girl Up Coalition, and many more. Moreover, Ceylan has spoken at women’s conferences throughout the United States about gender equity and entrepreneurship. She holds a B.A. in Political Science from Northeastern University and completed her MBA at Babson College. There is more work to do and she is excited to work with fellow changemakers.

What Ceylan can offer other fellows:

Ceylan loves meeting new people and is always happy to share her professional network with others. Additionally, Ceylan is proficient in Canva and experienced in event planning. She is looking forward to getting to know everyone in the program and to supporting her fellow participants in whatever way she can.

Connect with Ceylan on social media:

Business website: www.wearefihri.com

Business Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wearefihri

Personal Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ceylan.rowe/

Business Twitter: https://twitter.com/wearefihri

Business Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wearefihri/

Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ceylan.rowe/

Business TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMLqu319a/

Mariangie Rosas is an entrepreneur, community builder and mentor determined to boost Puerto Rico’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. After a career in architecture, she returned to her home in Puerto Rico, at a time when most professionals were leaving the island to pursue better opportunities in the United States. In San Juan, she began her entrepreneurial journey to launch a culinary tech startup. It was then she realized the lack of coworking spaces available in the local entrepreneurial landscape. This is when she put a pause on her startup and in April 2017 founded co.co.haus, the first coworking space in Santurce.

A fierce advocate for local companies and freelancers, Mariangie is focused on strengthening Puerto Rico’s social and economic environment by providing access to new skills, opportunities, and valuable connections. For Mariangie, entrepreneurship is the answer to the economic turmoil that has overpowered the island for decades. She believes networks are a powerful instrument and her mission is to empower this community by providing the space as a catalyst for innovation and reversing the island’s “Brain Drain”.

In 2022 co.co.haus was on Inc. Magazine’s Best In Business Award List for their collaboration on providing group health insurance to freelancers and individual entrepreneurs.

Mariangie graduated from Cornell University with a bachelor’s degree in Architecture. She is also on the board of various not-for-profit organizations that work for the betterment of her community of Santurce and Puerto Rico, such as the International Chamber Orchestra of Puerto Rico, ISER Caribe, and Amigos de Santurce. 

What Mariangie can offer other fellows: 

As a community builder with a background in Architecture and Design, Mariangie can help with branding and design, as well as community building skills. 

Connect with Mariangie on social media: 

Business website: www.cocohaus.com 

Business LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/co-co-haus 

Personal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marirosas/

Business Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cocohauspr 

Personal Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mari.rosas 

Business Twitter: https://twitter.com/cocohauspr 

Personal Twitter: https://twitter.com/mariangierosas 

Business Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/co.co.haus/?hl=en 

Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mariangierosas 

Winnie is an accomplished economist and marketing professional with extensive experience in branding, analytics, digital marketing, accounting, and project management. She is the co-founder of HaitiBrand, a branding and creative agency that has helped several companies in Haiti to improve their branding and marketing strategies.

Winnie’s passion for women’s leadership and girls in STEM fields has led her to initiate several projects to empower young girls to pursue careers in science and technology. During the COVID-19 crisis, she led the STEM Access for Girls project, which trained and empowered 45 girls from Cap Haitien and Port-au-Prince to develop skills in STEM-related fields.

One of Winnie’s most notable achievements is coordinating the first Branding Accelerator Brand Startup in Haiti, sponsored by the US Embassy. The program was designed to support and uplift women in small businesses, providing them with the skills, tools, and strategies needed to position their brands for optimal success in the local and global market, especially in a post-COVID-19 environment. The program has yielded impressive results, with many participants reporting significant business growth.

Winnie holds a bachelor’s degree in Applied Quantitative Economics from CTPEA and plans to pursue a master’s degree in Business, focusing on marketing. She firmly believes that technology can reduce social gaps and empower women in business. Her vision is to continue to promote women’s leadership and entrepreneurship in Haiti and beyond, using her skills and experience to inspire the next generation of female leaders. 

What Winnie can offer other fellows: 

As a marketing professional with experience working in challenging environments, Winnie can share some of her insights and strategies for overcoming obstacles. Drawing on her experience and expertise, she can provide practical advice and guidance for other participants as they navigate the challenges of launching and developing a social enterprise.  

Additionally, as a marketing professional focusing on emotional intelligence, she can help other participants develop their emotional intelligence skills, including sharing best practices for managing stress, building resilience, and maintaining a positive attitude in adversity. 

Connect with Winnie on social media: 

Business Website: https://haitibrand.co 

Business LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/haitibrand/ 

Personal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/ 

Business Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/haitibrand/posts/ 

Personal Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/winnieppaul/?_rdc=1&_rdr 

Business Twitter: https://twitter.com/HaitiBrand 

Personal Twitter: @winnnieppaul 

Business Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/haitibrand.co/ 

Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/winnieppaul/ 

LaCourdia Jones is the owner of Purple Crates and currently serves as a graphic designer and printer. Purple Crates provides graphic design and printer services to those who need design work such as invitations, programs, business cards, etc and printing services such as basic prints in black and white and color and some post print services such as cutting, foiling, laminating, and scoring.
LaCourdia’s most notable achievement is buying her print shop needs without any help and making a full return on her investment. Her mission is to partner with her local education system, high school division, and establish a specific project. LaCourdia is a woman who knows her craft but her personality meets no strangers. 

What LaCourdia can offer other fellows: 

LaCourdia can support other fellows by sharing her computer skills in Microsoft. She is certified in Word and PowerPoint as of March 2022. She can also teach some basic graphic design tips. 

Catherine Marot is the founder of CASE, a service diverting plastic takeout containers from the landfill. Catherine started CASE in her dad’s garage, and in under 2 years, they’ve diverted over 400,000 plastic takeout containers from landfill. Her impact and business goals best align with SDG 12, Responsible Consumption and Production. 

What Catherine can offer other fellows: 

Catherine can provide knowledge and empowerment regarding posting on social media, getting over fears of posting and coming up with ideas on what to post. She can also provide expertise on sustainable packaging and sustainable materials Lastly; she can provide knowledge on calculating the carbon emissions footprint for products and services. 

Connect with Catherine on social media: 

Business website: www.getcase.ca 

Business LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/case-reuse 

Personal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherinemarot/ 

Business Instagram: @casereuse 

Personal Instagram: @happycarot 

Business TikTok: @catcollects 

Samira Negm is the CTO at Shunah where she creates the technical vision for the company’s products and is responsible for product strategy and initiatives to support the business’s overall goals. Shunah is an Egyptian Agritech startup focusing on optimizing the agricultural supply chain, primarily focusing on dry crops (cereals, pulses, grains) and agri-inputs (seeds, fertilizers, etc.). Samira’s goals are to optimize the supply chain from farm to processor by eliminating inefficiencies, redesign the responsibilities of stakeholders to ensure fair distribution of margins, and disrupt the status quo of farmers making the least profit in the agricultural cycle, which consequently affects food security in Egypt. Shunah supports SDG 12, Sustainable Consumption & Production; SDG 13, Climate Action; SDG 9, Industry Innovation; SDG 8, Decent Work and Economic Growth; and SDG 3, Good Health and Well-being. One of Samira’s career achievements is her work on Raye7, a culturally sensitive carpooling app that was the first to address cultural challenges in the region that were preventing people from utilizing their resources to have an efficient, safe, and affordable commute. The app was awarded the second-best mobile startup in MWC Barcelona and the prestigious Cartier Women’s Initiative Award.  Samira holds an MBA from Agora Business School, a BSc in Computer and Systems Engineering from Ain Shams University, has completed the INSEAD Social Entrepreneurship Program, holds a certificate in Wisdom Integrated Executive Coaching from LCE, holds a Lean Manufacturing & Six Sigma Green Belt from Quality America and a Train the Trainer certification from RITI. 

What Samira can offer other fellows: 

Samira can share her knowledge of employment, matchmaking, and networking, as well as her insight on coaching and mentoring to enhance employment conversion. She is keen to be involved in empowering community meetups for the purpose of sharing knowledge. 

Connect with Samira on social media: 

Business website: https://www.shunah.com/ 

Personal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samiranegm/ 

Personal Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/negmaya 

Lesley Hampton (she/her) is an Anishinaabe Artist and Fashion Designer focused on mental health awareness, body positivity, and authentic representation in fashion and media. She is the Creative Director of LESLEY HAMPTON, an Indigenous-owned, women-led, size-inclusive clothing and accessory brand based in Toronto, Ontario. She is also a model and content creator represented by BNM Model Management, and speaker on Indigenous entrepreneurship and diversity in fashion. Lesley Hampton aims to decolonize euro-centric standards in the fashion industry, inspire the next decade of Indigenous leaders and entrepreneurs, and create space for empowerment and representation in fashion, media, and beauty. 

Lesley has been described as “an important Indigenous face in the Canadian fashion landscape” by the Globe and Mail, number one Canadian Brand to keep your eye on from VOGUE, and “Wherever her career takes her, activism and style will always go hand-in-hand” according to The National Post. Lesley has also been the cover story on Now Toronto.  

Lesley Hampton is a member of Temagami First Nation, located in northern Ontario, and she identifies as an adult ‘Third Culture Kid’ with her formative years spent in Canada’s Arctic and Atlantic, Australia, England, Indonesia, and New Caledonia. This amalgamation of her Anishinaabe indigeneity and her international nomadic upbringing nurtured a passion for socio-cultural causes. 

What Lesley can offer other fellows: 

Lesley can share her skills in PR and publicity connections and her knowledge in Indigenous communities. 

Connect with Lesley on social media: 

Business website: www.LesleyHampton.com 

Business LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lesley-hampton-15975951/ 

Business Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LesleyHamptonDesign/ 

Business Twitter: https://twitter.com/lesleyhampton 

Business Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lesley_hampton/ 

Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelesleyhampton/ 

Business TikTok or other social media platform: https://www.tiktok.com/@lesley_hampton 

Tarenia Carthan is the Co-Founder of Angels N Tech and a County Commissioner. As the mother of four daughters who are all a part of the STEAM fields, she is committed to advancing opportunities to other young girls to increase the numbers of minorities entering STEAM fields. The goal of Angels N Tech is to ensure that low income and low exposure are not the reasons why minority girls don’t seek careers in the STEAM fields. They believe that if you “See IT, You Can Be IT”.  

Having served in the healthcare and technology sectors for over 20 years, experience has shown Tarenia that women are needed on the technical side of care. However, this is just one crucial area where increases are critical to ensure that best practices, technical advances, research, and design elements are developed. The truth is that women are needed in all STEAM fields to make it better for our society as a whole. In order to make that happen Tarenia believes we must reach young girls to show them the possibilities and how they can be a part of the STEAM community.  

In order to bolster their efforts of increasing girls entering into STEAM related careers, they encourage technologists, developers, coders, researchers, teachers, corporations and startup companies to push the envelope and help them to train, expose and mentor young girls. Through speaker series, camps, lab activities, and 1-on-1 mentorships with girls and their caregivers, they help change the landscape of the next generation of women within STEAM careers. Angels N Tech believes we all benefit when partnerships and targeted efforts collide for the greater good of our society.

What Tarenia can offer other fellows: 

Tarenia can support other participants with policy framework and advocacy. She can also support others with writing and messaging around advocacy. 

Connect with Tarenia on social media: 

Business website: www.angelsntech.com 

Personal LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/tareniacarthan 

Business Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/angelsntech 

Personal Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tarenia/ 

Business Twitter: https://twitter.com/AngelsNTech 

Personal Twitter: https://twitter.com/tarenia 

Business Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/angelsntech/ 

Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tareniacarthan/ 

Eunice Njoroge is a Director at Sahihi Corporate Interiors, a company specializing in interior fit-outs for corporate organizations. Sahihi Corporate Interiors’ services include flooring, wall, partitioning, and ceiling works. Their goal is to deliver every project as unique as a signature, surpassing every client’s expectations. As an organization, they are creating a positive social impact through their annual run. The “Sahihi green run” offers training to local communities, primarily those who work around tea farms, on how to use their small portions of land to plant vegetables for their families, ensuring they have a daily meal on the table. Additionally, they have partnered with schools in their community, and during the run, they plant fruit trees with the hope that in the future the school children will enjoy not just the shade provided by the trees, but the fruits that promote good health and their general well-being. Lastly, they are committed to walking with families to sponsor some of the communities’ students in need. They currently are supporting two students who are currently enrolled in local universities. Eunice’s greatest joy in this field is handing clients what was once an empty room, now transformed into a space full of life, color, and different textures. Eunice is a wife and a mother, and increasingly, she realizes what an honor it is for her to be entrusted with a family of her own. 

What Eunice can offer other fellows: 

Eunice is available to help brainstorm and exchange ideas to help grow or improve other participants’ products or services. Eunice can share the highs and lows of life, which she believes makes life beautiful when all is said and done. 

Connect with Eunice Wambui on social media: 

Business website: https://www.sahihi.co.ke/ 

Personal Facebook: wamahigawanjihia 

Zunaira Omar is the CEO & co-founder of The SquarePeg, Pakistan’s first Presidential award-winning B2B digital marketing agency. The company aims to bring international best practices with personalization and quality as differentiators. Their services include digital marketing, web development, team training, media production, and PR management. Beyond this, they have devised an inclusive human resources model that provides flexible work opportunities. Their mission is to provide employment opportunities to those individuals, especially women, who cannot work full-time due to a lack of flexible working hours and environments. Their office works on a hybrid model – 2 days in the office and 3 days working from home, as well as supporting some fully remote employees. The SquarePeg’s goal is to provide customized job opportunities and link them to other women and students via their outreach program. Zunaira has a degree in software engineering but pivoted to marketing early on in her career. She recently acquired an Executive MBA degree to supplement her career shift. As a woman in Pakistan, she understands the limitations women face as they are considered the primary caregiver and homemakers. Zunaira’s main aim is to provide women with opportunities that help them achieve a work-life balance. She is looking forward to connecting with peers from around the world and devising actionable plans that can help her to expand The SquarePeg’s impact.

What Zunaira can offer other fellows:

Zunaira can provide other fellows with digital marketing training and help with marketing strategies.

Connect with Zunaira on social media:

Business website: https://thesqpeg.com/

Business LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zunaira-omar

Personal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zunaira-omar/

Business Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thesqpeg?mibextid=LQQJ4d

Personal Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zunaira.o.saqib?mibextid=LQQJ4d

Business Twitter: https://twitter.com/thesqpeg?s=21&t=Wdc832rR-oKa6w6z-cnAQQ

Personal Twitter: https://twitter.com/zunaira_omar?s=21&t=Wdc832rR-oKa6w6z-cnAQQ

Business Instagram: https://instagram.com/thesqpeg?igshid=Zjc2ZTc4Nzk=

Personal Instagram: https://instagram.com/zunaira_omar?igshid=Zjc2ZTc4Nzk=

Sophie Ngassa is a social entrepreneur and the director and CEO of AfricSpark, a company that produces sanitary items for women and girls with the goal of making all women feel dignified. As founder of AfricSpark, Sophie champions the production of sanitary and toiletry bags, dresses and accessories for women. They produce affordable sanitary products and toiletries to promote good hygiene management for girls and young women in order to build their confidence. Sophie is a strong advocate for SDG 3, Good Health and Well-being; SDG 5, Gender Equality; and SDG 6, Clean Water and Sanitation, which earned her the prestigious honor of being a presenter at the African Diaspora Conference and the East Africa Chamber of Commerce (EACC) Conference in 2019 in Texas, USA. She is embarking on a mission to build confidence in young women to inspire them to take action, create impact and lead social change that in turn can create a ripple effect across Africa. Her mission comes from her heart, as she truly wants to help others to lead change in their community and live their best lives. She is a passionate multi-talented STEM advocate for girls, digital rights activist, trained teacher and coach and has a background in civil engineering with more than 10 years of experience. Sophie understands the importance technology plays in the evolution of branding and building relationships and the need to turn the corner fast in digital entrepreneurship for women. 

What Sophie can offer other fellows: 

Sophie can share her knowledge of building supportive communities online and help other fellows identify their unique passion. 

Connect with Sophie on social media: 

Business website: https://web.facebook.com/AfricSpark2 

Business Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/afric.spark 

Personal Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/sophie.ngassa/ 

Personal Twitter: https://twitter.com/SophieNgassa 

Business Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/afric.spark/ 

Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sophiengassa/ 

Farida is a specialist in adult education and business enablement who is passionate about development in Africa. Stemming from this passion she founded Insight Consulting SL (LTD) to provide adult education and business consulting services. Insight Consulting SL’s mission is to provide quality training programs to ensure learners receive the necessary skill sets to meet the human development needs of Sierra Leone and the African continent at large. They support UN Sustainable Development Goal 4, Quality Education, by providing inclusive and equitable education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all. Farida’s experience spans across the Aviation and Financial Services industries, with specialist experience in Banking, Youth Education, and the Public Sector, with a special interest in Youth Empowerment. Her most notable achievement to date has been founding a business as a woman in one of the least developed economies in the world and having a positive social on her community, with learning programs having been successfully rolled out to companies, including giants of the African economy and Fortune 500 Companies. Farida holds a bachelor’s in Education and Training from North West University (Potchefstroom) and an Executive MBA from the Henley Business School (United Kingdom). She serves as an Advisory Board Member at the Mamelodi Initiative (South Africa), is the Executive Representative of the Commercial Agricultural Producers Association (Sierra Leone), and is a consultant to the British Chamber of Commerce (Sierra Leone).

What Farida can offer other fellows:

Farida can share her expertise in the African market and guide foreign direct investment in Sierra Leone and South Africa. She can also offer skills in learning and development, marketing, and business enablement.

Connect with Farida on social media:

Business website: www.insightconsultingsl.com

Business LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/37406306/admin/

Personal LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/farida-rivera-447a14145/

Business Facebook: Insight Consulting SL

Business Instagram: insight_consulting_sl

Mary González, is an architect and the CEO and Owner of Interiorismo MG located in Monterrey, N.L., and Saltillo, Coahuila, México. Interiorismo MG is an interior design firm with more than 20 years of experience designing Leed certified spaces. Interiorismo MG aspires to be a leading firm, achieving total integration between User-Design-Space to create environments with harmony. Their values are honesty, credibility, responsibility, excellence and competitive advantage. They are rrooted in neuroscience-based designs (knowledge of human behavior from a multidimensional vision and with an integrative character). Mary is a former participant of Goldman Sachs’ 10,000 Women program and was also awarded an Honoris Causa Doctorate.

What Mary can offer other fellows:

Mary can support the cohort with negotiation skills, interior design principles and more.

Connect with Mary on social media:

Business website: https://www.interiorismomg.com

Business LinkedIn: Interiorismo MG: Overview | LinkedIn

Personal LinkedIn: Arq Mary González M. | LinkedIn

Business Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/interiorismomg

Personal Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mary.gonzalezm.7

Business Twitter: https://twitter.com/InteriorismoM

Personal Twitter: https://twitter.com/marygonzalezm

Business Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/interiorismomg/

Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mary_gonzalez_m/

Laura Ortiz is the CEO and founder of Gingerly, a company focused on creating clean and sustainable cosmetics and skincare products, such as a coral reef-safe sunscreen with the highest SPF. They are focused on tourism and daily routines and making products with the highest quality standards, all while raising awareness about their impact on our ocean and natural assets. They support the UN Sustainable Development Goals by creating products that protect underwater life, taking part in beach cleanings, and having 100% of their shares owned by women. Since Laura started Gingerly, they’ve won a FedEx grant for small businesses, working with biologists to make experiences and educate and have more than 10 points of sale, including hotels. Her mission is to show that sustainable products created in the Dominican Republic have quality and are worthy, as well as preserve life as we know it and help people be conscious. Laura studied advertising with multiple courses in branding, photography, and packaging, plus a diploma in brand positioning. She loves adventures and art and she uses her experiences to create products.

What Laura can offer other fellows:

Laura can share her knowledge of brand positioning and identity.

Connect with Laura social media:

Business website: www.gingerlyshop.com

Business LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/gingerlyshop/

Personal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-ortizc/

Business Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gingerlyshop

Business Twitter: https://twitter.com/gingerlyshop

Business Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gingerly.shop

Personal Instagram: @laurahighgrace

Business TikTok: @gingerly.shop

Laura Montero is the Founder and Director of Casa Maga, an art academy with high quality standards for teaching acting to kids, teenagers and adults in a healthy environment. Casa Maga is a place where people can learn how to develop their talents in acting, public speaking and voice over with innovative learning methods that respect the individual process. They have helped people in their community find their voices, speak out, manage anxiety, find strength and braveness inside, perform on stage and be better, more communicative people in their daily lives. They support SDG 4, Quality Education by offering a good quality artistic education. They contribute to SDG 5, Gender Equality through their program for women entrepreneurs which develops their communication skills in order to bolster their confidence when pitching their business. Lastly, they support SDG 8, Decent Work and Economic Growth, by providing jobs and fair wages to artists, giving them the needed stability and support for them to grow.  

What Laura can offer other fellows: 

Laura can offer acting, casting and public speaking workshops. 

Connect with Laura on social media: 

Business website: https://casamaga.org/ 

Lanessa Hubbard is the owner and nail technician at Certified Nails, a private nail salon suite that focuses on providing healthy hand and foot care services to clients that have foot conditions, are elderly, diabetic, or have compromised immune systems. They are contributing to the SDGs by supporting community food efforts and empowering women and young girls. In Lanessa’s previous career, she was a Forensic Scientist and an Analytical Chemist. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Forensic and Investigative Science with a Concentration in Chemistry. She is a single momma to a 14-year-old daughter who she adores. 

What Lanessa can offer other fellows: 

Lanessa can motivate other participants. 

Connect with Lanessa on social media: 

Business website: https://www.certifiednails.com/  

Personal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lanessa-hubbard-7384a775 

Business Facebook: thenaillchemist 

Business Instagram: certifiednails_nailchemist 

Business TikTok or other social media platform: certifiednails 

Kimberly is the Founder and CEO of The Gold Standard, which builds community by consulting and building action plans for small businesses and nonprofits with a focus on military spouses. They give them the opportunity to focus on their purpose and passion in a more efficient and engaging way with the hopes of building a portable career that will generate revenue that they can grow while being a military spouse. Born to a native Korean woman who would become the first Korean female Chief Warrant Officer Five in the United States Army, Kimberly prides herself on learning directly from her mother, her shero, who taught her first-hand how to turn obstacles into opportunities. Kimberly goes outside the boxes people try to put her in by sharing her unique experiences growing up Korean and Black. Add in being married to a foreign-born spouse who currently serves in the United States Army and being a proud parent to a queer meanager, in the words of Kimberly, her world’s All Mixed In.  

What Kimberly can offer other fellows: 

Kimberly is an innovator and branding expert. She can share her talent in recognizing ways to brand and innovate small businesses or solopreneurships. 

Connect with Kimberly on social media: 

Personal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimberlyisgold/ 

Personal Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kimberly.n.gold/ 

Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/koreangold/ 

Business TikTok or other social media platform: The Gold Standard 

Kim Magloire is the CEO of SciTech Kids, a biologist and an epidemiologist who started the business after she noticed there were few educational companies that taught STEM/STEAM in an innovative manner. A graduate of Princeton University and Columbia University, she sought to excite children about STEM by providing experiences that capture their imagination. What began as a summer camp blossomed into a storefront that showcased the marvels of STEM and provided in-school programs, afterschool programs, STEM events and opportunities for children, in and outside of the classroom. Her mission as a woman of color is also to increase the number of underrepresented groups in STEM by building a pipeline for the future STEM workforce. Through her speaking engagements, she promotes the need for early exposure to these disciplines. Kim’s impact is that she demonstrates that students can be scientists and engineers now and solve real-world problems listed by the UN Sustainable Development Goals such as SDG 6, Clean Water and Sanitation, SDG 7, Affordable and Clean Energy and SDG 13, Climate Action. Her students become even more motivated to excel when they win contests such as the White House Student Film Festival in 2014. Her goal is to now bring SciTech Kids and its Augment Reality curriculum and app to students worldwide and help students potentially pursue a STEM career. Kim’s next step is to also partner with corporations who are interested in supporting STEM programs that are grooming the next generation of scientists and seeking to improve diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace.

What Kim can offer other fellows:

Kim would love to partner with and support fellows who are in the education, STEM, or Ed-tech space. She believes there is a need to expose students worldwide to innovation that will help them learn science and math in particular, especially after COVID-19. Students have fallen behind in their studies and desperately need tools to catch up and excel in STEM-related disciplines. Her expertise as a biologist and epidemiologist may also be useful to those in the medical field who are looking for support in projects or businesses that are related to those disciplines.

Connect with Kim on social media:

Business website: www.https://scitechkids.com

Personal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kim-magloire-04598574

Business Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SciTechEducationalSolutions/

Personal Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kmagloire/

Business Twitter: https://twitter.com/SciTech_Ed

Business Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scitechkids

Jadesola Adedeji is the Co-founder of STEM METS Resources, an education company bridging the 21st century skills gap within the Nigerian educational system. She has a dream of changing what education looks like in Nigeria by using innovative, hands-on educational tools and programs to equip children and youths with essential 21st century skills needed to compete in the future workplace. After a 20-year career in the pharmaceutical industry, her foray into education and skills development was borne out of a desire to engage her own children and by extension, other children in her community, in creative and inspiring enrichment programs that will teach them “how” to think not “what” to think. The company provides hands-on and project-based training programs to children and youths using Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths – ‘STEM’ based programs to teach critical thinking, creativity, communication and collaboration skills. Armed with the relevant technical and soft skills, students are better positioned to access dignified and meaningful job opportunities in the future and the pathway for financial sustainability is more attainable. To date, over 18,000 learners have accessed their programs across Nigeria. They support SDG 4, Quality Education; SDG 5, Gender Equality and SDG 10, Reduced Inequalities. Jadesola obtained a Bachelor of Pharmacy degree from King’s College, University of London and a MBA from University of Calgary, Canada. She completed an Executive Program in Social Entrepreneurship at INSEAD, Fontainebleau, France. She is also part of the consortium that convened the STEAMFUN Fest event that saw 6,000 parents and children enjoy all things STEAM under one roof! 

What Jadesola can offer other fellows: 

Jadesola can offer communication skills, planning and organizing and business development knowledge. 

Connect with Jadesola on social media: 

Business website: https://stem-mets.com/ 

Business LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stem-mets/?viewAsMember=true 

Personal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jadesola-adedeji-31b34392/ 

Business Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/STEMMETSNG 

Personal Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jade.adedeji/ 

Business Twitter: @stem mets 

Business Instagram: @stem_mets 

Personal Instagram: jadesola.adedeji1 

Jacqueline Sofia is the Co-founder and Chief Impact and Strategy Officer at SITTI, a certified Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE) and impact-driven lifestyle brand in Ontario, Canada. In her position, Jacqueline leads the company’s stakeholder-driven approach to impact measurement, evaluation, reporting, and learning. In 2020, Jacqueline led the formation of the Community Impact Team, a refugee-managed team of trained individuals who support SITTI’s commitment to refugee self-reliance through regular monitoring and evaluation of stakeholder needs via the Refugee Self-Reliance Index (SRI) Survey. Through her position on the RSRI Steering Committee, Jacqueline works to advocate for refugee self-reliance worldwide. Before SITTI, Jacqueline was a Fulbright Scholar (2011-12) in Jordan. Following her fellowship, she worked as a program manager and consultant for several non-profit organizations operating within the Palestinian refugee camp community in Jerash, Jordan. She has experience working with UN agencies (UNHCR, UNRWA) and INGOs in Jordan and the UAE. Jacqueline has also worked as a reporter documenting stories from the SWANA region for outlets including Kerning Cultures and Wamda. She has reported for US-based outlets including NPR, Monocle, and BuzzFeed. Jacqueline graduated with a bachelor’s degree in International Studies from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland.

What Jacqueline can offer other fellows:

Jacqueline can offer networking, small business management, impact measurement, and reporting.

Connect with Jacqueline on social media:

Business website: https://sittisoap.com/

Business LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sitti-social-enterprise-limited/

Personal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacqueline-sofia-40899ab/

Business Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sittisoap/

Naana Akyaa Asante is a registered nurse with over 27 years of clinical experience in maternal and child health care, home care, and school nursing in the United States and Ghana. She is the founder and CEO of Isabella HealthCare Services, a medical supply company specializing in the provision of disposable surgical packs for hospitals. In the next few years, Naana will be leveraging technology to increase distribution and access to vital healthcare products, as well as the manufacturing of medical devices. As CEO, Naana draws on her vast knowledge to provide strategic, innovative, and purposeful leadership. She believes access to quality health care is a fundamental human right, one that should not be denied to a person because of their geographical location and/or socio-economic status. She strives to inspire her team and form collaborative partnerships that make healthcare products and services affordable, accessible, and available to everyone who needs it. A breast cancer survivor, Naana founded the Embrace Society to replicate her success story through awareness, providing support, and championing advocacy. She is passionate about using her voice to “educate to empower” people to make health care and lifestyle choices that promote SDG 3, Good Health and Well-Being. She is the current chairwoman of the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Ghana, a board member of the Federation of Africa Medical Equipment, Disposable, and Device Manufacturers and Suppliers, and a former board member of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital.

What Naana can offer other fellows:

Naana can share her understanding of the healthcare industry through her experience as a nurse with over 27 years of experience in New York and Ghana, her role as a hospital board member, a current board chair, and as the CEO of a healthcare services company. Naana is a good communicator and a passionate advocate and can share these shills with others.

Connect with Naana on social media:

Personal LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/isabella-naana-akyaa-asante-936a32219

Passionate about innovation, high-tech, and socio-economic impact, Ilhem developed the award winning edtech startup, DigitED. They offer online courses for high school students in STEM, English and French and preparation for exams, including IELTS and TOEIC, and offer a white labeled learning management system including conference, content management and calendar management. DigitED developed www.talented.academy, an innovative and award-winning educational marketplace. It invites you to choose your trainer/tutor and step into a creative, AI and AR powered learning environment for a unique experience of learning. Ilhem has more than 20 years of experience including 14 years in the Telecom Industry in Europe, Africa, and Asia. Previously, she managed large-scale projects and multi-country sales bids with Global Telecom Operators. As the CEO of Digital Cluster, she fostered partnerships and digital collaborations between enterprises and universities. She also managed the MENA region’s leading NGO for youth training and employment with more than 12K youth trained in one year. Ilhem holds a master’s degree from Telecom ParisTech, the second best engineering school in France. 

What Ilhem can offer other fellows: 

Ilhem can share her knowledge of the tech market in the region, her experience in technological development and offer preferential access to their courses for fellow’s families/referrals. 

Connect with Ilhem on social media: 

Business website: www.digited.tech 

Business LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/digited    

Personal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ilhem-hassania-kerdoudi-545b0a1/ 

Hummu Magaji is the CEO of Khamolac Global Foods Limited, a food production and processing business. Their mission is food sustainability and their vision is to ensure quality food and safety. They process food and spices including tomato pepper paste, pepper paste, turmeric, ginger, and more. They are making a positive social impact in their community and the country through food sustainability. Khamolac Global Foods Limited empowers people, the majority of whom are youth or women, by training them through skill acquisition, employing them, and enhancing their living. They advocate for SDG 3, Good Health and Well-being by organizing programs to educate people on the importance of their health and good living.

What Hummu can offer other fellows:

Hummu can support other fellows by sharing her experience, knowledge, and skills in her business and also her leadership role.

Connect with Hummu on social media:

Business website: www.mimiyummy.web.com

Business LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mimi-usman-a942591b3

Personal LinkedIn: https://linkedlin.mimi_usman-a9

Personal Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mimi.usman.9

Personal Instagram: mi.mi2139

Heli Mäkiranta is a professional interior designer and founder and CEO of QUU Design lighting brand. QUU lighting collection combines harmonious timeless Scandinavian design with the elegant beauty of northern nature. Each light fixture is unique and handcrafted in cooperation with Finnish small business owners. Their mission is to create future classics – easily recognizable high-quality design lighting that become looked-after valuables that run in the family. They believe in quality and responsible choices. For them, this means choosing sustainable and high-quality materials, transparent production processes, maintaining the art of craftsmanship, and supporting small businesses. One of their biggest achievements was when British Vogue contacted them, wanting to collaborate when Grand Designs selected QUU lights as a unique idea among the top six and collaborated with Formula 1 driver, Valtteri Bottas. Heli’s professional line is “dream big- you never know where your dreams will lead you.”

What Heli can offer other fellows:

Heli can help with the visual look and branding of other fellows’ businesses.

Connect with Heli on social media:

Business website: https://quudesign.com

Business LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/quu-design

Personal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heli-mäkiranta-901703a7/

Business Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/quudesign1

Personal Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=569824830

Business Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/quudesign/

Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/helimakiranta/

Heba Abou El Eid, as a young mother of two who felt that she needed support from other people going through the same experiences, insecurities, pressures, and obstacles of the unexperienced realm of motherhood, created The Mommy Club Egypt Co. in May 2015 as Egypt’s first all-inclusive support platform for mothers. Overnight, the interest in being part of the platform to help and be helped by all mothers with hands-on experience was overwhelming, with over 1,000 mothers wishing to join. Their first product, The Mommy Club Benefit Card- Egypt’s first discount for moms in Egypt launched in July 2015. Their e-commerce website, The Mommy Club Shop, which specializes in all baby products, launched in 2020. Fast forward seven years and the Mommy Club now works with hundreds of vendors, reaches thousands of mothers across multiple platforms, and started a movement with many women finding new ways to create innovative communities of their own. The Mommy Club’s main goal is to create a sense of belonging! “Empowering and supporting mothers and mothers to be, all going through the daily struggles of motherhood, by creating a vast network of support functions and voices to cater to the endless needs and necessities any mother could not go without daily. Every mother deserves to be heard, helped, pampered, and supported.” Heba is a member of the UN e-trade 4 women program and network, the HSBC Roar program, Ahead of the Curve Leap and Thrive program, is a Visa SheWins winner, a member of the World Bank E-commerce Support for Women-led SMEs in Egypt and Investmed Sustainable Business Management program graduate.

What Heba can offer other fellows:

Heba can provide networking and consult other fellows.

Connect with Heba on social media:

Business website: www.themommyclubshop.com and www.themommyclub.com

Personal LinkedIn: https://eg.linkedin.com/in/heba-abou-el-eid-4b71132a

Business Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheMommyClub

Personal Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hebaaboueleid/

Personal Twitter: @hebaaboueleid

Business Instagram: @themommyclubco @themommyclubshop @themommyclubbenefitcard

Personal Instagram: @hebaaboueleid

Heather Pinnock is the managing director and chief placemaker at Lucea Caribbean Ltd. Lucea is a boutique real estate development agency offering planning and project management with a focus on sustainability for tropical regions. Heather is a Jamaican professional with formal training in architecture, urban design, and project management, as well as over 25 years of experience in construction and real estate. Heather is a graduate of the Bartlett School of Planning at the University College London and the Caribbean School of Architecture at the University of Technology, Jamaica. She has worked across Jamaica as well as on projects in Saint Lucia and Trinidad and Tobago. Her experience includes master planning, energy efficient and net zero buildings, sustainable housing, and public spaces. In 2021 she concluded a successful stint leading one of the governments of Jamaica’s largest real estate management and development agencies, the Urban Development Corporation, where she actively promoted ‘making development happen sustainably’. Her top three achievements were delivering a major public park in the city of Montego Bay, gaining ISO certification for the core business processes, and being awarded the World Travel Award for the company’s flagship tourist attraction. Heather was appointed co-chair of the Commonwealth Women in Planning network in July 2022. She is also a certified SCRUM Master, an EarthCheck Design Accredited Professional, and a licensed real estate salesperson. Altogether, she is a champion for global goals especially related to climate resilience and sustainable tropical living in general.

What Heather can offer other fellows:

Heather can share her knowledge of social media management and sustainability in business reviews.

Connect with Heather on social media:

Business website: https://luceacaribbean.com/

Business LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/luceacaribbean/

Personal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heatherpinnock/

Business Twitter: https://twitter.com/LUCEACaribbean

Personal Twitter: https://twitter.com/HeatherPinnock

Business Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/luceacaribbean/

Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heatherpinnock/

Hafsa Qadeer is a social entrepreneur committed to finding humanitarian solutions through innovation and creative expression. She is the CEO and Founder of ImInclusive, the first inclusive employment platform in the history of the United Arab Emirates to receive certified social enterprise recognition from the national government. In 2019, at the age of 24, Hafsa presented ImInclusive, a job-search platform, and 360 disability inclusion employment solution, to the Abu Dhabi government alongside her 16-year-old brother Ahmed Qadeer, who is a person with a disability living with Spinal Bifida. In 2023, ImInclusive has fully evolved into a multi-award-winning enterprise and provided employment opportunities to people with disabilities in healthcare, hospitality, retail, and more. Hafsa graduated from Middlesex University with a bachelor’s in International Business and holds a professional diploma in innovative marketing. Hafsa is a World Economic Forum Global Shaper for the Abu Dhabi community. She has been selected in the top 36 entrepreneurs from 1300+ entrepreneurs across the world by TiE Global to present her solutions on a global forum. She speaks about the workforce of the future on numerous international platforms. Her persistence in actioning disability inclusion urgently on all forums has resulted in ImInclusive receiving recognition from C3 as the first prize recipient of MENA-based social enterprise impacting change in IDEA Accelerator by Accenture Middle East and Standard Chartered. ImInclusive has coached and mentored over 1,200 job seekers and has trained over 15,500 corporate staff to build inclusive employment ecosystems that secure equitable employment for all.

What Hafsa can offer other fellows:

Hafsa can offer training on disability inclusion, hiring with inclusivity with ImInclusive, and support on disability-inclusive customer experiences.

Connect with Hafsa on social media:

Business website: www.iminclusive.com

Business LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/iminclusive/

Personal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hafsaqadeer/

Business Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iminclusive/

Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hafsa_qadeer/

Business TikTok: @iminclusive

Florence Feyikemi Egbeymi is an entrepreneur, recycling, and community leader. Her passion is people, specifically where and how to better her people and her community. JDSL Recycling is a social enterprise addressing poverty, unemployment, and climate change challenges in Nigeria, using recyclable plastic waste as the currency of exchange value. Today, they are engaging different strata of life including local communities, schools, hospitals, and corporate organizations on the amazing mutual benefits of recycling services. JDSL Recycling has tapped into the growing utilization of plastic waste (PET & PP) by many manufacturing companies. Currently, they have over 110 employees with women accounting for 75% of the entire workforce in different sectors of the company. They train youth in-house as engineers and engage the community in saving the environment and making money through the process.

What Florence can offer other fellows:

Florence can share her knowledge of educating people in her community on how to help save the earth and how they can make an income from waste. She can also share about JDSL Recyclings in house training programs for young men to learn machine maintenance and become machine operators.

Connect with Florence on social media:

Business website: www.JDSLRecycling.com

Business LinkedIn: Jdsl_recycling

Business Facebook: Jdslrecycling

Business Instagram: jdsl_recycling

Personal Instagram: Feyikemi236

Elizabeth (Liz) F. Mleli is the Founder and Managing Director of Sure Starts Inclusive Early Childhood and Primary School. She is a social entrepreneur who believes in innovative solutions to social problems. Through Sure Starts school, she is working on inclusive education to ensure that every child who comes to their school has access to quality education regardless of their ability. Children are born ready to learn and deserve to be given that opportunity. The social impact of their business is realized through positively changing the lives of people, starting with young children, and creating a foundation for a better world for everyone. They impact four of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, including SDG 4, Quality Education, SDG 5, Gender Equality, SDG 3, Good Health and Well-Being, and SDG 10, Reduced Inequalities. One of Elizabeth’s notable achievements is establishing and running an inclusive school for nine years. In addition to the curriculum, Sure Starts delivers social and emotional support as well as educating the hearts of their children by instilling good morals and values. Elizabeth believes that her purpose in life is to champion the needs of socially excluded groups of people in her community. Every child and every individual has a purpose but some need a little support to walk side by side with their purpose. Elizabeth holds a Master of Social Science in Economics of Social Studies from the University of Wales, Swansea, United Kingdom, and a PGD in Leadership from Aalto University, Finland in partnership with Uongozi Institute, Tanzania, and is currently pursuing certification in Coaching from the International Coaching Federation (ICF).

What Elizabeth can offer other fellows:

Elizabeth can support other fellows in various soft skills, organizational development, project management, and inclusive education.

Connect with Elizabeth on social media:

Business website: www.sscc-tz.com

Personal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-mleli-88761322/ 

Business Facebook: Sure Starts Inclusive Early Childhood and Primary School

Personal Facebook: Elizabeth Mleli

Personal Twitter: LizMleli

Business Instagram: sscc_tanzania

Personal Instagram: elizabethmleli

Brit Lashae is an Author & Book-Writing Coach. She provides Book-Writing Coaching for women ready to share and write their stories and testimony into a published book. Her mission is to empower women to write their stories and celebrate their self-growth and healing by helping them write with ease, individuality, and creativity to create a reader experience that’s unmatched. Brit Lashae is creating a positive social impact in the community by amplifying women’s stories through books which allows the writer to not only share her story & testimony but also the exact process and framework of her journey. This provides transformation and a roadmap for other women to be encouraged and share their stories. Brit Lashae is a big advocate for overall mental wellness & healing, and has always told people that their story mattered, and if it was worth living then why not make it worth telling. She has a passion for letting women know that their story is worth being TOLD!

What Brit can offer other fellows:

Brit can support other program participants by providing her

knowledge of self-care, balance, and e-commerce skills.

Connect with Brit on social media:

Business Website: https://britlashae.com/

Business LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/britlashae

Business Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/msbritlashae

Business Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/britlashae/

Astrid Adjuah Cleare is a director and project coordinator at Agriculture and Applies Sciences Consultants (AASC) and acts as the head administrator and consultant in her fields of expertise of project management, grant writing, event planning, coordination, and fundraising. She is a multidisciplined agriculture and project management professional. AASC’s vision is to develop an industry-leading, agriculture and applied sciences professional consultancy firm that minimizes the knowledge gap in the local research industry. The company offers a range of professional services including consulting services, grant writing, proposal writing, business plans, research project management, and project planning/organization. AASC offers its suite of services to government organizations, non-profit organizations, private individuals and firms, agricultural producers/entrepreneurs, and international organizations. Astrid has a Bachelor of Science degree in Plant and Soil Science from Tuskegee University and is a Certified Associate in Projects Management (CAPM). Astrid has a wealth of experience working on projects for local agencies such as the University of The Bahamas and Access Accelerator, Small Business Development Centre (SBDC) Bahamas. She has also worked for international agencies such as the Inter-American Institute for Corporation on Agriculture (IICA). She has two sons and loves flowers, reading, art, and crafting.

What Astrid can offer other fellows:

Astrid can support other fellows by sharing training and development opportunities for the Caribbean region and The Bahamas.

Connect with Astrid on social media:

Business website: https://aascbahamas.com/

Business LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aasc-consultants-431691238/

Business Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/A.A.S.Consultants/

Personal Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/astrid.cleare/

Business Instagram: @a.a.s.consultants

Personal Instagram: @skincarebyadjuah

Anne K. Rweyora is an industrial designer and a Ugandan who has experienced first-hand how a lack of quality housing compromises people’s development potential and is on a mission to change this narrative in Africa. As a Managing Director at Smart Havens Africa, Anne works to provide low-cost, eco-friendly affordable housing solutions for low-income families, putting community needs at the heart of every project. Anne was a finalist for the Africa Prize of Engineering Innovation award and a Fellow at the Global Good Fund and Global Social Benefit Institute. She also won the Takeda Entrepreneurship Award in 2019 for the promotion of women and housing in Uganda.

What Anne can offer other fellows:

Anne can support other fellows with creating an award-winning business pitch, and share business impact measurement skills and insights on team management.

Connect with Anne on social media:

Business website: https://shafrica.org/

Business LinkedIn: @shafricaorg

Personal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annerweyora?originalSubdomain=ug

Business Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shafricaorg/

Personal Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Anne K.Rweyora.

Business Twitter: @AfricaHavens

Adrianna Rudolph is a community advocate and Motivational Life Coach serving as CEO of Shining Bright Consulting, LLC., a company dedicated to helping people fight through adversity to acquire the life they desire utilizing their spirituality, confidence, and relationships. She is driven to this work because of her genuine love for people. Through Shining Bright Consulting, LLC.’s community advocacy work they are addressing SDG 3, Good Health and Well-being. Specifically, they host community gathering events annually to bring awareness and support to different areas of a person’s life that can lead to substance abuse and suicide. Growing up in an urban community and seeing the results of those things taking over the lives of those around her gave her the firsthand experience needed to run the company. Her willingness to uplift those around her with her affectionate personality is one of a kind. Adrianna’s empowering words have led to speaking engagements, a self-published book called “New Horizon” and her new position as Adversity Advisory in a women’s group she has been a part of for many years. She is a Certified Life Coach with a Leadership Development Certificate from Temple University. Her values are honesty, trust, faith, grace, and truth. This list makes her unique coaching style desired by many. One of Adrianne’s favorite quotes is “always be a work in progress” by Emily Lillian.

What Adrianna can offer other fellows:

Adrianna can offer the other program participants encouragement, skills to help them become more motivated, and spiritual support.

Connect with Adrianna on social media:

Business website: Shiningbc.com

Business Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ShiningBrightConsulting/

Business Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shiningbrightconsulting/

Amina Ahmady is the CEO of Afghan dried fruits and Sweet Almond, both of which are registered in Albania and Afghanistan. Agriculture is the main occupation for resource-poor people and often is the engine of growth and poverty reduction, especially in underdeveloped countries. In Afghanistan and Albania, women make essential contributions to agricultural and rural economies and are therefore at the center of both of Amina’s businesses. Afghan dried fruits and Sweet Almond collects fresh fruits and dried fruits primarily from women farmers and sorts and packages the items. These items are made to order. The dried fruits are 100% organic and meet 100% of the world’s standards. Ms. Ahmady has a master’s degree in Management and Business Administration and a bachelor’s degree in Economics. She received a one-year certificate from Innovation Democracy Afghanistan as an Innovative Entrepreneurship. She is a 2022 alumna of VVVEngage, a Vital Voices Global Partnership program. Currently, she is working in project management at the Toronto Metropolitan University of Canada. Through the VV GROW Fellowship, Amina hopes to improve her international business and communication skills and establish a global business. Above all, Amina wants to make an international brand of her country’s dried fruits. 

What Amina can offer other fellows: 

Amina can offer her knowledge and experience in finance, tax, customs, and management.  

Connect with Amina on social media: 

Personal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amina-ahmady-9924b4151  

As a Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) Advocate, Angela Chambliss brings her passion and commitment to being fulfilled as a servant leader to every aspect of her life. Advocating STEAM education and empowerment to underprivileged communities through her non-profit, the Angels and Me Foundation, also known as AngelsNTech, Angela has been featured in South Fulton Lifestyle Magazine, the Atlanta Journal Constitution, and VoyageATL highlighting the continued success of her program. AngelsNTech is a mentoring organization established to develop young girls and support parents with their daughters in all fields of STEAM. AngelsNTech is also a continual grant recipient of Girls Who Code. In the Summer of 2021, Angela was awarded the Visa’s Who Got Next Woman Founder award for 2021 as a result of the organization’s incredible success. In the Fall of 2021, Angela was recognized by her colleagues as the Women to Watch at the Women in Technology Awards Gala at Mercedes Benz stadium. Angela was recognized for her service, leadership, and achievements to the Atlanta community as a 2021 Outstanding Atlanta honoree. Angela greatly enjoys spending family time with her amazing husband, Chris, and her energic daughter, Amari Rose.

What Angela can offer other fellows:

Angela can share some of her project management tips and the lessons learned from AngelsNTech.

Connect with Angela on social media:

Business website: angelsntech.com

Business Instagram: @angelsntech

Adebukunola Baruwa is the founding CEO of Yembar Ventures, a pioneering company in Nigeria that manufactures educational accessories. Yembar Ventures started with the production of wax crayons for children in three variants (6, 12, and fun packs). Their long–term goal is to recycle raw materials from plastic waste to produce 60% of the needed educational accessories currently used in Nigeria and Africa. Their vision is to be the preferred brand in educational accessories in Nigeria and Africa. They are intentionally working to achieve SDG 4, Quality Education, and SDG 15, Life on Land. 

What Adebukunola can offer other fellows: 

Adebukunola can support other program participants by offering consulting on business structuring, business internal control review, and business processes. She can share her over 20 years of experience in the financial sector, internal control skills and expertise, research and business analysist. 

Connect with Adebukunola on social media: 

Business website: www.miemiecrayon.com.ng 

Personal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adebukunola-baruwa-90b1733/  

Business Facebook: 2miemiecrayons 

Business Instagram: @miemiecrayons 

Anna Aro Ring is the founder of the skincare brand Little Cirkus. When Anna founded Little Cirkus she thought there was a lack of really good, honest skincare for children that didn’t take synthetic shortcuts. She wanted to eliminate questionable chemicals in skincare for kids and find natural and clean alternatives- that became her driving force when she started Little Cirkus in 2019. Their vision is in direct alignment with the UN Sustainable Development Goal 3, Good Health and Well-Being. Anna thinks everyone has the right to good skincare. As a parent, you can be 100% sure that you are giving your child the very best when you use Little Cirkus products. Choosing the wrong skin care products not only affects the skin negatively but also the environment. For Anna, it’s about making the best of what we already have, what nature has given us. Therefore, nothing is manufactured in their factory at someone else’s expense. They work actively on SDG 12, Responsible Consumption and Production, as well as SDG 13, Climate Action. All of their production takes place in their factory in Sweden, where they only use natural, organically certified ingredients that are as good for the body as they are for the earth. Anna’s background is in media. Before she started Little Cirkus, she worked as an editor in TV and editor-in-chief at a magazine.

What Anna can offer other fellows:

Anna can support fellows with creating and designing content strategies to be able to reach their target audience. She can help create a clear strategy and analysis for content development and determine the purpose and goal of the communication, answer questions about which channels and platforms are suitable, what characterizes the target group, what type of content should be produced, and how it should be distributed.

Connect with Anna on social media:

Business website: www.littlecirkus.com

Personal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-aro-ring-4b84bb123/

Business Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/littlecirkus/

Personal Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/anna.v.ring/

Business Instagram: littlecirkus

Personal Instagram: annaaroring

Tuduetso Mokgosi is the founder and managing director of People and Gap. People and Gap is dedicated to transforming businesses to become more impactful by providing them with insights that inform their decision-making processes for greater brand relevance and innovation. Their services include insights, strategy development, and community engagement. Through their work, they impact communities by crafting brand strategies that consider community needs and economic growth objectives. Because they know that it’s through understanding what drives people that a business can thrive, they emphasize developing strategies that empower people, to ensure the community develops as the business grows too. After all, it’s a good thing to see communities develop because of your business. Through this, People and Gap is upholding SDG 8, Decent Work and Economic Growth. To date, their most notable work is as a consultant on Botswana’s national brand strategy development team. The strategy aims to boost Botswana’s trade capacity and subsequently promote industry growth and create employment. The chance to make an impact through People and Gap is what drives Tuduetso; knowing that it is through the work they do that people and communities can achieve greatness. Having attained a Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design and a Master’s in Research and Public Policy, Tuduestso’s educational foundation has been an influence in the direction her business has taken. She is a strong believer in the saying that, ‘to get something different, you must do something different’, and through insights, she has seen the truth in that.

What Tuduetso can offer other fellows:

Tuduetso can share People and Gap’s advisory services on how to gain insights to better inform the development of their business service/products or to continuously improve them to ensure relevance and uptake by current clients.

Connect with Tuduetso on social media:

Business website: www.peopleandgap.com

Personal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tuduetso-mokgosi-456a39173/

Business Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/peopleandgap

Personal Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/tuduetso.mokgosi

Business Twitter: https://twitter.com/Peopleandgap

Personal Twitter: https://twitter.com/morobawakgosi

Business Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/peopleandg_p/

Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tuduetsomokgosi/

Tehmina A. Chaudhry is a passionate entrepreneur and startup enabler. From her volunteer work in the entrepreneurial ecosystem to her business, INSTA Foods which focuses on the environment by reducing food waste, everything she does speaks to giving back, giving to her community, and giving to the world. In many ways, her entrepreneurial journey reflects her determination to create value for others through her work and business. At INSTA Foods they are determined to preserve nature’s freshness by developing innovative ways to increase food security by reducing food waste and providing healthy and nutritious solutions at an affordable cost. From over 10 years of experience working in B2B2C with agri-food and other manufacturing industries to launching a natural brand in a difficult market like Pakistan, and most recently bringing it to Canada, Tehmina has learned much about business and entrepreneurship. Along with INSTA Foods, Tehmina also started volunteering in 2018 for an international social enterprise focused on women entrepreneurs. She hasn’t looked back since and now works as a mentor and business consultant with different international organizations, including startups to SMEs based in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Philippines, Singapore, Hong Kong, Nigeria, U.A.E, Norway, Germany, and Canada. She is a board advisor with Green Tech Europe (Village Capital) and an entrepreneur in residence (consultant) with Spring Activator (Canada) and Purple (Canada). She strongly believes our businesses are the reflection of our true selves so she is driven to make an impact through her business and leverage her success to give back to the world.

What Tehmina can offer other fellows:

Tehmina is a passionate entrepreneur with a deep interest and expertise in entrepreneurship and helping other businesses grow and scale. She has global experience and strong connections in local and global entrepreneurial ecosystems.

Connect with Tehmina on social media:

Business website: www.instafoodslimited.ca

Personal LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/tehminaachaudhry

Business Facebook: Facebook.com/instafoodindustries

Personal Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tehminasad

Business Instagram: Instagram.com/Instafoodindustries

Personal Instagram: Instagram.com/tehminaachaudhry

Tara Charne is the founder of Mama Soul, a company that educates and advocates for women to take care of their mental and physical health. Mama Soul raises awareness for U.N. Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3 “Good Health and Well-Being,” SDG 5 “Gender Equality” and SDG 16 “Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions.” They are also currently under review for B Corp certification. They have been able to sustain their business through the COVID-19 pandemic and a pivot from prenatal and postpartum to include all women’s mental and physical health. After suffering from postpartum depression and then not being able to find the right support for a friend who died in childbirth after her doctor did not listen to her, it became Tara’s mission in life to help women be heard by the medical establishment that lets them down. Tara received her 500-hour yoga teacher training degree while in the pandemic lockdown as she homeschooled her 4-year-old. She has been accepted into women-led accelerators including Get Shit Done and Dream Ventures, and she finally has an official women-owned business. Her son Laszlo gives her the strength to go on when the days as a woman founder seem unbearable.

What Tara can offer other fellows:

Tara has learned from other accelerator programs the true meaning of supporting women in their dreams. She can offer other fellows listening and feedback on pitches, decks, etc., and be a sounding board to vent and offer shared resources for funding opportunities.

Connect with Tara on social media:

Business website: https://www.mamasoul.com/

Business Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thismamasoul

Personal Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tara.charne/

Business Twitter: https://twitter.com/TaraCharne

Business Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thismamasoul/

Business TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thismamasoul?lang=en

Nahomie JB Millien is the founder and CEO of Centre Kaizen, the first consulting firm for gender diversity and women’s empowerment in Haiti. Centre Kaizen provides capacity building, project management, and evaluation, as well as research focused on women’s empowerment. They work mainly on SDG 5, Gender Equality, and SDG 8, Decent Work and Economic Growth, but also support the achievement of SDG 7, Affordable and Clean Energy, SDG 10, Reduce Inequalities, SDG 11, Sustainable Cities and Communities and SDG 13, Climate Action. Centre Kaizen provides gender equality advisory services and technical support to multilateral, bilateral, government, and non-government organizations and enterprises. Their website is a resource center with many documents on women’s empowerment issues, especially in the workplace. Nahomie has 15 years of experience as a consultant in project management and evaluation in the development sector. She has worked as a gender equality and women’s empowerment specialist for more than six years now. For the last two years, she has been advocating for women in the workplace and for gender-lens investing. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, a master’s degree in Project Management, and a second master’s degree in Project Evaluation. She is also a Gender Certified Auditor by the International Labor Organization. She believes in the universal values of competence, excellence, sharing, partnership, equity, and humanity.

What Nahomie can offer other fellows:

Nahomie can offer training on gender in the workplace and/or on empowering your female employees.

Connect with Nahomie on social media:

Business website: www.centrekaizenhaiti.com

Personal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nahomie-jb-millien/

Business Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/centrekaizenhaiti

Personal Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jeanbaptistena

Fadeelat Adam Amanesi is from Edo State Nigeria and is the founder of FADY-VIRT LIMITED, an indigenous company based in south Nigeria that focuses on agro-food produce and supplies. Their main goal is to make the best standard food, specifically rice, available. In addition, their goal is to provide jobs that enable women and men to earn a standard of living. They are working to reduce poverty by creating jobs and making their rice available at affordable prices. Additionally, FADY-VIRT LIMITED educates individuals, especially women, on the need to get involved in the business by introducing business ideas to them. One of the company’s goals is to uplift as many people as possible to be self-sufficient in their chosen line of work. Their drive to succeed is the reason why they see Vital Voices as the best platform for their growth based on how Fadeelat has seen previous fellows and their businesses succeed. Fadeelat graduated from Federal Polytechnic Auchi where she obtained a higher national diploma in Computer Science.

What Fadeelat can offer other fellows:

Fadeelat can offer support to her fellow participants by sharing with them her knowledge of life in her country, their culture, their values, what makes them happy and what makes them sad, and most importantly, about various businesses they can successfully launch in Africa, if interested. She can offer her skills in running her small rice milling business and what is needed to expand to a bigger business.

Connect with Fadeelat on social media:

Personal LinkedIn: FadilatAmanesi

Business Facebook: FADYVIRT LTD

Personal Facebook: Fadilat Amanesi

Personal Twitter: Fadilat Amanesi

Business Instagram: FADYVIRT LTD

Personal Instagram: Fadilat Amanesi

Emily Harris is the co-owner and operator of The Plot Market Garden and the community engagement coordinator for the Sandown Centre for Regenerative Agriculture. The Plot Market Garden is a small-scale regenerative vegetable farm that offers fresh produce direct to consumers, at grocery stores and restaurants throughout Greater Victoria. The farm contributes to strengthening food security by partnering with a local initiative to provide food boxes to lower-income, BIPOC, and disabled folks. The Plot impacts UN Sustainable Goals 2, Zero Hunger; 3, Good Health and Well Being; 12, Responsible Consumption and Production; 13, Climate Action and 15, Life on Land. Some achievements include winning the Saanich Environmental Award in the business category in 2021 and the VISA She’s Next Grant in partnership with iFundWomen in 2022. Emily has a degree in Geography from the University of Victoria, a certificate in Permaculture Design from the Brighton Permaculture Trust, and a Diploma in Visual Arts from Camosun College. Emily hopes to make a positive impact by engaging the community on the importance of small-scale regenerative farming.

What Emily can offer other fellows:

Emily can share her skills and knowledge in building community partnerships.

Connect with Emily on social media:

Business website: theplotmarketgarden.com

Business Facebook: facebook.com/theplotmarketgarden

Business Instagram: instagram.com/theplotmarketgarden

Clara Pinkrah-Sam is a “multipotentialite” Ghanaian award-winning fashion designer and the founder of Clatural, an ethical and sustainable fashion brand. She is also a practicing pharmacist, a medical transcriptionist, and an IT Consultant with over 18 years of experience with the World Bank and UNDP on both private and public sector projects. Formed completely out of nurturing her hobby of creating unique and exciting designs from fabrics and leather, Clatural was founded in 2017, and she serves as the CEO and Creative Director of the brand. Clatural’s mission is to provide sustainable and ethical apparel for both men and women within the shortest possible time. Women comprise 75% of Clatural’s workforce with 2% of employment reserved for persons with disability. Clatural is committed to implementing UN SDG 7, Affordable and Clean Energy; SDG 8, Decent Work and Economic Growth; SDG 10, Reduced Inequalities; SDG 11, Sustainable Cities and Communities; SDG 17, Partnerships for the Goals, and counting. A unique signature design called the MESH supports a zero-waste tolerance policy and 45% of Clatural’s production line uses solar energy.

Confident enough to name her brand after herself; (Clara Natural = Clatural), the Clatural Lounge is the brand’s opulence boutique in Accra, Ghana, and also has two locations in New York City. She is a Rotarian and the Charter President of the Rotary Club of Accra Morning Tide, Ghana. As a mother, her hobbies include mentorship, reading, and swimming

What Clara can offer other fellows:

Clara can provide training in public speaking, time management, and the importance of sustainable fashion.

Connect with Clara on social media:

Business website: www.wearclatural.com

Business Facebook: @wearclatural

Personal Facebook: @clarapinkrahsam

Business Instagram: @clatural

Personal Instagram: @clarapinkrahsam

Thokozani Amanda Chimasula is the founder of Tac-Maz Sustainable Ventures, an organization that aims to provide communities with a variety of high-quality, nutritious, and affordable products to achieve excellent health and sustainable living while empowering women to be part of the production systems. To date, the enterprise has supported 120 women farmers with skills in sustainable agriculture and access to farm inputs and profitable markets. Tac-Maz is committed to the achievement of UN SDG 5, Gender Equality, by supporting women farmers to be sustainable producers; UN SDG 13, Climate Action, by adopting mechanisms geared towards conserving the environment; and UN SDG 8, Decent Employment and Economic Growth, by providing job opportunities to young people. Thokozani has worked in the development sector for over 13 years and has also worked as a Child Protection Manager with Theatre for a Change, National Equality Coordinator with United Purpose, and as a Programs Manager with the Centre for Alternatives for Victimized Women and Children. She is best known for supporting gender programs and the development of manuals that have been replicated in other organizations across Malawi. Thokozani believes hard work, consistency, determination, resilience, and commitment are the building blocks to building a strong personality. She holds a BA in Humanities and is expected to graduate with an MBA in May 2023 and a MATCD by 2024.

What Thoko can offer other fellows:

Having built her professional acumen in gender development programs, she can support her peers in the following ways: developing gender transformative approaches that they can use to influence inclusion activities in their social enterprises, program development, and report writing.

Connect with Thoko on social media:

Business website: https://www.google.com/search?q=tac-maz+sustainanble+ventures

Personal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thokozani-amanda-chimasula-7904b959

Business Facebook: www.facebook.com/tacmaz

Personal Facebook: Thoko Amanda Chimasula

Business Twitter: @Tacmaz

Personal Twitter: @ThokoChimasula

Business Instagram: tac_maz_sv

Personal Instagram: thoko_chimasula

Vanessa Krogh is the CEO and co-founder of Villbrygg. Villbrygg makes complex non-alcoholic drinks out of wild Nordic plants. They envision a world where we live in harmony with nature and its premises. For this to be possible, they believe we need to make it easier for people to make good choices without compromising on experience. This is what Villbrygg is passionate about and what they are working hard on achieving.

What Vanessa can offer other fellows:

Vanessa can provide coaching on how to balance private life and business. She can also share self-care tips, people skills, and marketing and sales skills.

Connect with Vanessa on social media:

Business website: www.villbrygg.com

Business Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/villbrygg

Business Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/villbrygg/

Temitope Ooye Principal Consultant at TMB Global Brands, an integrated marketing company with a focus on brand communications, digital marketing, and media advertising for corporate and consumer brands. They are currently servicing a portfolio of clients in the telecommunications, technology, FMCG, and not-for-profit industries. Their mission is to offer and implement cutting-edge strategies aimed at achieving their client’s marketing needs without compromising on quality and best practices. Over the last three years, they have managed more than a hundred digital campaigns in Nigeria. Their company values are centered around giving back to their community and, in the last five years, 30 percent of the annual revenue has been donated to charitable causes and community projects such as educational gift materials to underserved children, feeding the homeless, and empowerment programs for women and youth. Temitope is passionate about personal development, quality service, and impact philanthropy. She also loves to travel and make new connections.

What Temitope can offer other fellows:

Temitope can assist other fellows with online brand audits and offer professional advice and guidance in the areas of marketing, advertising, brand communications, media engagement, and campaign management. As a certified digital marketing professional, Temitope can offer digital marketing training and share how best to leverage digital technology for business visibility and growth. She is also available to team up with other business owners who are keen on personal development and share the same passion to ‘be more, do more, and have more.

Connect with Temitope on social media:

Business website: www.tmbglobalbrands.com

Business Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tmbglobalbrands/

Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamtemitopeooye/

Tania Kottoor is a first-generation Indian-American, who is a creative visionary and the design-forward Founder and CEO of WESTxEAST, a purpose-driven brand. With WESTxEAST, Tania has effectively married tradition with innovation. The venture-backed startup is the world’s first AI-powered design platform for custom-fit cultural clothing and she has truly re-imagined the process of shopping for weddings and special events. WESTxEAST has produced over 1,500 custom and made-to-measure garments, allowing the next generation to celebrate momentous occasions. Tania’s mission to facilitate an end-to-end frictionless experience has garnered the attention of BRIDES, Brides Today India and Over the Moon by Vogue. Tania received her undergraduate double degree in business at Saint Louis University and then attended the Conde Nast College of Fashion & Design where she was selected as one of the next leaders of luxury fashion. Afterward, Tania helped build a designer label from the ground up; today the label is carried at Bergdorf Goodman. Additionally, in 2020, Tania conceptualized, designed, and produced 75 custom outfits in Antigua, Guatemala for an award-winning wedding. She has participated in multiple accelerator programs and fellowships. In 2022, Tania won over $100K worth of grant money from pitch competitions. Tania’s mission is to preserve cultural heritage through clothing. She looks forward to continuing to build meaningful experiences and rethink possibilities.

What Tania can offer other fellows:

Tania strongly believes in peer mentorship. She has won several pitch competitions and immersed herself in the startup ecosystem in New York. She can provide coaching for founders who’re participating in pitch competitions. She can also share a list and make an intro to organizations, fellowships, and accelerator programs that support women and BIPOC founders.

Connect with Tania on social media:

Business website: https://www.westxeast.com/

Personal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/taniakottoor/

Business Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WESTxEAST

Personal Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/taniakottoor/

Business Twitter: https://twitter.com/westxeast

Personal Twitter: https://twitter.com/TaniaKottoor

Business Instagram: https://instagram.com/westxeast

Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taniakottoor/

Business TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@westxeast

Stephanie Meisel Eidelman is the owner and CEO of the iA Institute, a media company that produces information products, conferences, and membership groups for professionals in consumer finance. iA specializes in unique experiences that are intimate, practical, and driven by candor. Stephanie’s passion is to change lives by using her position as an industry influencer to get women into leadership positions where products are imagined and policy is set. Her goals are to support more inclusive financial services, more rewarding careers, and financial independence for all women. In 2018 she launched Women in Consumer Finance, a professional development event and an intimate, high-energy experience where attendees make genuine friendships, build bigger, stronger networks, enhance their executive skills, and dedicate attention to their career aspirations. Stephanie is a member of the Women’s Presidents Organization (WPO), serves on the board of LIFT, and is on the Washington, D.C. Council of Vital Voices Global Partnership. Previously, Stephanie was part of the start-up team at Citysearch, an online city guide; a consultant for media companies transitioning from print to online; a materials manager at aerospace manufacturer Allied Signal; and a stage manager for The Walt Disney Company. A mom of twins, Stephanie holds a Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Social Policy from Northwestern University and a Master of Business Administration in Operations and Technology Management from the Anderson School at UCLA. She is an award-winning entrepreneur and change-maker who has identified new opportunities and forged new paths over the last 10 years.

What Stephanie can offer other fellows:

Stephanie can offer her insight into the following industries: B2B/online media, consumer finance, manufacturing, SMBs, and family businesses. She can share her product skills in building and hosting conferences, starting and managing membership groups, building communities, managing subscription services, and packaging and selling sponsorships. She also can offer skills in managing a small business, becoming an industry leader, creating content, thought leadership, developing and launching content products, managing cash flow, A/R, achieving organic growth without raising money, government affairs and regulatory advocacy, building processes, project management, marketing – creating a funnel, use of creative tools that don’t require major expertise – website design, graphic design, video editing, and production, etc.

Connect with Stephanie on social media:

Business website: www.womeninconsumerfinance.com

Personal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanieeidelman/

Business Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WomenInConsumerFinance/

Personal Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stephanie.eidelman

Stella Nakawuki Lukwago is the founder of Ouroots Africa, a social innovation organization that partners with rural women farmers to grow plant-based sustainable alternatives to single-use products. Ouroots Africa employs local artisans to uniquely hand craft every product, selling them to customers in Uganda, the United States, and other countries. Ouroots Africa grows sustainable products for daily use and creates employment opportunities for rural women and girls to give back to their families and improve their communities. Every year, Stella works with over 500 rural women and girls in social innovation, digital literacy, and sustainable agriculture.

What Stella can offer other fellows:

Stella can share her experience as a social innovation consultant, consulting different international organizations. In this role, she facilitates, coaches, and trains women and men on how to create social innovations that benefit themselves as individuals, their communities, and the environment. Through her consultancy, she has worked with over 500 women every year since 2020 in different districts of Uganda.

Connect with Stella on social media:

Business website: https://www.ourootsafrica.org/start

Personal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stella-nakawuki-lukwago-73ab14b2/

Sibongile V. Mthimunye is the founder and CEO of BWGL Group Pty Ltd, an eco-friendly hygiene and cleaning services business based in South Africa. Her role is to provide strategic, financial, and operational leadership for the company. BWGL Group Pty Ltd.’s vision is to be a leading sustainable, eco-friendly hygiene and cleaning business in the continent, that empowers women and the youth from underserved communities. Their mission is to provide services and products that surpass their client’s expectations. BWGL Group Pty Ltd distributes and sells eco-friendly cleaning products to commercial companies, households, holiday venues, etc. Their product range consists of the following: dishwashing liquid, tile, and grout solution, grill and hood solution, and total surface care solution. They support three U.N. Sustainable Development Goals, namely: Goal 1, “No Poverty”, Goal 6, “Clean Water and Sanitation” and Goal 5, “Gender Equality.” These goals speak to the company’s focus on using less water in their products, equal employment of women, and ensuring that they contribute to the eradication of poverty in their communities.

Sibongile has 23 years of experience within both the development and corporate sectors. She is very passionate about the empowerment and uplifting of women and the youth in her country, as well as the creation of employment opportunities and making a difference in her country.

She holds a Bachelor of Social Sciences from the University of the Witwatersrand, a master’s diploma in HR Management from the University of Johannesburg (formerly RAU), and a master’s in Business Administration from Regent Business School.

What Sibongile can offer other fellows:

Sibongile can share her skills and expertise in developing a company’s value propositions; compiling a memorandum of understanding, agreements, or joint venture agreements; creating and implementing strategy documents; and stakeholder management (both public and private sectors).

Connect with Sibongile on social media:

Business website: https://www.bwglgroup.co.za

Business Facebook: BWGL Group Cleaning Services

Personal Facebook: Sibongile Mthimunye

Business Twitter: @bwglgroup

Business Instagram: BWGL_Group_Cleaning

Coach Sally Hassona is a Physical Education teacher and Female Boxing Coach who has worked through the years to empower underserved Egyptian girls after school by focusing on impacted communities of early marriage and gender-based sexual and physical violence by allowing them to practice male-dominated sports, thus closing the gender and socio/economic gaps. The academy has successfully increased the number of girls participating in amateur boxing registered with the Egyptian boxing federation, and increased girls with sports titles, ultimately shifting the cultural mindset. Sally has appeared numerous times in Egyptian Media and is a 2019 speaker for the Australian Ambassador’s International Women’s Day. Sally was appointed as women’s coach by the Egyptian Military Club in 2019 where girls achieved mixed medals in different weight and age categories in local & National Titles, and twice appointed by the President of Egypt’s boxing federation as Women’s National Team international camp coach. Sally holds a degree in Health and Physical Education from the University of Sydney.

What Sally can offer other fellows:

Sally can offer female sports coaching (various sports), sports teams/club initiation and registrations, mentoring for teen girls, and physical education and health.

Connect with Sally on social media:

Business website: https://instagram.com/isa.combat?igshid=MTA0ZTI1NzA=

Personal Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100007322025143&mibextid=LQQJ4d

Personal Instagram: @trainersally

Rosie Joyce is the founder of The Habit Store, a package-free grocery store where customers can shop using their containers from home to reduce plastic and single-use plastic consumption. The company aspires to continue being a minimal waste store by only selling what you need, which in turn saves money and the overall environment. The business started in the middle of one of our most intensive lockdowns in January 2021 as a market stall at a weekly farmers market and was since turned into a brick-and-mortar store. The Habit Store stocks nearly 100 organic dry goods, oils, body products, and homewares that are all environmentally friendly and sustainably sourced. Rosie feels proud to be able to offer people a better way of shopping and how to be better for the planet every day. Rosie holds a degree in Media Communications.

What Rosie can offer other fellows:

Rosie can be a great sounding board for brainstorming ideas and helping to solve problems.

Connect with Rosie on social media:

Business website: www.thehabitstore.ie

Business Facebook: www.facebook.com/thehabitstore.ie

Personal Twitter: @rosiejoyceworld

Business Instagram: @thehabitstore.ie

Personal Instagram: @rosiejoyceworld

Rosangela Barbosa, professionally known as Ro Amonet is an entrepreneur, master coach, and Integrative Psychotherapist. Ro Amonet is the CEO of Coaching da Cor School, a company aimed at empowering the Black ethnic group, through cognitive reprogramming, and emotional unblocking caused by racial discrimination. The company promotes entrepreneurship as a way to pierce the bubble of structural racism and is closely aligned with SDG 4 – Quality Education, 8, Decent Employment and Economic Growth, and 10 by Reducing Inequalities. Ro Amonet is a former participant in the AWE – Academy of Women Entrepreneurs, a program financed by the US Embassy, and also of Future Female, a business digital marketing program, sponsored by the United Kingdom. As a Black woman, Ro Amonet believes her purpose is to empower her ethnicity, actively supporting the creation of a Black society that is aware of itself, and of its ancestry, and can circumvent and overcome the challenges created by structural racism. Ro Amonet holds a bachelor’s degree in Statistics, and an MBA in both Finance and Corporate Management, and People Management. Ro Amonet is currently pursuing an MBA in Developmental Neurosciences and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.

What Ro Amonet can offer other fellows:

Ro Amonet can offer mindfulness and mental health best practices.

Connect with Ro Amonet on social media:

Personal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/roamonet/

Business Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/coachingdacor

Personal Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ro.amonet/

Business Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coachingdacor/

Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/roamonet

Business YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/RÔAmonet

Rema Sivaram is the co-founder of Fairkonnect, a Fair Trade-certified social enterprise working in the space of Sustainable Textiles, Fashion, and zero-waste products. Fairkonnect’s production units are often women-empowerment projects, run under Fair Trade standards. The company brings in women who belong to economically-challenged backgrounds and provides both training and employment. Through their sustainable concept store, Fairkonnect leads by example to encourage the use of reusable products and the reduction of waste. Rema leads her team in conducting community workshops, talks, and awareness programs on how to adopt a sustainable and zero-waste lifestyle. Rema is a recipient of Earthwatch India’s fellowship and a Miller Center Alumna.

What Rema can offer other fellows:

Rema is happy to share her learnings and knowledge of working in the sustainability industry for the last 7 years. Her skills include communications, social media, and sustainability. She is happy to share her learnings with the other peers as and when needed.

Connect with Rema on social media:

Business website: www.fairkonnect.com

Personal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/remasivaram/

Business Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ethicattic

Business Twitter: https://twitter.com/ethicattic

Business Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ethicattic/

Prakriti Gautam is the founder and CEO of Khetipati Organics, working in the eastern hills of Nepal with small and marginalized horticulture farmers and local youths, providing economic opportunities and financial stability. Prakriti was inspired to form Khetipati Organics after witnessing the heart-breaking realities of food loss at the farm-level and the economic vulnerabilities of smallholder farmers in Dhankuta. Determined to fight against food wastage, today, her company works with over 750 farmers across five districts and specializes in dehydrated organic fruit powders, high-altitude spices, and ready-to-eat meals. She is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of her company and navigating its growth through strategic planning. She is a Chevening Scholar and a graduate in Development Management from the London School of Economics and Political Science. She believes that holistic economic development should go and can go hand in hand with environmental consciousness and social inclusivity.

What Prakriti can offer other fellows:

100% of Prakriti’s operational staff and seasonal workers are local youth and she works with semi-literate and illiterate farmers. In such circumstances, running a factory means building great trust among workers, grooming them to be leaders, providing technical training, and most importantly unlearning the corporate culture and building emotional intelligence to capture the socio-cultural needs of the locals. Her story of how she built this company in a land of the unknown with the unknowns can give some insights into building transformational relationships to run an impact-driven company.

Connect with Prakriti on social media:

Business website: www.khetipatiorganic.com

Business Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/khetipatiorganics/

Personal Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sophiegautam/

Business Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/khetipatiorganics/

Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sophiegautam/

Nkechi Nwitte-Eze Igwe is an accomplished entrepreneur capable of identifying new opportunities and sustaining extraordinary business growth. She is the Founder and CEO of Nori Foods Manufacturing. Nori Tomato which is the maiden product of Nori Foods Manufacturing was born out of seeing heaps of rotten tomatoes in the Nigerian market yearly. Nori Foods Manufacturing decided to solve this problem by packaging fresh tomatoes to give them a longer shelf life while providing ease for consumers. The company addresses SDGs 1 and 2, eradicating extreme poverty and promoting sustainable agriculture. Nkechi has broad experience in social media management, digital marketing, and general administration. She holds a B.Sc. in Political Science and a Master’s Degree in Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution. Nkechi believes that business is about creating solutions that make the world a better place.

What Nkechi can offer other fellows:

Nkechi can share her social media marketing skills.

Connect with Nkechi on social media:

Business website: https://instagram.com/nori.foods?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Personal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nkechi-nwitte-eze-75519a111/

Business Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100086789145622&mibextid=ZbWKwL

Personal Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Veraswt

Business Twitter: https://twitter.com/Nori_foods?t=wpyRw7Ofjl904Y1BA_qEEQ&s=09

Personal Twitter: https://twitter.com/iam_Enkay1?t=XXVbhzIKhHTvwIE4614a7w&s=09

Business Instagram: https://instagram.com/nori.foods?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Personal Instagram: https://instagram.com/iam_enkay?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Nicole Quintana is the owner of Mahina products, a brand that offers hair care products handmade with natural local ingredients. Her business impacts SDG 5, “Gender Equality” by generating jobs, specifically offering opportunities to women, for decent and deserved work. Mahina’s network of suppliers is led by women, and their goal is for it to be a circular economy with suppliers led by professional women and mothers. Mahina addresses SDG 6, “Clean Water and Sanitation” as their raw materials do not generate waste that is harmful to water and the environment. Additionally, they have an initiative where they offer plant-able business cards where for each client that buys a business card, they take responsibility for giving back to nature. They support SDG 17, “Partnerships for the Goal” by forging a strategic alliance with sustainable businesses and participating in eco-friendly bazaars. Their mission is to offer alternative hair care products that provide healthy nutrients and minimize the use of toxic ingredients that negatively affect us and our environment. Nicole is an industrial engineer and holds certifications in making natural cosmetics in special hair care products. She is passionate about natural cosmetics because she has two children who are extremely allergic, putting her on a mission to create safe products for them and help other moms who are searching for quality products without toxic ingredients for their families. Nicole hopes with Mahina to help people in Panama and around the world that are searching to take care of their skin, body, hair, and soul using the blessings of nature.

What Nicole can offer other fellows:

Nicole can offer other fellows her insight on finding quick solutions in complicated situations and how to always look for opportunities to improve from such situations. She can also share her insight on how to positively influence others to obtain positive results.

Connect with Nicole on social media:

Business website: https://www.cuanto.app/mahinaproducts

Business Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/CmfMe8ILBne/?igshid=MDM4ZDc5MmU=

Ngozi Oyewole is the founder of NOXIE Limited an office furniture manufacturing company and the CEO of Strategic Women and Youth Institute, an international consortium of professionals generating opportunities for economic empowerment. She is a result-driven, resilient, and ace ‘womentrepreneur” with extensive experience in leadership, business management, and strategic planning. She holds a degree in Business Administration and is a certified and experienced Interior Designer. She is an alumnus of Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, United Kingdom. She is a very passionate advocate, who is committed to supporting women’s inclusion not just in business but in other spheres of human endeavor. She is very keen on youth empowerment through innovative concepts and ideas that will be a unique game changer in her country’s developmental strides.

What Ngozi can offer other fellows:

1. Knowledge sharing through mentorship programs 2. Collaboration 3. Belongingness- Community-based training. Encouraging participation through sharing of cultural skills like cultural nights where traditional Nigerian fashion is introduced and also another country cultural fashion displayed to foster oneness among other fellows.

Connect with Ngozi on social media:

Business website: https://www.swyi.org/

Mufida has a degree in English Education from A.B.U Zaria Plus an M.A English in view. She is a humanitarian care provider ensuring SDG 4 of “Quality Education ” and SDG 5 “Gender Equality”are achieved. Her venture provides educational relief materials to underserved communities at a subsidised rate to enable all children access to education with a specific focus on girls. Added to the above, they substantially want to increase the number of girls with vocational and technical skills to boost productivity in the digital economy thereby supporting SDG 8, “Decent Work and Economic Growth” by training them on pad making and computer literacy. By providing uniforms, footwear, bags and writing materials they enable children to start their education , with certainty they will stay in school and attain a minimum proficiency level in literacy and numeracy. The project started as a not-for-profit but evolved into a for profit in order to sustain the organization. Her major responsibility as a leader is to amplify as well as generate revenue for the organization. Also, her commitment to the pursuit of education and equitable access to it for all, fueled her resilience to shoulder two businesses concurrently. What Mufida can offer other fellows. Believing we are all educators in one way or another, she is ready to share her knowledge, best practices as well as expertise.

What Mufida can offer other fellows:

Mufida believes we are all educators in one way or another other and there is no island of knowledge. She can share with other fellows her knowledge as well as expertise.

Connect with Mufida on social media:

Business Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/randulearningsolutions?mibextid=ZbWKwL

Personal Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ummahi?mibextid=ZbWKwL

Personal Twitter: https://twitter.com/mufida_isyaku?t=0JiR5-2S_uQ673H5G-bk4g&s=09

Business Instagram: @randulearningsolutions

Mariatu G. Kanu is a graduate of Community Health and Clinical Sciences from Njala University. She is an Entrepreneur, a Period Advocate, and a Maternal Health enthusiast who is passionate about innovation and creating simple lifesaving solutions to solving some of the world’s pressing challenges. Mariatu and her team work tirelessly to ensure that SheCures Sanitary products are accessible to everyone that needs them through community engagements by providing washable pads, sexual and reproductive health booklets, and providing health training for community-based organizations. Through their work, they aspire to increase girls’ school attendance, create jobs for young people, and build a generation that is health-minded. Mariatu is also the founder of Resilient in Empowerment and Advocacy for Life Skills, an initiative that is geared to support girls’ health, education, and empowerment.

What Mariatu can offer other fellows:

Mariatu can share her experience with other fellows.

Connect with Mariatu on social media:

Business website: https://www.facebook.com/100066192172218/posts/216675810548823/?d=n

Business Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/100066192172218/posts/216675810548823/?d=n

Personal Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/100066192172218/posts/216675810548823/?d=n

Business Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/CJdP2H9p1qh/?utm_medium=copy_link

Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/CJdP2H9p1qh/?utm_medium=copy_link

Bisi MacGregor is an expert in mastering and transcending internal fears, an award-winning international speaker, and a results-focused facilitator. She has over two decades of experience in Corporate Finance. She is the founder of Fear2Freedom LLC which offers a range of services, including training, group coaching, and private mentoring and coaching. Fear2Freedom LLC is on a mission to lead 10,000 women in the Liberated Woman Movement by 2028 with a focus on increasing women in leadership positions and providing robust education on critical life and soft skills for full self-expression. American-born to Nigerian parents, Bisi’s multicultural background allows her to connect deeply with her clients. She holds a B.A. in Economics, an MBA, and certifications as a Certified Fearless Living Coach and a Certified Fearless Trainer. Bisi enjoys nature walks, traveling, hosting brunch events, and playing auntie to one of her eight nieces and nephews.

What Bisi can offer other fellows:

She can support other fellows by sharing her expertise, skills, negotiation tactics, and interior design principles.

Connect with Bisi on social media:

Business website: www.bisimacgregor.com

Business Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bisimacgregor?mibextid=ZbWKwL

Personal Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beeh.mac

Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bisimacgrego

Dr. Lynn Green is the Founder and President of TMC, an award-winning organizational development and talent engagement firm that delivers competency-based professional certifications and licensing exams for the government, states, professional associations, and academic and corporate organizations. Most recently, TMC was awarded a contract with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to deliver their aviation exams. TMC facilitates professional development training for school administrators and B2B for corporations in the area of employee retention, engagement, and competency development. TMC ensures a significant number of resources are allocated to helping clients obtain decent work and economic sustainability, through employment opportunities and targeted career development. TMC was recognized as the Small Business FAV 2021 award recipient from the Austin Young Chamber and was a nominee for the Greater Black Chamber of Commerce for Small Business Award 2022. Lynn holds a BS degree in Financial Planning from Texas Tech University and dual MBAs in Human Resources Management and Finance from Kennesaw State University. She holds a Ph.D. in Education with a research focus on Adult Education in the context of Organizational Commitment and Professional Development in public schools after a RIF. Lynn is a Board Member for two non-profit organizations and belongs to several professional and industry associations including the Association of Adult Literacy Professional Developers and the Society of Human Resources Management. Lynn was a nominee for the Women’s Profile in Power award from the Austin Business Journal for Central Texas. She has served in various leadership organizations including Leadership Austin Emerge Program and is an inductee of the Leadership Round Rock 2023 class.

What Lynn can offer other fellows:

Lynn can offer other fellows her expertise in career development, talent engagement, organizational culture, and change management. Her experience in entrepreneurship and education can help other fellows to know that they too can continue to achieve their personal and professional goals despite obstacles and adversity. She can emotionally provide support to other fellows by being that sounding board to listen and network to build others up and have fun sharing their unique stories.

Connect with Lynn on social media:

Business website: www.taylormadecareersllc.com

Business Facebook: www.facebook.com/tmc_round_rock

Business Twitter: @tmc_round_rock

Business Instagram: @tmc_round_rock

Lucy Muthusi is a wife and mother of two girls, a passionate women’s empowerment enthusiast, and the co-founder and head of the finance and accounting department at Rockmont Limited, a business that provides clean water to homesteads in the rural, arid Kitui county, East of the Kenya capital, Nairobi. The search for water, especially in rural areas, is primarily the responsibility of women and girls which usually involves trekking for kilometers. Rockmont Limited provides water directly to homesteads through pipework from a single source. As a result, they have provided job opportunities directly and indirectly, improved the performance of girls in school, and reduced early and teenage pregnancies and sexual assault. Thus far, they have reached 170 homesteads and aspire to grow this to 2,000 homesteads in the next five years. Through her work, Lucy has been recognized by ALX to participate in its Financial Analyst Program cohort 3, an African organization that operates in all African countries that believes in creating impact by doing hard things, and is now a Room Fellow through it. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Management- Finance and Banking from Moi University is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and holds a certificate in Financial Modelling and Valuation Analyst from the Corporate Finance Institute. She aspires to lead an organization with global presence and influence and soon enroll in a postgraduate degree program to study economics at one of the Ivy League Universities. Lucy believes that the world has enough resources to afford every person on earth a life of dignity.

What Lucy can offer other fellows:

Lucy can offer her knowledge of financial analysis and the three financial statements, the development of business plans, business development, and general support as may be needed.

Connect with Lucy on social media:

Personal Twitter: @lucymuthusi

Pili Mejia is the founder and CEO of Interservicios, a marketing company providing services to retail and food companies. Interservicios’ driver is helping improve the customer experience in their business. Their services include creating websites, social media communications, and optimizing advertising. They support the UN SDGs by employing an all-women team and creating better opportunities for children by teaching English in public schools. As the public system does not provide English courses, Interservicios is filling this gap, providing classes to a school of 240 kids. Pili holds two master’s degrees in marketing and has worked in retail for 20 years and as a university professor. Pili holds an international certification in Leadership and has two dogs.

What Pili can offer other fellows:

Pili can offer other fellows support with marketing, leadership, and community help.

Connect with Pili on social media:

Business website: WWW.interservicios.biz

Personal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pilimejia/

Business Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PiliMejia2

Personal Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pili.mejia1

Personal Twitter: https://twitter.com/pililinam

Business Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/interservicios_gt/

Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pililinamejia/

Business TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@pililinam

Leila Khalife is the CEO and business development manager at Gudtolli Lebanese fresh pasta. Gudtolli’s mission is to create a memorable experience for their customers by providing them with fresh, healthy, and nutritious pasta, all produced by women to empower them, and from local ingredients to support Lebanese farmers. They strive to grow globally to offer an exquisite combination of Lebanese and Italian cuisine at a modest price. They promise to provide quality, top-choice pasta products. As a team of devoted employees and top management, they are committed to giving their customers the best product with the highest level of quality and the best price. Their objective is to give their customers complete satisfaction when consuming their product with an exceptional experience that combines the Lebanese culture with the traditional Italian taste. Their attention is focused on their suppliers and farmers to ensure that they provide them with ingredients of superior quality and to ensure the certainty of an end result that represents the “made in Lebanon” pasta excellence. Their team is continuously trained to deliver to their customers the safest product whilst implementing international regulations, standards, and rules in quality and food safety production and to guarantee constant customer communication, satisfaction, and loyalty.

What Leila can offer other fellows:

Leila can give food safety and quality training sessions for many levels. She is also an ISO 22000 lead auditor and 9001 auditor-certified IRCA license.

Connect with Leila on social media:

Business website: Gudtolli

Personal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leila-khalife-4368b944

Business Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gudtolli.lb

Personal Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leila.khalife

Business Instagram: https://www.facebook.com/gudtolli.lb

Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leilakhalife4/?hl=en

Business TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@gudtolli/video/7186752426349743362?_r=1&_t=8YwYz7NY09J&is_from_webapp=v1&item_id=7186752426349743362

Leeanna Gantt invented her patented Tooktake dosage reminder label system after her treatment for breast cancer and the subsequent need to take daily medication to stay well. Tooktake is a simple no-tech label system that makes it easy to know at a glance if you took or still need to take all forms of supplements or medications and is designed for people of all ages. Currently, there is a strong stigma toward people who need to take medications and supplements (over-the-counter and prescription). They are frequently perceived as “old,” “giving up,” “lazy”, “less than” or “broken”. None of these things are true and with Tooktake, Leeanna would like to encourage people to talk about their medications and supplements, so that family and friends can understand what they take or use to get and stay well and how to support them. Having worked as a creative director and a nonprofit leader, Leeanna is uniquely qualified to encourage this conversation about chronic conditions, wellness routines, and health goals. This goal aligns with UN Sustainable Development Goal 3: “to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages”. Medication non-adherence, not taking them as directed, is a global issue. In the USA, it is estimated that 75% of the population has at least one prescription and 50% don’t take them as directed. This is associated with poor clinical outcomes, reduced quality of life, and high healthcare and societal costs. When Leeanna isn’t working, she enjoys spending time with her family.

What Leeanna can offer other fellows:

Leeanna previously worked as an advertising creative director and can help guide other fellows in finding their brand voice and creating a consistent message and tone for their brand.

Connect with Leeanna on social media:

Business website: www.tooktake.com

Personal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leeanna-g-84221035/

Business Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hellotooktake

Personal Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leeanna.gantt/

Business Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tooktake/

Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lggantt/

Business TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hellotooktake

Kate Pepler graduated from Dalhousie University with a BA in Sustainability, Environmental Science and a minor in Marine Biology. For a year after completing her degree, she was feeling overwhelmed with the doom and gloom narrative of our Earth’s health. This led to her “Eureka!” moment of creating The Tare Shop which combines all of her passions—oceans, reducing plastic pollution, environmental education, and fostering community—into one community-based business.

The Tare Shop is a package-free coffee shop and bulk store. As the first package-free store in Halifax, Canada they provide alternatives to over-packaged food, household, and personal items. Founded by Kate in October 2018, with locations in central Halifax and downtown Dartmouth, The Tare Shop aims to reduce barriers and encourage more sustainable living. You can grab your coffee, groceries, beauty supplies, and more, all package-free. They also host engaging community events such as workshops and lectures. Like any great idea, The Tare Shop was born out of a burning need and desire to do better. As a certified B Corp, they constantly strive to improve their score and plan to reapply for the certification every 3 years.

What Kate can offer other fellows:

Kate can help other fellows develop and implement sustainability in their business.

Connect with Kate on social media:

Business website: thetareshop.com

Personal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-pepler-74044a115/

Business Facebook: facebook.com/thetareshop

Business Twitter: twitter.com/thetareshop

Business Instagram: instagram.com/thetareshop

Personal Instagram: instagram.com/katepepler

Business TikTok: @thetareshop

In 2012, Kamaldeep founded Malaika Gifts & Interiors in Nakuru, Kenya targeting tourists, NGO staffers, and anyone else seeking unusual gifts for weddings and other special occasions. She works with male and female artisans to produce high-quality handmade gift items, as well as with various groups to help lift these individuals to a place where their efforts cannot go astray and unaccomplished. She has a very strong belief that as she empowers as many people as she can, they will go on to reach out to many other women who are illiterate and lack the knowledge to influence their saving and investment skills. This social network is based on raising the economic standards of women in society. Kamaldeep believes that educating a woman is educating society. She also works as a consultant for entrepreneurs who wish to venture into the salon business. Kamaldeep has 24 years of experience in customer service and is skilled in bookkeeping, cash handling and reconciliation, staff management, and human resources. She is fluent in English and has basic language skills in Punjabi and Swahili. Kamaldeep is also the Director of Styles Tomorrow, the Membership Director of Rotary Club Rideways, the Assistant Chair of the Ubinifu Association, and a part of the African Women’s Entrepreneurship Program.

What Kamaldeep can offer other fellows:

Kamaldeep can share with other fellows networking and marketing skills.

Connect with Kamaldeep on social media:

Business website: https://www.malaikagifts.com

Personal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kamaldeep-sandhu/

Business Facebook: @malaikagiftskenya

Personal Facebook: @Kamaldeepsandhu

Business Instagram: @malaikagifts

Josephine Ehimen is the founder and CEO of Nett Pharmacy and is responsible for driving the vision and mission of the company. Nett Pharmacy was founded in September 2004 with a mission to provide top-quality medicines and skin care products to enable their customers to live well and live better. For nearly two decades, Nett Pharmacy has been able to create a brand synonymous with the promotion of wellness and quality pharmaceutical service delivery with more than 20 retail outlets located in major cities across Nigeria. Through its corporate social responsibility programs, Nett Pharmacy continues to advocate for the responsible use of medication and a preventive approach to health by organizing free medical outreach initiatives that provide tips on lifestyle modification and health screenings for common diseases like hypertension, diabetes, glaucoma, hepatitis B and osteoporosis. In 2022, Nett Pharmacy organized more than 40 outreach initiatives and screened about 3,200 participants. Josephine is a recipient of various awards including the Pharmalliance Inspiration Award (2019), The Distinguished Pharmacist award by the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (2022), the Award of Excellence from the University of Benin Alumni, Lagos Branch (2022), amongst others. Josephine is a very driven person and some of her core values are tenacity, passion for excellence and a continuous quest for knowledge and personal development. She is an alumnus of the University of Benin, Lagos Business School, University of British Columbia (Canada) and the Eaton Business School (Dubai). Josephine is married to Chris Ehimen and they are blessed with three children.

What Josephine can offer other fellows:

Josephine can offer other fellows leadership training, insights on business development and mentorship from her own experience.

Connect with Josephine on social media:

Business website: www.nettpharmacy.com

Personal LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/josephine-ehimen-b169b344

Business Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nettpharmacy

Personal Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/josephine.ehimen

Business Twitter: https://twitter.com/nettpharmacy

Business Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nettpharmacy/

Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joehimen/

Business YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@nettpharmacy5729

Joana Miguel-Pacheco is the owner and CEO of Joana Miguel Bienestar Emocional, a coaching consultancy firm. Joana Miguel Bienestar Emocional promotes mental health and prevents suicide and substance abuse. The company supports its clients with emotional management mechanisms as a tool to improve mental health, gives vocational training and helps teenagers find their values. They also support women in finding their life’s purpose through self-awareness to achieve wellness. The most important impact that the firm has in the community is helping women to be aware and connected with their inner power, promoting wellness as a basic need, and collaborating with NGOs that support women at risk. Joana’s life purpose is to be a compassionate and authentic bridge for women to find their inner power. She taps into her values of freedom, appreciation, inspiration, authenticity, gratitude, and meaningful life to accomplish this purpose. Joana holds a degree in Industrial Engineering from Universidad de Lima. She had been working for 20 years in the manufacturing, retail, and mining industries when she decided to learn yoga, mindfulness, and holistic therapies from many different teachers. She has Level II Reiki Certification by the Usui Reiki Association, has a Reconnection and Reconnective Healing Practitioner Certificate by The Reconnection and her most recent study is an Existential Coaching Certification by the Colombian Institute SAPS which is accredited by the International Association of Logotherapy and Existential Analysis at the Viktor Frankl Institute Vienna. This latest certificate will help her to empower women to take charge of their growing and healing process.

What Joana can offer other fellows:

Joana can provide her peers with coaching and mentoring specifically in yoga and mindfulness practices, and her knowledge in existentialist themes of freedom, choice, responsibility, authenticity, creation of meaning, self, and other, and anxiety, for beginning to construct their infrastructure of understanding and values. She will be happy to partner with other fellows to offer online conferences, meetings, or panels on successful women.

Connect with Joana on social media:

Business website: https://joanamiguelpacheco.wixsite.com/bienestaremocional

Business Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joanamiguel.bienestaremocional/

Personal Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joanamiguel/

Business Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joanamiguel.bienestar/

Holland Haiis is a workplace strategist, high-performance executive coach, keynote speaker, and award-winning author. Holland helps individuals and organizations with professional development solutions to improve conscious leadership, increase effective communication, and boost workplace well-being. Her human-centered solutions are science-based in behavioral psychology, positive psychology, NLP, stress mastery, as well as human and team dynamics. Holland began her career in HR at one of New York City’s largest law firms. While at the firm Holland worked to create an organization of cohesive leadership and a culture of collaboration. After leaving the firm she started a consulting practice transitioning New York City’s elite physicians out of hospitals and into private practice. With decades of experience designing, developing, and implementing training programs, Holland’s mission is to shift the consciousness of the planet through the awareness of servant and transformational leadership. Holland was named one of 100 Global Thought Leaders along with Suze Orman and Deepak Chopra. She is the founder of Stand Up to Lead, an organization that supports and empowers women in business, and is often interviewed for her expertise on/by CNN, CBS, FOX News, CNBC, HuffPost, Thrive Global, Inc, HR.Com, The Globe & Mail and many more.

What Holland can offer other fellows:

Holland has coached individuals on how to be better on-stage speakers and can support other women in this area. She can also support participants in their outlines for keynotes, panels, etc. She can provide support to those who need an emcee, panelist, or speaker for their event, as well as support Vital Voices in this capacity. Holland is a great strategist and can offer support in that way too.

Connect with Holland on social media:

Business website: https://www.hollandhaiis.com/

Personal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/holland-haiis-2a001637/

Business Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hollandhaiis/

Personal Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/haiisholland/

Business Twitter: https://twitter.com/hollandhaiis?lang=en

Business Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hollandhaiis/?hl=en

Elnura Kassymova is the CEO of the Eurasian School of Business and Entrepreneurship and the President of the Educational Technologies and Initiatives Fund. The Education Technologies and Initiatives Fund creates educational programs and ecosystems, including mentoring programs, courses, training, events, and business incubators for youth, girls, women, entrepreneurs, heads of NGOs, and vulnerable groups including large and low-income families. The Fund’s activities are based on the following UN Sustainable Development Goals: 4, Quality Education; 5, Gender Equality; 8, Decent Work and Economic Growth; 9, Industry Innovation and Infrastructure; and 17, Partnerships for the Goals. The main strategic objectives of the Fund are to reduce gender inequality and eliminate inequality in education for girls and women in Central Asia by engaging women’s sectoral, industry, and thematic communities, and holding regional educational programs. At the moment, the Fund, in cooperation with the Eurasian School of Business and Entrepreneurs, is developing a Mentor Spark social educational online platform for women professionals and entrepreneurs, which includes educational media content, mentoring, online university, and thematic and industry communities of Central Asia. In 2023, they are planning to launch the Mentor Spark Women in Business online community on the Mentor Spark platform, together with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). Elnura has 15 years of experience in the development and organization of educational programs and has been an international consultant for EBRD for seven years, launching mentoring programs for women entrepreneurs in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Mongolia. Since 2017, she has served as the developer, methodologist, and operator of the EBRD program “Mentoring for Women Entrepreneurs of Kazakhstan”, which cooperates closely with women’s organizations in Central Asia.

What Elnura can offer other fellows:

Elnura can share her experience with women mentorship programs and women startups.

Connect with Elnura on social media:

Business website: mentoring.kz

Personal Facebook: Elnura Kassymova

Personal Instagram: elnura_kassymova

Ejiro Jakpa is the founder and chief executive officer of The Nicnax Company, an Agrofood processing company with innovative solutions to convert staple foods into nutritious foods whilst creating markets for smallholder farmers. The Nicnax Company manufactures affordable and nutritious food and snacks, and in the process creates jobs and strengthens supply chain partnerships with farmers, while empowering aggregators of various products and services. Their products include Nutee Peanut Butter, Nicnax Granola, oat flour, and honey. Alongside Ejiro’s entrepreneurial passion, she is an advocate and a champion for SMEs, and women founders. She actively encourages budding entrepreneurs through public speaking, training, and mentoring sessions, to look beyond the obvious challenges (most notably, capital), and to draw on their inner reserves of passion, creativity, and faith to navigate the boisterous waters of small business. Ejiro is a graduate of Computing Studies from London Southbank University with a double master’s in Innovative Manufacturing and Management & IS from Cranfield University. She has over 20 years of experience as a senior professional within the IT, financial services, and consumer electronics retail sectors. Her future vision for herself as an entrepreneur is to build a pan-African brand from Nigeria of global repute that stands the test of time.

What Ejiro can offer other fellows:

Ejiro can support other participants by sharing the process and ways to go about setting up an agro-processing company in Nigeria. She can also give support in the area of pitching.

Connect with Ejiro on social media:

Business website: www.nicnaxgranola.com

Personal LinkedIn: https://wwwlinkedin.com/in/ejirojakpa

Business Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/NUTEE-Peanut-Butter-107210661480393/

Business Instagram: @nuteepeanutbutter

Personal Instagram: @ejirojakpa

Eby Onaku is the founder and owner of Elcornel Business Enterprise. In her role, she is responsible for overseeing all the activities in the company, including maintaining the company’s vision, mission and strategic plan, setting up systems and procedures to ensure success over time, communicating with employees, and more. Elcornel Business Enterprise is focused on growing fresh, safe, quality food while protecting the environment using greenhouse farming techniques. Their goal is to be the number one household brand for fresh food by 2050. Elcornel Business Enterprise is focused on empowering young girls and women by employing and training them in sustainable farming techniques. They continue to experiment with ways to provide cheaper and more efficient methods in an effort to drive progress on SDG 2, Zero Hunger, and SDG 8, Decent Work and Economic Growth in their community. Before Eby decided to become a farmer, she obtained a degree in Geography and Planning and has worked with British American Tobacco, Guinness Nigeria, and Habanera Limited (a member company of Japan Tobacco) in progressive sales roles for over 13 years. Eby is committed to continuous professional growth and learning, a high level of integrity, transparency, and great respect for people. One of her passions is helping people find solutions to their problems and that is why she has committed her time to volunteering

What Eby can offer other fellows:

Eby can build strong relationships with the other participants to share her knowledge and expertise, share new opportunities and volunteer her time.

Connect with Eby on social media:

Business website: https://elcornel-business-enterprise.business.site/

Personal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eby-onaku-73080519b

Business Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elcornel?mibextid=ZbWKwL

Personal Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eonaku?mibextid=ZbWKwL

Business Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elcornel_farms

Doreen Kiconco holds a BA in Human Resource Management from Ndejje University with two certificates in Business Foundation and Virtual Assistant. Doreen is the co-founder of African Continental Crafts Ltd, a social impact enterprise in Uganda with a mission of advancing design innovations and market access for underserved artisans in Africa. The enterprise works with marginalized communities including rural youth and women, youth and women living in slums, indigenous peoples, people with disabilities, and elderly who have limited livelihood alternatives and cultural materials, with artisan practices as their primary resource The enterprise has a hybrid model in which adapted crafts including jewelry, home decor, baskets, apparel and consolidated ancient designs are offered to the market, while capacity development in design innovations, business, and digital marketing skills are offered to under reached makers. These innovations are adapted to the mainstream creative manufacturing sector and drive inclusion in the artisan economy. The African Continental Crafts Ltd creates jobs, transforms endangered artisan practices into enterprises, and improves the lives of people living under $2 per day. In these efforts, they support SDG 1, “No Poverty”, and SDG 10, “Reduced Inequalities”. Doreen loves deploying her energy to confront conditions that deprive people. In her role at the African Continental Crafts roles, she coordinates ongoing improvements to the business model and solicits business grants, investments, and partnerships. Her career milestone is participating in designing the business model.

Connect with Doreen on social media:

Business website: https://www.africancontinentalcrafts.net/

Personal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/doreen-kiconco-857171238/

Business Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/African-Continental-Crafts-108224698386319

Business Twitter: https://twitter.com/AfricanContine5

Delilah Panio is passionate about the multiplier effect of women achieving financial success, impacting everything from economics to politics to climate change. Fueled by this passion, Delilah created Fortuna Funding as a practical and intentional guide for women entrepreneurs to access aligned capital. This is critical to closing the significant funding gap to generate sustainable wealth for women and to transform that wealth into economic power. She achieves this mission through educational programs and partnerships, including with UBS Women’s Wealth and Coralus (formerly SheEO) on Project Female Founder, an investor-readiness and global network accelerator for women founders. Delilah is the co-founder of We Are Enough, a non-profit that educates women on why and how to invest in women-led businesses and/or with a gendered lens. Her work addresses UN SDG 5, Gender Equality, and SDG 8, Decent Work and Economic Growth. Delilah is also Vice President of the U.S. Capital Formation for Toronto Stock Exchange, advising U.S. companies on going public in Canada. With over 20 years of experience in the capital markets, Delilah guides private and public financing options, from bootstrapping to IPO. Delilah is a frequent speaker and pitch judge and coach and sits on several advisory boards, including Women Leaders of Octane, MAPLE Business Council, WE Global Studios, and The Allyship. Delilah holds an MBA in Enterprise Development and is certified as a Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) Master Practitioner. Delilah is exploring the question: “What if all women had access to aligned capital? How would this change everything?”

What Delilah can offer other fellows:

Delilah would be delighted to share her knowledge of raising capital, funding options, and investing in women. Specifically, she can help with funding strategies, pitch decks, and asking for funding.

Connect with Delilah on social media:

Business website: https://fortunafunding.biz/

Personal Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/delilah.panio

Business Twitter: @fortunafunding

Personal Twitter: @delilahpanio

Business Instagram: fortunafunding

Personal Instagram: delilah_panio

Christine Winebrenner Irick is the founder of Lotus Sojourns and the host of the Soul of Travel podcast. Lotus Sojourns is a mindful adventure travel company with global journeys designed in collaboration with or in support of local social impact projects or gender equity initiatives. She also has a unique offering for destinations to partner to create an Amplified Sojourn, a 3-month immersive experience deepening a traveler’s understanding of the country before traveling. Her company supports UN SDG 5, Gender Equality; SDG 4, Quality Education; SDG 13, Climate Action; and SDG 3, Good Health and Well-Being. Christine’s podcast celebrates women making a positive impact in tourism and was recognized in 2022 by Wanderful, receiving the Bessie Award for a brand that has gone above and beyond to support, empower and represent women in the past year. She has worked with tourism organizations to help tell the stories of their brands or events by curating on-camera interviews during the event or hosting interviews with speakers to promote the organization’s events. Her over twenty-year career has strengthened her dedication to creating a positive impact as travelers and her belief that tourism allows us to better understand ourselves, the world, and the interconnectedness of the planet and all its life forms. She wants women everywhere to know themselves to be equal and valuable members of our global community. She has a Master of Tourism Administration from George Washington University with concentrations in Sustainable Destination Management and Event Planning. She is a bookworm, yogi, and girl mom.

What Christine can offer other fellows:

Christine can share her experience in podcasting.

Connect with Christine on social media:

Business website: https://www.lotussojourns.com

Personal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinefounderlotussojourns/

Business Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lotussojourns

Personal Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jc.brenne

Business Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lotussojourns

Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/she.sojourn

Business YouTube: @lotussojourns

Christine Trinh is the co-founder of Beeja May, a purpose-driven e-commerce business that offers pre-loved children’s clothing, books, and toys. Beeja May’s mission is to slow down fast fashion by making circularity more accessible to families from all walks of life. Christine holds a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) from the Schulich School of Business in Toronto, Canada.

What Christine can offer other fellows:

Christine would be happy to share her experience of turning a side business into her full-time job.

Connect with Christine on social media:

Business website: https://www.beejamay.com/ 

Business LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/company/beejamay

Personal LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/christine-trinh-mba-608ab43a

Business Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shopbeejamay/

Business Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beeja.may/?hl=en

Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bm.christine/?hl=en

Chioma Nwokedi Momah is the lead consultant at Lydia & Sam’s Consults, a brand focused on delivering solutions with integrity, creativity and clarity. Chioma is a public policy lawyer and corporate strategist with over 15 years of experience in the public sector. As an author and a parenting- and family life advocate, she has authored several books for children and facilitated several trainings for working parents and their children. Her three children’s books are First Day at Big School, Fun Day at the Museum and Fun Trip to the Village (all on Amazon). For adults, she has written Wisdom for Women (Vol1): A book about Women in History and Wisdom for Women (Vol2): A book about Women in the Bible. As a communications expert, she serves as editor for several publications and contributes to several platforms such as BellaNaija, Leadership Newspaper, and her own blog www.chiomah.net. She is a literacy enthusiast and holds book readings at various schools across the country and speaks on the importance of literacy. She holds an L.L.B. fromObafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria, as well as an MBA from Anglia Ruskin University in the United Kingdom and an MPA from the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom. She is a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and the Nigerian Bar Association. She is skilled in both oral and written communication and holds several certifications in parenting, communications, and data analytics. She has also published several articles in academic journals on public policy and serves on the board of several NGOs. She is married with four amazing children.

What Chioma can offer other fellows:

Chioma can offer mentoring, teachings on how to network, and public speaking skills.

Connect with Chioma on social media:

Business website: www.chiomah.net

Business Instagram: chiomahmomah

Chelsea Brown is the founder and CEO of Millie, a social enterprise and community that amplifies women’s voices. Millie believes in the power of connection and compassion to expand perspective and improve lives. The Millie Marketplace, an online shop featuring handmade, one-of-a-kind pieces, promotes economic opportunities and empowerment for women, working with makers in more than 15 countries. Chelsea also hosts and produces The Millie Podcast, introducing listeners to extraordinary women, and interviewing thought-leaders like Dame Elizabeth Anoinwe DBE FRCN, Sangita Patel, Lina Khalifeh, Pauline Schmidt, Nadine Kaadan, and more. Chelsea is also a Digital Communications Specialist at the Institute for Canadian Citizenship, a non-profit that works to unlock Canada for newcomers. A women’s advocacy champion and human rights and education equity activist, Chelsea sits on the International advisory board of Femme International, an organization that helps address the needs of menstruators in low-income communities. To date, under Chelsea’s dynamic leadership, Millie has collaborated with 70+ women globally, shared 40 WOC stories, created the Sitti x Millie scholarship campaign for women and girls, revived the Pin Project, and contributed over $100,000 to programs that facilitate access to education. Millie’s partner organizations include Femme International, Hopes for Women in Education, Turquoise Mountain, and more. A Toronto native, Chelsea has lived in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada and has traveled extensively for work and pleasure. She has made over 15 trips to Jordan with Millie Travels, which has provided her the clarity: “only by forging relationships with people across the world can we improve it.”

What Chelsea can offer other fellows:

Chelsea is a connector and would love to help anyone looking to get into new spaces or build new partnerships.

Connect with Chelsea on social media:

Business website: Millie.ca

Business Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Themilliecommunity

Personal Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chelsea.brown.566790/

Business Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themilliecommunity/

Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chelseaatmillie/

Charaya is the CEO of The Smoothie Queen where her responsibilities consist of paying for the brick-and-mortar, getting supplies, labels, inventory, fruit, management and so much more. The Smoothie Queen’s mission is “to aid in the transition and development of a healthier lifestyle by creating fresh and customized meal replacements and detox smoothies”. They offer all-natural smoothies without preservatives, as well as detox’s, meal replacements, and sip and cleanses. All of their smoothies last up to 10 days in the freezer and three days on the shelves in the fridge. They also have keto and vegan smoothies, as well. A major way the business is serving the community and giving back is through coat drives, toy drives, pop-up shops, and much more. The biggest milestone for Charaya is being able to provide better beverage options and helping her family first. The Smoothie Queen will always be known as the place where only the freshest fruits survive! What drives Charya is being able to have a product that helps others and gives them the best beverage options. Charaya holds a degree in criminal justice. She believes the greatest thing about The Smooth Queen’s smoothies are you don’t have to say a thing, it’s the taste that speaks for itself!

What Charaya can offer other fellows:

Charaya can offer her time, skills, and knowledge.

Connect with Charaya on social media:

Business website: www.thesmoothiequeenllc.com

Business Facebook: The Smoothie Queen LLC

Personal Facebook: Charaya Bennett

Business Instagram: The Smoothie_Queen

Business TikTok: The Smoothie Queen LLC

Carmen is a gender and development consultant and the Chief Empowerment Officer of HerStore Asia, a digital startup that supports women enterprises in the Philippines and across Southeast Asia. She has 15 years of experience in development in both the public and private sectors and is a Feminist Nurse Leader. Carmen has worked for non-governmental organizations Gawad Kalinga, VSO Nepal, and CFC Medical Mission and also served as Deputy and Acting Project Manager of a bilateral government project called the GREAT Women Project 2 of the Philippine Commission on Women, that supported over 3,500 women enterprises nationwide. She received her bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of Santo Tomas and obtained her Master of Arts in Women and Development with an Academic Excellence Award from the University of the Philippines Diliman. In 2013, she was the youngest outstanding alumna awardee of the Manila Science High School, the first science high school in the Philippines. She is an ASEAN Youth Fellow and a 2022 YSEALI Professional Fellow. She is most passionate about building a better ecosystem for women’s economic empowerment.

What Carmen can offer other fellows:

Carmen can share her knowledge and skills in training and development related to women’s economic empowerment, gender, and health, and documentary photography.

Connect with Carmen on social media:

Business website: https://herstore.asia

Personal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carmzlopez/

Business Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/herstore.asia

Personal Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carmzlopez

Personal Twitter: https://twitter.com/carmzlopez

Business Instagram: https://www.linkedin.com/company/herstoreasia/

Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carmzlopez/

Bosede Titilope Nwachi holds an HND in Building Technology from Osun State College of Technology and is a corporate member of the Nigeria Institute of Building. She has completed the mini-MBA in Entrepreneurship Development Program from Lagos Business School, is the President of the Business and Professional Women Oshogbo Osun State, the Tourism Committee chairman for the Osun State Chambers of Commerce, is the Associated Treasurer for the Nigeria America Chambers of Commerce Osun State Chapter and the Founder of September Fifteenth Logistics Limited. September Fifteenth Logistics Limited is an adire textile design company based in Lagos and Oshogbo Osun state in Nigeria. The company offers design production and sales of adire textiles, also known as tie and dye. September Fifteenth Logistics Limited works in support of the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2,5 and 8 through their social impact program called Train a Trainer Women Empowerment initiative. The program trains women in different vocations and enterprise skills to bridge the gender equality gap through empowerment and job creation.

What Bosede can offer other fellows:

Bosede can teach other fellows adire textile making.

Connect with Bosede on social media:

Business website: www.sep15adire.com

Business Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sep15adire

Personal Facebook: https://www.Facebook/bosedetitilopenwachi

Business Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sep15adire

Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bosedenwachi

Business TikTok: @bosedetitilopenwachi

Bhavini Parikh is a remarkably committed social entrepreneur from India. She is a textile artist and fashion designer and the founder and creative director of Bunko Junko. Her flair for pursuing novel ideas while working on garment ornamentation and embroidery for established manufacturing brands lead to the addressing of community-oriented problems and the socio-economic growth of more than 1,000 women through employment opportunities. During her initial years in garment manufacturing, she nurtured the idea of upcycling waste fabrics from garments and home furnishings and décor and exhibited them. This passion of hers offered an open-ended platform for social innovation that was one of a kind. Bhavini aimed to revive the craftsmanship and talent that is unharnessed among tribal and rural women and relentlessly worked towards unleashing it. Over the years, her company took up several challenges and has successfully focused on converting the waste of fabrics and scrapes into commercially viable products, while exercising friendly upcycling and manufacturing methods. Her passion and hard work have led to the successful development of an unconventional business idea that aids in eradicating the social and environmental issues of waste fabrics and materials. Bhavini has proved that there are no impossibilities in the world if you have the fervor and zeal to pursue your goals!!

What Bhavini can offer other fellows:

Bhavini can share her network connections to help foster collaboration for the betterment of society at the grassroots level and her artisan contacts. She can also share her skills in upcycling.

Connect with Bhavini on social media:

Business website: https://www.bunkojunko.com

Personal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bhaviniparikhbunkojunko/

Business Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bunkojunkostudio

Personal Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bhavini.parikh

Business Twitter: https://twitter.com/bunkojunko1

Business Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bunkojunko/

Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parikhbhavini/

Ardak Yerali is the founder and CEO of O’Peers, an affordable mental health care platform for employees. She is a Techstars Alumni and founder of the Mentor2Mentor community focused on women’s mental health, with more than 1,000 members. O’Peers is on a mission to provide equitable and accessible mental health care for every American company, regardless of size. Two of the most common mental health conditions, depression, and anxiety, cost the global economy $1 trillion each year. O’Peers’ priority is to help companies to build a happy workplace and boost employee productivity and retention through mental wellness. As of today, 76 percent of their mental wellness circle participants reported feeling less lonely and stressed while mainly working remotely.

What Ardak can offer other fellows:

Ardak can offer her knowledge in the mental health space and mental health coaching, as well as her skills in product management, social media and marketing.

Connect with Ardak on social media:

Business Website: https://www.opeers.com/

Born and raised in the Dominican Republic Adriana completed her bachelor degree in Secondary Science Education at McGill University in Montreal and a master’s degree in Instructional Technology and Media at Columbia University in New York. While studying in New York, Adriana became interested in the intersection between education and technology and started working at The Coding Space NY as a summer camp coding instructor. The mission of The Coding Space is to help kids develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills through learning to code. Resonating with Adriana personally, she decided to license the curriculum and brand and returned to her home country of the Dominican Republic. There, she set up The Coding Space Dominican Republic, a business that she has been running since 2018. Adriana started as a solopreneur, being the sole teacher as well as the director, marketer, accountant and every role in between. Fueled by her passion to educate kids in her country where computer science education is still scarce, since 2018, Adrianahas grown the business from scratch to reach more than 200 students per week, with a team of 3 full-time teachers and 12 part-time teachers. In her spare time, she is a volunteer co-managing director of Girls in Tech DR, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping close the gender gap in technology and STEM.

What Adriana can offer other fellows:

Adriana enjoys creating efficient and automated systems and standardizing processes with the help of technology tools. Although not a professional designer, she is skilled at using tools like Canva to create visually attractive marketing materials and can share these skills with others.

Connect with Adriana on social media:

Business website: https://thecodingspacerd.com

Business Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecodingspacerd/

Personal LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/adriana-selman

Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adriana.selmant/

Aminatou Traoré is a social entrepreneur who works in the beauty sector with shea products. She is the founder and creative director of the Kashea brand, a social enterprise working in collaboration with rural women’s cooperatives to develop natural beauty products. The company, Titan Cosmetics, offers beauty products through the Kashea brand, and services linked to the supply of shea butter and almonds with the mission of increasing incomes and contributing to the empowerment of women. These services make it possible to contribute to the U.N. Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 1, by working on the reduction of poverty, particularly in rural areas; SDG 5, through the empowerment of women to ensure gender equality; and SDG 8 by providing opportunities for young people through their value chain. Aminatou is a member of WomenTech Mali, an association of women in ICT, and a member of the Mali Startup association. Aminatou is an alum of YALI Dakar session 14 with Business Entrepreneurship and TEF-PNUD Alumni Mali 2020. She is one of 150 young people chosen by the African Union and AETRDE Group to participate in IATF 2021 and part of the third winning team of the IATF Youth Hackathon. She was a participant in the World Youth Forum in Egypt and one of the Honorees Prizes of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi. Aminatou combines her background in the field of market studies and agriculture as a youth integration officer and BOP marketing officer on the Dutch 2SCALE program. Currently, she is a United Nations volunteer as a Monitoring and Evaluation Officer. Aminatou is a dynamic young woman who is passionate about community development and social impact particularly related to women.

What Aminatou can offer other fellows:

Aminatou can offer her knowledge in market studies, monitoring, and evaluation. She can support women as leaders and learn from them, as well as share her experience in the shea sector, in particular the field of African agriculture.

Connect with Aminatou on social media:

Personal Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aminatou.traore.92?mibextid=LQQJ4d

Personal Twitter: @TraorAminatou1

Business Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mykashea/

Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amiinaa.tra/

Amanda is passionate about eradicating the gender gap from a systemic and research-based approach. She believes in the power of diversity and bringing people and resources together to create a more powerful and effective impact. She is the founder of VOXAPOD®, a period wellness brand and benefits company fighting for gender equity, reducing waste, and building stronger communities, and the founding board chair of Woman Led and former board chair of XXcelerate, helping Oregon women+ entrepreneurs grow their businesses, connect with resources and peer support and scale profitably. Amanda holds a bachelor’s degree in International Business and is a 2020 Tory Burch Fellow, and FedEx,LegalZoom, and Visa Grant Recipient.

What Amanda can offer other fellows:

Amanda can share resources and tools, make introductions to her network where helpful, and provide sales knowledge.

Connect with Amanda on social media:

Business Website: www.voxapod.com

Personal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-wilson-4860a9114/

Business Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/voxapod

Business Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/voxapod

Business Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/voxapod

Business TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@voxapod

Abimbola Folorunso is a phenomenal events manager and craft coach in Abuja, Nigeria. She is passionate about event coordination and capacity building for children and adults by providing handicraft skills for a better living. She is the creative director of Bimfag Events and Craft (BEC), a Nigerian-based business that uses various crafts to beautify spaces for events and also trains children and adults, especially women, on making robust handcrafts. BEC creates lovely decor with balloons, beads, fabrics, ribbons, and other recyclable materials. BEC uses these materials to train in schools for extracurricular activities. BEC’s mission is to contribute to sustainable economic development by training at least eighty-five thousand women and girls to be self-reliant and experience financial freedom in Nigeria by the year 2032. Additionally, BEC engages in the climate change campaign of ‘Waste to Wealth’ by reusing plastic to make decor pieces, reducing non-biodegradable waste.

Abimbola was nominated as the Emerging Event Professional of the year in 2022 at the Busybee Excellence Awards. She has been able to synergize her passion for events and craft in her recently launched initiative; ‘Craftcorner with Ms Bee’, an initiative where a safe, fun-filled environment is created at parties for kids to learn different handcrafts including necklaces, bracelets, paper flowers, a saving box with recyclable materials and more. Abimbola’s background is in management and accounting and she holds a bachelor’s degree and an MBA in Human Resources from Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife, Osun State.

What Abimbola can offer other fellows:

Abimbola can offer other fellows her planning and coaching skills.

Connect with Abimbola on social media:

Business website: Instagram.com/bimfagevents

Business Facebook: Bimfag Events and Craft

Personal Facebook: Abimbola Fagade-Folorunso

Business Instagram: @bimfagtrainingcenter