FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
WASHINGTON, D.C. – August 10, 2023 – Vital Voices Global Partnership is proud to announce the 2023 cohort of its VV Visionaries program in partnership with the Estée Lauder Emerging Leaders Fund (ELELF) that supports the next generation of women leaders who are redefining leadership in their everyday lives.
This is the fourth cohort since the program launched and includes a diverse global makeup of 50 women leaders from 23 countries.
“These are all women who have a bold vision for change. They saw something that needed fixing in their communities and stepped up and became leaders in order to make a positive social impact. They are unified by their desire to create impact in their communities, and address barriers to women’s entry into leadership roles across various sectors in business and government and advocacy,” said Alyse Nelson, co-founder, president and CEO of Vital Voices.
The new cohort of VV Visionaries will participate in a 7-week immersive virtual experience built on the proven leadership model of Vital Voices, which incorporates lessons in leadership from Estée Lauder executives and the Vital Voices Global Network of women leaders. Participants will also have the chance to be selected to attend an annual in-person experience that provides deeper training and investment in their personal leadership journeys.
“The more-than 75-year legacy of the Estée Lauder brand shows what one visionary woman can achieve,” said Stéphane de La Faverie, Executive Group President, The Estée Lauder Companies. “Through the work of the Estée Lauder Emerging Leaders Fund and its program partners, we will champion women to contribute and lead in their workplaces and communities. We want to redefine what it means to be a leader and what it takes to lead. We want to see more women like Mrs. Estée Lauder in the world.”
After the program, participants will join the Vital Voices community of more than 20,000 changemakers across 185 countries, each of whom is daring to reimagine a more equitable world for all.
ABOUT VITAL VOICES
Now celebrating more than 25 years, Vital Voices Global Partnership has directly invested in more than 20,000 women leaders across 185 countries and territories since its inception in 1997. Driven by the universal truth that women are the key to progress in their communities and nations cannot move forward without women in leadership positions, Vital Voices has provided early support for leaders who went on to become Nobel Peace Prize Laureates, U.S. Youth Poet Laureates, prime ministers, award-winning innovators, pioneering human rights defenders, and breakthrough social entrepreneurs, including Amanda Gorman and Malala Yousafzai. In an effort to advance and expand this work, in 2022 Vital Voices opened the doors to the world’s first global embassy for women, the Vital Voices Global Headquarters for Women’s Leadership. It is a first-of-its-kind space that allows for convening, innovation, planning, and action—all in the pursuit of serving women leaders who are taking on the world’s greatest challenges.
ABOUT THE ESTÉE LAUDER EMERGING LEADERS FUND
The mission of the Estée Lauder Emerging Leaders Fund is to redefine leadership by supporting a new generation of emerging women leaders and challenging the gender stereotypes of leadership. Our brand has been redefining leadership for more than 75 years. It started with our founder, Mrs. Estée Lauder, who disrupted the beauty industry at a time when few women worked outside the home, much less started a business. Her legacy shows what one visionary woman can achieve.
Though our founder was among those who paved the way for women leaders across the globe, stereotypes and biases in leadership still leave women at a distinct disadvantage, and the implications reach far beyond perception. Through a proprietary global research study of more than 5,700 women and men, we discovered that the top 3 qualities people around the world long for in a leader are integrity, dedication, and reliability—capabilities that span across genders. We see these as being modern-day equivalents to Estée’s own driving force, and they continue to serve as the heart of the Estée Lauder brand.
The Estée Lauder Emerging Leaders Fund is a charitable fund of the Estée Lauder Companies Charitable Foundation, a U.S.-based charity incorporated and tax-exempt in the United States of America.