As 2018 came to a close, Vital Voices celebrated the successful completion of the 5th iteration of the VV GROW Fellowship. 39 women business owners from 29 countries around the world participated in the yearlong accelerator to take their businesses and leadership to the next level.
Over the course of the year, fellows participated in webinars, completed assignments, coaching and peer calls, and attended a transformational 4-day in-person training in Dublin, Ireland, where they met the women in their cohort in person, deepened relationships and developed a strategic growth plan for their business.
Philippa Kelly, 2018 VV GROW fellow from Costa Rica and President of Casitas Tenorio B&B, shared the most important lessons learned from the Fellowship, “I really enjoyed being part of a cohort of inspiring global women. I felt supported and was given the practical tools and expertise required to plan the growth of our business in a strategic way. It was also great being able to reflect on building a business from nothing into something that is having a profound and positive impact in many people’s lives within our community and beyond.” Casitas Tenorio was just recognized as the Number 1 B&B in Costa Rica and Number 2 in Central America by TripAdvisor.
2018 VV GROW Fellows (from left to right) Haya Al-Senafi of Kuwait, Philippa Kelly of Costa Rica, Karolina Andrian of Poland, Apra Kuchhal of India and Beatriz Cricci of Brazil at the In Person Training in Dublin, Ireland. May 2018.
With the kickoff of the program in 2019, Vital Voices is pleased to welcome the sixth cohort of VV GROW fellows. From hundreds of applications, 45 remarkable women business owners from 31 countries will be participating in the fellowship this year.
Shahnas Oli Mohamed, from Malaysia shared what she is most excited about for the coming year, “I look forward to getting to know [the fellows] and drawing on each other’s strengths and synergies for mutual benefit!”
Over the course of 2019, fellows will focus on strengthening their Strategic Planning, Leadership, Marketing & Sales, Strategic Networking, Communications, Human Resources, and Finance through a variety of virtual and in-person activities. Vital Voices is looking forward to the next year with these incredible women leaders as they continue to create transformational change within their communities and businesses.
The 2018 VV GROW Cohort and trainer Yaneek Page at the In Person Training in Dublin, Ireland in May 2018
Platinum sponsor:
FedEx: FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) provides customers and businesses worldwide with a broad portfolio of transportation, e-commerce and business services. With annual revenues of $69 billion, the company offers integrated business solutions through operating companies competing collectively and managed collaboratively, under the respected FedEx brand. Consistently ranked among the world’s most admired and trusted employers, FedEx inspires its more than 450,000 team members to remain focused on safety, the highest ethical and professional standards and the needs of their customers and communities. To learn more about how FedEx connects people and possibilities around the world, please visit about.fedex.com.
Argidius Foundation: Argidius aims to help entrepreneurs to build profitable businesses and contribute to sustainable development of their communities. They do so by improving the effectiveness and reach of small and medium enterprise capacity development services.
Interested in learning more about VV GROW or getting involved, contact vvgrowfellowship@vitalvoices.org