BCtA Series WEBINAR 1 | Women’s Empowerment: the (Inclusive) Business Case

This first webinar will examine the role inclusive business has played and can play in empowering women economically.

WHAT CAN BUSINESS DO FOR WOMEN AND WHAT CAN WOMEN DO FOR BUSINESS:

A Perspective from and for the Base of the Pyramid to Enhance Economic Opportunities for Women and Accelerate the Realization of the SDGs.

Tuesday 30th Jan 2018, 4:00-5:00 pm Istanbul time (GMT+3)

Women’s Economic Empowerment: the (Inclusive) Business Case
• Aditi Mohapatra, Director, Women’s Empowerment at BSR
• Anna Falth, Global Programme Manager, Empower Women at UN Women
• Katy Lindquist, Communications Executive at AFRIpads
Moderated by Paula Pelaez, Head of Business Call to Action

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Studies show that businesses that actively promote gender equality and women’s empowerment within their core business model enhance the economic benefits to their company, while also reducing gender inequalities in the communities where the business works. This can create and reinforce a positive cycle of economic benefits to both a company and a community.

This webinar will examine the role inclusive business has played and can play in empowering women economically – whether through the development of appropriate goods and services or through job creation and income generation opportunities. It will attempt to respond to the following questions: How can we build a strong ‘business case’ for women’s economic empowerment? How have some inclusive business models been successful at empowering women (both directly and indirectly)? What steps did they take? How can organizations promote inclusive business practices that empower women? What specific incentives can drive the private sector to adopt such practices?

This webinar is the first in BCtA’s new webinar series featuring presentations and discussions with key experts who have helped to empower women at the Base of the Pyramid (BOP) market through their research, products or services development, policy or advocacy work. This is a unique chance to engage on both conceptual and practical issues around women’s economic empowerment for the BOP market.

The initiative is built on the recognition that there is a documented business case for the private sector to actively engage women as consumers, producers, suppliers, distributors of goods and services or employees. Women’s empowerment is a prerequisite, as much as it is an outcome, for achieving all the SDGs. Our webinars will demonstrate that businesses can be profitable and contribute to a company’s overall objectives while also helping to serve the interests of women at the BOP.

Webinar discussions will feed into an insight report that will provide a comprehensive knowledge base to better understand the needs of BOP women at the BOP, thus informing and improving future programme and product design.

About the Presenters

Aditi Mohapatra, Director, Women’s Empowerment at BSR
Aditi works with BSR (Business for Social Responsibility) members across sectors to help them improve and advance their sustainability strategies. She leads BSR’s global portfolio of work on women’s empowerment, across consulting, collaboration, and research. Aditi joined BSR after several years at Calvert Investment Management, a leading sustainable and responsible investment firm. There, she led strategic planning for Calvert’s executive committee, and held various roles within the sustainability research team. Her portfolio included companies in the information and communications technology sector, and she led corporate engagements on the subjects of gender corporate governance and gender equality, including the advancement of the Calvert Women’s Principles. Aditi holds an M.B.A. in Finance from George Washington University, and a B.S. in International Economics from the University of Florida.
Follow her on Twitter: @AditiMohapatra

Anna Falth, Global Programme Manager, Empower Women at UN Women
Anna Fälth is the Manager of EmpowerWomen.org, UN Women’s community-driven global online platform that promotes collaboration, learning and innovation to advance women’s economic empowerment in over 190 economies. Anna manages two UN Women flagship programmes: Promoting the economic empowerment of women at work through responsible business conduct in G7 countries; and Stimulating Equal Opportunities for Women Entrepreneurs (focusing on gender-responsive procurement). She also heads the Secretariat of the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) to support the private sector in promoting gender equality in the workplace, marketplace and community. She is currently developing a virtual skills school, We Learn, that will tackle some of the skills gaps faced by women and girls across the globe.
An economist, Anna has more than 20 years of experience as economic advisor within the UN system, including UNCTAD, UN-DESA, UNDP and UN Women. She has a MSc in Economics from Lund University, Sweden, and a Masters in Law and Economic from Hamburg University, Germany.
Follow her on Twitter: @AFalth

Katy Lindquist, Communications Executive at AFRIpads Ltd.
Katy is the head of Communications at AFRIpads, a social business that specializes in the local manufacture and global supply of reusable sanitary pads as a cost-effective, feminine hygiene solution.
All AFRIpads products are manufactured locally in Uganda, where over 200 people - 96% of whom are women - have gained meaningful employment. To date, AFRIpads has enabled more than two million girls and women across over thirty countries to live more productive and dignified lives through our innovative product solution. Katy has over five years of experience supporting NGOS and social businesses in east Africa to achieve their communication goals and amplify their social impact. Katy has a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Anthropology from Colby College.
Follow her on Twitter: @AFRIpads

Moderated by Paula Pelaez, Head of Business Call to Action
With more than 14 years of sustainable development experience, Paula Pelaez heads the Business Call to Action, working closely with our partners and member companies, and ensuring a successful delivery of our programmatic priorities. Before joining BCtA, Paula worked for BSR, a leading sustainability organization, advising large corporations in the Financial, ICT, Healthcare and Consumer Goods sectors on a range of sustainability issues including responsible sourcing, human rights, sustainability strategy, and inclusive economy. Paula worked for UNDP in New York, as Programme Advisor for a large portfolio of programmes in Asia and Eastern Europe, working on issues relating to private sector development, youth employment, and gender economic empowerment. Previously Paula worked with international NGOs such as CARE International, and the Aga Khan Foundation on value chain development projects, social impact investing, and microfinance. Paula has a Masters in Environmental Studies from York University, Canada, and a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from Universidad de los Andes in Colombia
Follow her on Twitter: @ppelaezz

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