IWEC Foundation appoints Ibukun Awosika as new president of its board of directors
International Women’s Entrepreneurial Challenge Foundation (IWEC) has announced the appointment of Ibukun Awosika to their Board of Directors as its new president. Awosika is the chairman of First Bank of Nigeria Limited.
Awosika was elected to replace Miguel Valls, former president of the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce and president of the IWEC Foundation, who passed away last month. “The Foundation is very excited to announce the appointment of our new president,” stated Ruth A. Davis, IWEC chairwoman and distinguished former US Ambassador.
“Ibukun Awosika has been a solid, steady presence at IWEC since its inception, and she is also a past IWEC awardee. Ibukun has not missed one IWEC Conference since 2008 and has lent her voice and experience not only to our conferences, but to our meetings after joining our Board in 2017. We are delighted that our Board of Directors voted on her appointment, and we’ll introduce her as our president at our upcoming 12th Annual IWEC Foundation Conference in New Delhi, on November 10.”
The Foundation’s 2019 conference will focus on “Connecting Women Businesses Globally: Leading the Way to Innovation and Integration”. The event would be hosted locally by the FICCI Ladies Organisation (FLO) of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), which represents over 5000 women entrepreneurs and professionals across India. This year, IWEC welcomes 39 awardees from 18 countries, with combined revenue of over $5.7 billion among all awardees to date.
IWEC Foundation vice chair, Carmen Castillo, CEO of SDI International, said: “Ibukun has demonstrated a significant commitment to IWEC over the years. Her breadth of knowledge extends from being an entrepreneur running SOKOA Chair Centre Limited, to overseeing the board of directors for the renowned First Bank of Nigeria Limited. We are looking forward to her wise counsel and to continuously drive IWEC globally as a source of support, connection and impact for women business owners all over the world.”