WIM–IFC launch Professional and Career Women Awards 2018
The female representatives of the local business community from across the country will come under fresh spotlight this August with the eighth ‘Top 50 Professional and Career Woman Awards 2018’, launched yesterday in Colombo.
The awards programme, conceptualized by Women in Management (WIM), is carried out in partnership with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group.
Held under the theme ‘Taking Sri Lankan Women to the World’, the awards this year aims at recognizing women who excel in their careers, businesses and everyday life, while also inspiring others.
The IFC has partnered with WIM for the fourth consecutive year and together the two entities work hand in hand to provide skill-building and training opportunities for women on corporate boards and who lead and work in micro and small businesses.
The awards, for which the nominations are open till June 15, 2018, will be held on August 7, 2018. Last year, over 100 women received the awards for achievement across multiple categories.
This year, the awards will also aim to capture important private sector workforce data, which will help companies, benchmark themselves and measure progress, including women leadership.
Addressing the launch, WIM Founder/chairperson Dr. Sulochana Segera acknowledged that the entity has consistently identified and recognized exceptional women leaders across every level, from corporates to the grassroots.
“Sri Lanka is proud of its tea but sadly we left behind the lady who was plucking the tea to make Ceylon Tea enjoy the position it does today. So I am delighted that we have become an organisation that is taking Sri Lankan women to the world,” said Segera.
Meanwhile, IFC Country Manager for Sri Lanka and the Maldives Amena Arif pointed out that despite the economy having expanded, Sri Lanka has much to achieve in getting more women involved in its economy.
In Sri Lanka the female labour force participation dropped from 40 percent in 2010 to about 36 percent in 2016. Similarly, a recent analysis by IFC in partnership with the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) showed that women represent 8 percent of all board positions in Sri Lanka, where the global average is about 15 percent.
“We are far below. This is concerning given that there are many high qualified who play important roles in the business and economy,” said Arif.
It was stressed that the IFC firmly believes that society cannot develop sustainably without equal distribution of opportunities, resources and choices for both men and women.
“Successful female workforce does not only need strong strategies but also partnerships with institution such as WIM. In helps awardees access markets and networks from around the world, which means an increase to business,” she added.