2017 Annual conference draws over 160 attendees
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- Created: Thursday, 11 May 2017 07:48
An action-filled programme with a variety of contributors from local and international speakers gave the WEConnect International in South Africa Annual Conference on 11 May, 2017, a particularly memorable character. Inspirational contributions by host Val Davies, Chief Operating Officer, EY, and keynotes Ms Susan Shabangu, Minister for Women in the Presidency, and Chargé d’Affaires of the US Embassy, Jessye Lapenn, emphasised the importance of mentoring, training and connecting women. The event was sponsored by EY, ExxonMobil, MSD, Accenture, IBM, Marriot International, Johnson & Johnson, and Ingersoll Rand.
Programme director Lynette Ntuli (woman business owner and TV presenter) infused the programme with humour and enthusiasm.
(May 10, 2017) Excitement and anticipation were palpable as 34 certified women’s business enterprises (WBEs) each took a deep breath and stepped up to pitch her business to a panel comprised of Elizabeth A. Vazquez, CEO & Co–Founder, WEConnect International and corporate representatives from IBM, MSD, EY, Accenture, Ingersoll Rand, UPS, Johnson & Johnson and SARS. This ‘live’ event followed on the Advisory Council meeting on 10 May 2017 ahead of the WEConnect International in South Africa’s Annual Conference at EY in Johannesburg.
A strong contingent of some 80 women business owners participated actively in six information sessions and targeted business skills trainings on 9 May 2017 at EY in Johannesburg. A winner and two runners-up took cente stage after the Perfecting your Pitch competition: Janice Scheckter Indigo New Media;, Viloshnee Singh of V4 Group & Thembane Chemicals, and Thanthi Sepeng of Reve Productions.
WEConnect International in South Africa’s held a Match Making event for multinational corporate members and WEConnect International certified women business enterprises on 17 January 2017. Hosted at EY in Johannesburg, this event is the first in a series of quarterly match making events planned for 2017. Linda Basson, Procurement Lead, MART (Middle East, Africa, Russia and Turkey), Accenture, opened the matchmaking session by highlighting the progress made by WEConnect International in South Africa and the growth potential for SMMEs in the organisation. She added that there are business opportunities available for small businesses at Accenture.
