While it’s always an amazing experience to meet so many interesting women like Luisa Dias Diogo, Prime Minister of Mozambique and hear from some great speakers, it’s also a great time to connect with our TIAW members from within the region and from other parts of the world. It was wonderful to see Barbara (Bobbie) Gohn, Philadelphia, past President of TIAW there, Tracy Stanley, Bangkok, TIAW Regional Membership Chair (Asia), Elena Fedyashina, Executive Director of the Committee of 20, Moscow, who on our recommendation, spoke on “Engaging Young Women and Girls in Entrepreneurship” and Josephine Chong Schlittler of Women’s Business Connection, Singapore.
With 20 years of experience in doing business in Asia in my past life as an entrepreneur, I was asked to both moderate a panel and present the western perspective on the Leadership Development Track: Doing Business in Asia: Avoiding Cultural Chasms.
Since we always try to take advantage of being in the “neighborhood” my next stop was the always beautiful Singapore. A key goal of this visit was to personally thank the Village Bank Fundraising and Event Planning Committees, and members of PrimeTime Business and Professional Women’s Association, for their fantastic accomplishment of surpassing their goals at this spring’s special AGM event by raising the money for 11 TIAW Village Banks in Asia. A very special THANK YOU to Louise Tagliante, Leesa Lovelace and Molly Robertson for all they have done for women and children in developing countries.
I would also like to thank Molly Robertson, PrimeTime-TIAW Village Bank Program Chair, for meeting with me to tell me more of their exciting plans for the future, Alex Hope (1st Vice President) and Karen Holland (2nd Vice President as well as the new PrimeTime liaison to TIAW) for hosting me to a wonderful dinner, in a spectacular setting, to update us on all the new and exciting things going on at PrimeTime.
Thanks also to Alison Erying who not only donates annually to sponsor a Village Bank in Asia on behalf of her company, but who also hosted a luncheon for some of her friends and business colleagues to learn more about TIAW and our Microenterprise Development Program.
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