There are women throughout the world whose actions, efforts and inspiration truly do make a "World of Difference" in supporting the advancement of women. These are women who look to the world stage to make change, who show courage and determination in making a positive impact on the economic empowerment of women.
TIAW World of Difference Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes each year the extraordinary achievements of one powerful woman and affirms the power within every individual to make all the difference in the world in the betterment of women.
This year's winner is a truly exceptional woman - a high-impact change agent who has made a significant international impact through a range of activities, all with her signature traits of determination, intelligence and grace.
A graduate of American University of Beirut and Oxford University, Haifa Fahoum Al Kaylani is an economist by training and is fluent in five languages. In 2001, she created The Arab International Women's Forum, a unique non-profit organization based in London to link Arab business and professional women in the 22 Arab countries with each other and with their counterparts in the international community. AIWF is the business voice of Arab women, breaking stereotypical images and creating greater public awareness of their success and prospects internationally.
It is this crucial element of connecting at a high, strategic level many different spheres of influence that has particularly distinguished the work of Mrs. Al Kaylani and her organization.
In addition to founding and acting as chairman of the AIWF, Mrs. Al Kaylani is Vice President of the Women's Leadership Board of Harvard University. She is a member of the Advisory Boards of the Suzanne Mubarak Women's International Peace Movement, the Khalil Gibran Chair at the University of Maryland, the Middle East Institute at the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London, and the Tanaka Business School at the Imperial College, London. She is a member of the Board of Trustees of the British Edutrust Foundation.
In 2006, Mrs. Al Kaylani was named by Women's eNews of New York, one of the 21 Leaders for the 21st Century and in February 2007, she was named one of the Muslim Power 100 Leaders in the United Kingdom, receiving the Education Excellence Award.