TIAW has two awards programs to recognize extraordinary individuals whose efforts have advanced the economic empowerment of women locally, regionally or worldwide. TIAW recognizes one woman of distinguished, longstanding achievement through the TIAW World of Difference Lifetime Achievement Award and recognizes up to 100 recipients of the TIAW
World of Difference 100 Award for those who have made a significant contribution to the economic empowerment of women. These distinguished awards are presented at the TIAW Awards Gala Ceremony, in conjunction with the TIAW Global Forum, a must-attend gathering of dynamic women from around the world.
The TIAW World of Difference Lifetime Achievement Award is our most prestigious individual award. This honor is bestowed each year to one woman whose longstanding championship of women’s economic advancement is truly outstanding and has made an international impact.
This year nominations were received from 54 different countries and provided a vivid look at the inspiring work that women - and men - around the world are doing to support the economic empowerment of women. The recipients cover a wide range of activities on six continents and we are proud to be able to recognize the vital work that they do, often with few resources and many obstacles.
Fatema Abdulwahed M Al. Ahmed, Bahrain, Public Service/Government
Miranda Abrahams, UK, Corporate
Olajumoke Adenowo, Nigeria, Non-Profit/NGO
Muna Al Gurg, UAE, Corporate
Rohini Anand, USA, Corporate
Julie Ankers, Australia, Education
Meaza Ashenafi, Ethiopia, Entrepreneurship
Marsha Bailey, USA, Entrepreneurship
StephanieBaric, USA, Non-Profit/NGO
Julie Barker-Merz, Canada, Corporate
Avil Beckford, Canada, Entrepreneurship
Ida Beerhalter, Germany, Corporate
Elaine Bellezza, USA, Entrepreneurship
Ameera Bin Karam, UAE, Non-Profit/NGO
Paola Bonomo, Italy, Entrepreneurship
Claire Braund & Ruth Medd, Australia, Education
Sonia Brown, UK, Entrepreneurship
Ineke Bussemaker, The Netherlands, Corporate
Donnetta Campbell, USA, Entrepreneurship
Margareth Chacha, Tanzania, Corporate
Nadereh Chamlou, USA, Corporate
Maria Helena deFelipe Lehtonen, Spain, Entrepreneurship
Ruth DeGolia, USA, Non-Profit/NGO
Dana Derani,Syria, Non-Profit/NGO
Marcia Dyson, USA, Entrepreneurship
Meryam El Ouafi, Morocco, Non-Profit/NGO
Rima El-Husseini, Lebanon, Entrepreneurship
Patricia Ellis, USA, Non-Profit/NGO DC
Gladys England, Sierra Leone, Entrepreneurship
Denise Evans, USA, Corporate
Stephenie Foster, USA, Public Service/Government
Farah Foustok, UK, Corporate
Lynne Franks, UK, Entrepreneurship
Margot Franssen, Canada, Non-Profit/NGO
Joanne Gassman, Canada, Corporate
Malli Gero & Stephanie Sonnabend, USA, Non-Profit/NGO
Maria Leonor Gerona-Robredo, Philippines, Public Service/Government
Kirsten Gillibrand, USA, Public Service/Government
Caroline Graham, UK, Community
Pamela Heilman, USA, Entrepreneurship
Tanya Hine, UK, Entrepreneurship
Hind Hobeika, Lebanon, Entrepreneurship
Thanan Hok, Cambodia, Entrepreneurship
Ling-Hsiang (Sunny) Huang, Taiwan, Public Service/Government
Marina Hughson, Serbia, Non-Profit/NGO
Clara Isama, USA, Non-Profit/NGO
Elizabeth Isele, USA, Entrepreneurship
Narmin Ismail, Canada, Education/Community (2noms)
Susanne Jalbert, USA, Entrepreneurship
Marieme Jamme, UK, Non-Profit/NGO
Pamela Jeffery, Canada, Entrepreneurship
Dorothy Kanduhukye, Uganda, Entrepreneurship
Maha Khatib, Jordan, Non-Profit/NGO
Dr. Sufiana Khatoon, Pakistan Education
Shulamith Koenig, USA, Non-Profit/NGO
Rano Kosimova, Tajikistan, Non-Profit/NGO
Iwona Kozera, Poland, Non-Profit/NGO
Dr Kellie Leitch, Canada, Public Service/Government
Isabella Lenarduzzi, Belgium, Entrepreneurship
Chin Mei Lu, Taiwan, Non-Profit/NGO
Mariam Luyombo, Uganda, Education
Kalairasi Manikam, Malaysia, Entrepreneurship
Mariam Matar, UAE, Public Service/Government
Josie Mousseau, Canada, Public Service/Government
Sally Muggeridge, UK, Corporate
Indrani Mukherjee, India, Entrepreneurship
Tahira Naseem, Pakistan, Community
Janet Nkubana, Rwanda, Entrepreneurship
Odette Nyrimilamo, Rwanda, Public Service/Government
Yaneek Page, Jamaica, Entrepreneurship
Claudia Parzani, Italy, Community
Lynne Patterson, USA, Entrepreneurship
Joyce Phekani, Malawi, Non-Profit/NGO
Lisa Marie Platske, USA, Entrepreneurship
Linda Resnick, USA, Entrepreneurship
Denise Restauri, USA, Entrepreneurship
Pramila Acharya Rijal, Nepal, Non-Profit/NGO
Andrena Sawyer, USA, Community
Linda Scott, UK, Public Service/Government
Veronika Scott, USA, Young Woman Leader
Diane Sears, USA, Non-Profit/NGO
Beena Sebastian, India, Non-Profit/NGO
Alicia Sierra, Mexico, Non-Profit/NGO
Sevi Simavi, UK, Entrepreneurship
Marilyn Skony Stamm, USA, Education
Nicole Still, Italy, Entrepreneurship
Shahnaz Taplin, USA, Non-Profit/NGO
Tina Tchen & Valerie Jarrett, USA, Public Service/Government
Yvonne Thompson, UK, Entrepreneurship
Rashmi Tiwari, India, Community
Myra Leigh Tobin, USA, Corporate
Brenda Trenowden, UK, Corporate
Yasemin Tumer, The Netherlands, Entrepreneurship
Katarzyna Twarowska, Poland, Non-Profit/NGO
Josefina Urzaiz, USA, Entrepreneurship
Cristina Vicini, Italy, Non-Profit/NGO
Beverly Wybrow, Canada, Non-Profit/NGO
Junko Yoda, Singapore, Non-Profit/NGO
Janet Zagorin, USA, Corporate
Tatyana Zrelova, Russia, Corporate

Champions
For some time, TIAW has recognized men as champions for outstanding individual contribution and effort to organizations, and achievements in the corporate world, which support the economic empowerment of women.
Ved Arya, India
Paul Bainsfair, UK
Waswa Balunya, Uganda
David Chavern, USA
Moctar Mamadou Diallo, Mauritania
Tung Do, Vietnam
Bart Egnal, Canada
Umar Kasule, Uganda
Hayden Majajas, Hong Kong
Akira Matsumoto, Japan
Jinsar Hussain Soomro, Pakistan
2015 World of Difference Award Winners and Champions Stories