Business fights Poverty

Gender Summit

2023 Post Event Summary

Online | Nairobi | London

Coinciding with International Women's Day,
the Business Fights Poverty Gender Summit was the perfect opportunity to come together to share the latest thinking and action around gender equity.
Over the course of the two days, we put on a series of highly interactive webinars and hybrid workshops, featuring world-leading thinkers and practitioners. Together, we explored how to enhance the lives and livelihoods of women around the world, and empower them to thrive.

This is your chance to gain access to the latest insights, with voices from across the globe.

We tackled tough questions like...

How can we create a more equitable world for female entrepreneurs?

How can we ensure gender equity is at the heart of decarbonization efforts?

How can we drive health equity by empowering women?

How can companies collaborate to tackle gender-based violence in the workplace?

Session by session resources

WEDNESDAY 8th March

Watch our panel-led workshop to discover the latest trends and lessons on how to support female entrepreneurs.

PANEL-LED DISCUSSION: ENTERPRISE

Watch our panel-led workshop to discover the latest trends and lessons on how to support female entrepreneurs. Our opening speakers will ignite your creativity, encouraging you to tackle the areas that need addressing. You'll then dive deeper into small breakout rooms with lead table discussants, exploring key questions on how to unlock the potential of female entrepreneurs. With Business Fights Poverty facilitators moderating the session, we'll come back together to share our newest thinking and actions. Don't miss out on discovering how to overcome the hurdles holding female entrepreneurs back!

Opening Speakers: Beatriz Tumoine, Global Social Impact Director, Cemex Maggie Rarieya, Global Partnerships Director, Amref Health Africa Natasha Kwakwa, Global Impact, Global Head, Standard Chartered Bank Jaylan ElShazly, Disruptive Technology acting Lead, Gender and Economic Inclusion Group, IFC Antony Karanja, Co-Founder, OYE Elsie Wandera, Operations Manager, Brands on a Mission

Lead Table Discussants: Sherifatu Mustapha, GESI and Design Coordinator, Ghana, iDE Abigail Musinga, GESI Manager, Zambia, iDE Natalie Vergara, Head Platforms, Mercy Corps Ventures Kathy Tan, Founder & CEO, Amalu Coaching, LLC & partner to Fundación Paraguaya Leanne Melnyk, Head of Impact and Partnerships, Quizrr

Moderator: Zahid Torres-Rahman, CEO, Business Fights Poverty

A Fireside Chat with two social impact pioneers as they share their insights on what it takes to be a successful female entrepreneur.

FIRESIDE CHAT: YOUTH ENTREPRENEURS

Join a Fireside Chat with two social impact pioneers as they share their insights on what it takes to be a successful female entrepreneur. Discover how to get started, build a business, and receive valuable endorsements from other organizations. Get practical advice on how to succeed as an entrepreneur and make a difference in your community. Hear stories about affordable healthcare in Kenya and the positive impact of a global initiative to tackle inequality. Don't miss out on this inspiring discussion about female entrepreneurship and social impact.

Speakers:
Natasha Kwakwa, Global Head of Impact, Standard Chartered Bank

Naom Monari, Founder, Bena Care Lt

Interviewer:
Katie Hyson, Director, Thought Leadership and COO, Business Fights Poverty

A workshop to learn how to manage Scope 3 emissions and integrate a gender lens into your decarbonisation plans.

PANEL-LED DISCUSSION: CLIMATE JUSTICE

Join our workshop to learn how to manage Scope 3 emissions and integrate a gender lens into your decarbonisation plans. Discover what other companies are trialling in this space, and share your own tips and lessons. As part of the co-creation process, your input will help shape a framework that's fit for purpose and truly useful. Don't miss this chance to be part of some truly innovative work and contribute to early thinking around the design of the framework.

Opening Speakers: Emma Cox, Global Climate Leader, PwC Justin White, Manager, Human Rights & Gender Equality, Global Sustainability, Mars Inc Jacqui Machin, Ethics & Sustainability Manager - Climate, John Lewis Partnership Katharine Teague, Head of Advocacy, AB Sugar Ian Michell, Group Technical and Procurement Director, Flamingo Horticulture Investments

Lead Table Discussants: Rachel Cracknell, Climate Change and Environment Lead, Ethical Tea Partnership Hernan Zunino, Social Impact Manager, Latin America, Twinings Peris Ochieng, Ethical Sourcing Manager for Africa, Twinings Franziska Deininger, Gender & Climate Consultant, IFC Alexandra Lockyer, Programme Manager, Work and Opportunities for Women (WOW) Hester Le Roux, Senior Business Advisor, Private Sector Engagement, Care International UK

Moderator:
Zahid Torres-Rahman, Co-Founder and CEO, Business Fights Poverty

THURSDAY 9th March

Discover how businesses can help champion female-led enterprises in this Twitter Space session.

TWITTER SPACE: ENTERPRISE

Discover how businesses can help champion female-led enterprises in this Twitter Space session. Although women-led businesses are increasing, they still only make up 25-35% of all organisations globally due to challenges such as limited access to financing and the inability to own assets. Join us as we examine how global agriculture and other sectors can offer women more opportunities, why it's harmful to exclude men from gender conversations, and how innovation can create a happier and more equal world.

Speakers: Jean Claude Niyomugabo, Co-Founder, Speke Farms Daniele Fiandaca, Co-Founder, Token Man Tashmia Ismail-Saville, Chief Business Development Officer, Mitacs Ajaita Shah, Founder & CEO, Frontier Markets

Moderator:
Katie Hyson, Director, Thought Leadership and COO, Business Fights Poverty

A thought-provoking Fireside Chat on the critical role of women in vaccination uptake.

FIRESIDE CHAT: VACCINATION EQUITY

Join us for a thought-provoking Fireside Chat on the critical role of women in vaccination uptake. With rates of preventable diseases falling globally, women are essential in ensuring the health and wellbeing of communities. Learn how greater vaccination uptake by women can lead to greater equality and participation in the labour force. We'll discuss how socio-economic factors such as income and education can impact vaccination outcomes, and explore challenges to ensuring gender equity in vaccination. Don't miss this opportunity to explore how we can better support marginalised women to increase vaccination uptake.

Speakers: Rachel Eagan, Researcher, The Vaccine Confidence Project, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Roopa Dhatt, Executive Director, Women in Global Health

Interviewer:
Ciara O’Rourke, Global Public Policy Director – Vaccination Confidence & Equity, MSD

A workshop on developing workplace policies to address gender-based violence (GBV) across multiple markets.

WEBINAR: GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE

A workshop on developing workplace policies to address gender-based violence (GBV) across multiple markets. Learn from real-life examples and explore the importance of collaborating with external networks and campaigns. With one in three women experiencing physical or sexual violence during their lifetimes, GBV is a prevalent problem that impacts both employees and businesses. Discover how the workplace can offer unique opportunities to address different forms of GBV and create a safe space for those affected by domestic violence. Don't miss out on this important discussion.

Opening Speakers: Arné Rust, Brand Director, Carling Black Label, Hansa and Lion, Anheuser-Busch InBev Pamela Zaballa, Chief Executive Officer, NO MORE Foundation Ana Inés Alvarez, Executive Director, Avon Foundation, AVON Carly Newman, Project Manager, The Kering Foundation

Moderator:
Jane Pillinger, Visiting senior research fellow at Dept. Social Policy and Criminology, The Open University

MEET SOME OF OUR amazing speakers...

Elsie Wandera

Operations Manager

Brands on a Mission

Ian Michell

Group Technical and Procurement Director

Flamingo Horticulture Investments

Ajaita Shah

Founder & CEO

Frontier Markets

Katharine Teague

Head of Advocacy

AB Sugar

Tashmia Ismail-Saville

Chief Business Development Officer

Mitacs

Franziska Deininger

Gender & Climate Consultant

IFC

More Gender Resources

Practical Action: Climate Change and Poverty Increases Gender Based Violence

Mariette Utamuvuna, Berthille Kampire and George Williams explain how climate change and poverty increase gender based violence.

Business Impact, Business Purpose, climate, Climate Action, Climate Justice, Diversity, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Gender, Gender Equality, Gender-Based Violence, Impact, Poverty, Social Impact, Women

November 27, 2023

Unlocking Women’s Economic Power isn’t Rocket Science

Rathi Mani-Kandt’s article reveals the untapped economic potential of women entrepreneurs. As CARE USA’s Director, she highlights how investing in women could boost the global economy by $10 trillion by 2030. This insightful piece emphasises women’s pivotal role in driving global economic growth and prosperity.

Finance and Investment, Gender, Gender Equality, Gender Summit, Livelihoods, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Women

November 23, 2023

Why a Food-Secure Future Means Focusing on Smallholder Farmers

This World Children’s Day, the UK hosts the Global Food Security Summit, addressing Zero Hunger and malnutrition. Amid alarming UN projections of over 600 million people facing hunger by 2030, the summit focuses on empowering smallholder farmers and leveraging technology for a sustainable, resilient food system

Agriculture, Finance and Investment, Food and Nutrition, Gender, Gender Equality, Life on Land, Livelihoods, Poverty, Small and Medium Enterprises, Technology, Women, Youth, Zero Hunger

November 20, 2023

Empowering Ghanaian Women in Sustainable Shea Trading

Shea trading does nothing to lift women producers in Ghana above the UN poverty line. The Dipaliya Return on Extraction business model changes all that, empowering women, providing fair wages, and enabling community investments. Dipaliya stands for ethical and regenerative shea trading in Ghana.

Agriculture, Business Impact, Diversity, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Ethical Business, Gender, Gender Equality, Life on Land, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Trade, Women

October 30, 2023

The Business of Care: Standard Chartered Interview

To mark the first UN endorsed International Day for Care (29 Oct) we have published a series of in-depth interviews, conducted as part of the research for a new report on how multinationals can better support care economy enterprises.

Business Impact, Care Economy, Care Economy / Caring, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Equity, Equity and Inclusion, Ethical Business, Gender, Gender Equality, Learning and Skills, Livelihoods, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Small and Medium Enterprises, Women

October 26, 2023

The Business of Care: Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth

Business Impact, Care Economy, Care Economy / Caring, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Equity, Equity and Inclusion, Ethical Business, Gender, Gender Equality, Responsible Investment, Small and Medium Enterprises, Women

October 26, 2023

The Business of Care: Anglo American Interview

Business Impact, Care Economy, Care Economy / Caring, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Equity, Equity and Inclusion, Ethical Business, Gender, Gender Equality, Women

October 26, 2023

The Business of Care: Unilever Interview

Business Impact, Care Economy, Care Economy / Caring, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Equity, Equity and Inclusion, Ethical Business, Gender, Gender Equality, Women

October 26, 2023

The Business of Care: Primark Interview

Business Impact, Care Economy, Care Economy / Caring, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Equity, Equity and Inclusion, Ethical Business, Gender, Gender Equality, Women

October 26, 2023