WEConnection, April  2017, Volume 20

Grow Your Business at WEConnect International Day and 
the  WBENC Conference & Business Fair


In 2016, Josée Dufour - owner of Axiomatech in Canada - traveled to Orlando to attend WEConnect International Day and the WBENC National Conference & Business Fair. The trip paid off when she met with WBENC member corporation CBRE Group. Says Josée:

"I had previously initiated discussion with CBRE before the conference. However, meeting them in person gave me more inside information on how best to pursue contracts with them and also gave me a better understanding of the way these industries operate. The rep also put me in contact with the local person in Canada.

Making the sale rests solely on yourself. Certification gets you in front of the corporations and the support WEConnect International provides helps to guide you through the process of dealing with big corporations. Nonetheless, you are the one who ultimately has to make the difference." Click here to read the whole story and....

Be Like Josée and Connect with BIG Corporations


AND

Register for WBENC National Conference and Business Fair:  http://conf.wbenc.org/

Certified WBE to WBE Opportunity
Thinking of Launching Your Business into the UK?

London-based women's business enterprise Rochester PR Group helps companies launch into the highly competitive UK market. Their core offering is marketing and PR communications from social media campaigns through to launch events but because they specialise in market entry, their range of services is incredibly broad. They are just as likely to be representing a client at an exhibition as assisting on a presentation to a prospect or landlord.
Founder Joanna Dodd is offering certified women's business enterprises a free 30-minute consultation about entering the UK market - please get in touch before the April 30, 2017 to take advantage of this offer!


WEConnect International Gala Highlights and Videos


WEConnect International held its inaugural gala celebrating champions of women's economic empowerment on March 30 in Washington, DC. Brenda Cockrell, Monsanto Company, received the Top Supplier Diversity Champion of the Year Award. Brenda influences cross-functional global champions in both sustainability and supplier diversity, fostering an environment where collaboration can occur throughout the business with sustainable solutions and diversity of suppliers.
Top honors also went to WEConnect International women business owners:



Congratulations to Tania Reid, owner of certified women's business enterprise Ithemba and grand winner of the 2017 WEConnect International Video Contest. Ithemba offers a variety of products and services including stationary, corporate gifts and clothing, laptops and printers, and multifunction photocopiers. Tania's video was debuted and met with applause at the WEConnect International Gala. Come meet her at  WEConnect International Day in Las Vegas!

Vimala Ariyan, owner of certified women's business enterprise  Southern African Institute of Learning  and 1st runner up in the contest. Watch her video and stay tuned for the 2nd runner up's video in the coming weeks and in the next newsletter.



In March 2017, WEConnect International partner Global Citizen interviewed the owners of four certified women's business enterprises from Colombia, Nigeria, Turkey and the United Kingdom. All four women were honored for their leadership and success at the WEConnect International Gala on March 30, 2017. Each woman exemplifies the reasons why we should all invest in women!

Success Stories

Australian Women Business Owners Do Business with Corporate Members

Big thank you to Accenture, together with the Sydney Harbour Marriott, sponsors of our "Meet the Member" event on Thursday 6 April.  A lot of positive energy was shared among the 40 business women who attended, eager to learn more about how to do business with large corporations.  




Women Owned Success Story: Groupe V Courrier

Nathalie D'Aoust launched  Groupe V Courrier  in 2008 starting off with nothing other than her passion for customer service and desire to express it in her own way. Her business now provides companies in Quebec, Canada with same-day and next-day hand-to-hand delivery of envelopes, parcels, and skids. See how she's leveraged her certification into business growth.



MESH Experience Named "Woman-Owned Business Supplier of the Year" by Delta Air Lines

Congratulations to certified women's business enterprise  MESH Experience  -- WEConnect International corporate member Delta Air Lines' "Woman Owned Business Supplier of the Year"! MESH Experienced celebrated the honor with a press release.



Bedfordshire Business Woman of the Year 2017 is Pioneering Stem Skills Development

Entrepreneur Sarah Davis, CEO and Founder of Skills4Stem Ltd, a WEConnect International certified women-owned business, has been named as this year's Bedfordshire Business Woman of the Year. Sarah received the Award at a ceremony in mid March from HM Lord Lieutenant of Bedfordshire, Helen Nellis.  


More Events
Date: April 25, 2017
Location: Online
 
3rd Annual Women in Procurement Conference
Date: April 26-28, 2017
Location: Melbourne, Australia

WEConnect International in South Africa Annual Conference 
Date: May 11, 2017 
Location: Sandton, Johannesburg, South Africa

Supplier Diversity: Inspiring Innovation
Date: May 16, 2017
Location: Neubiberg, Germany

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