Impact Stories from Professional Development Policy Area

Mentor enters VP of DEI role at Walt Disney Entertainment

Fellow(s): Mentor Queen Denchukwu

Country:

Policy Area(s): Empowering Women and Girls, Professional Development

Mentor Queen Denchukwu recently accepted the role of Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) at Disney Entertainment of the Walt Disney Company. In the first-of-its kind role, Queen will oversee DEI, People and Culture for Disney Entertainment’s studios, television, ad sales and platform distribution. Queen leaves her role as Head of DEI at Lucasfilm, where she has served since 2021. She previously helmed the global diversity partnerships strategy at Autodesk. “I’m looking forward to working with and learning from the dynamic Disney Entertainment DEI folks,” Queen shared in a recent post. “Much to learn, I still have,” she quipped, adopting the parlance of the famously wise character Yoda from Lucasfilm’s Star Wars franchise.

Report Date...: 11/20/2023

Fellow leads 4-day Tech Business Mission to Malaysia

Fellow(s): Ayesha Hammad Zaman (Pakistan, 2022)

Country: Pakistan

Cohort: 2022

Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Entrepreneurship, Professional Development

Fellow Ayesha Hammad Zaman (Pakistan, 2022), recently led the four-day Tech Business Mission to Malaysia under the banner of the Pakistan Tech Forum, a platform she co-founded to enhance Pakistan’s IT exports. The mission, organized in concert with GMB Malaysia, facilitated meaningful business partnerships between Pakistani organizations and the IT ecosystems of Malaysia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region. A total of 20 organizations, including enterprises, small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), and startups participated in the initiative alongside Malaysian government institutions, investors, local IT companies and other stakeholders. The event showcased the diversity of Pakistan’s tech ecosystem, underscoring the nation’s aspirations for entrepreneurship and economic growth in the tech sector. “The real work starts post delegation as we work closely with the stake holders in the Malaysian tech ecosystem to promote bilateral trade,” Ayesha shared in a recent post. “[I] can’t emphasize enough how much confidence we have gained after the support expressed by the Pakistan High Commission in Malaysia.” Ayesha is the founder and CEO of Skills Todo, an IT workforce training platform. This spring she also successfully hosted Skills Gala & Talent Hunt 2023, an original concept IT mega expo, in Lahore, Pakistan.

Report Date...: 11/13/2023

Weston Solutions publishes press release on mentorship role during inaugural Chicago cohort

Fellow(s):

Country: Tunisia, Uzbekistan

Cohort: 2023

Policy Area(s): Professional Development

Weston Solutions, workplace of Professional Mentor Pixie Newman, recently published a press release on their partnership with TechWomen during the historic Chicago expansion year of 2023. The press release outlines the TechWomen program and Pixie’s contribution as a professional mentor to two Emerging Leaders. As a nation-wide environmental and infrastructure services firm, Weston Solutions was well-equipped to answer the needs of now-fellows Imen Hbiri (Tunisia, 2023), Chief Technology Officer of agricultural technology company Robocare, and Barnokhon Isamiddinova (Uzbekistan, 2023), who was interested in learning about impact investment with sustainability-focused businesses to support her role as a branch director of Tech4Impact, an NGO founded by 2016 Uzbek fellows Elena Selezneva and Saida Yusupova. “I would do this again in a heartbeat,” Pixie commented in a recent post. She leveraged her educational background in Civil and Environmental Engineering and Water Resource Management, as well as her Weston connections, to provide an enriching experience and acquaint her mentees with her local office, several key national leaders, Weston’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council, and the Weston Women’s Network (WWN) Council. “This type of program aligns well with what the WWN hopes to accomplish,” shared WWN council member Leslie Lassi, in the aforementioned press release. “Give our fellow females a hand up wherever we can. We rise together.”

Report Date...: 11/06/2023

Fellow interviewed for IFC’s Accelerate4Youth Program

Fellow(s): Ichraf Jarray (Tunisia, 2022)

Country: Tunisia

Cohort: 2022

Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Entrepreneurship, Professional Development

Fellow Ichraf Jarray (Tunisia, 2022), founder of incubator Hive12, was recently interviewed for a video on how the International Finance Corporation’s (IFC) Accelerate4Youth Program is driving entrepreneurship in Tunisia. “If we want to take the entrepreneurial ecosystem to the next level we, as stakeholders, need to combine our efforts and work together in a strategic and sustainable way,” Ichraf emphasized in a recent post highlighting the video, where she discusses how the Accelerate4Youth program has supported efforts to more equitably distribute Tunisia’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Report Date...: 11/06/2023

Fellow partners with mentor and founder of Families Without Borders to bring IdeaTest Lab to innovators in Sierra Leone

Fellow(s): Fellow Nermin Salah Mostafa (Egypt, 2013)

Country: Egypt

Cohort: 2013

Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Entrepreneurship, Professional Development

Fellow Nermin Salah Mostafa (Egypt, 2013) recently partnered with Families Without Borders, a nonprofit organization founded and directed by mentor Terri Khonsari, to deliver her brand new IdeaTest Lab program to scholars from Sierra Leone. Nermin spent six weeks delivering her IdeaTest Lab to STEM graduates in Sierra Leone, helping them shape innovative ideas into concrete business models. The program drew support from a variety of TechWomen alumnae, including fellows Reham Nasser, Fatma Telib and Richmonda Pearce who served as team mentors. Mentor Catherine Simpson acted as a judge in the culminating pitch competition and TechGirls fellow Farida Kroush delivered a session. “Witnessing their boundless enthusiasm and unwavering dedication has truly been inspiring,” Nermin wrote in a recent post. “Together, we’re paving the way for a brighter future, one step at a time.” Families Without Borders provides young leaders with full college scholarships and training in entrepreneurship, digital literacy, communication and financial management. IdeaTest Lab furthers Nermin’s learnings and impact from her Hubert Humphrey Fellowship at Penn State University last summer. The winning team, EverFresh, was accepted at the American University in Cairo’s AUC Venture Lab, the top accelerator in Africa, which the team will join for their spring 2024 cohort.

Report Date...: 10/30/2023

Fellow app funded $10k USD for English teaching bot

Fellow(s): Bermet Dosmambetova (Kyrgyzstan, 2022)

Country: Kyrgyzstan

Cohort: 2022

Policy Area(s): Economic Impact, Entrepreneurship, Professional Development

Fellow Bermet Dosmambetova (Kyrgyzstan, 2022) and her team recently placed in the top three of the Accelerate Prosperity incubation program, earning $10,000 USD in investment capital for their startup application, ooQU. OoQU is a Telegram bot which allows users to practice and improve their spoken English pronunciation and vocabulary. The product was developed out of the Startup Nation Kyrgyzstan hackathon, which Bermet attended in September. At the time of reporting, they have over 200 users, 10% of whom are using a paid subscription. “I am burning with the idea that as many people as possible in my country will become fluent in English, because it opens up endless opportunities,” Bermet shared in a recent post.

Report Date...: 10/30/2023

Mentor & fellow collaborate on STEaM Hackathon

Fellow(s): Mentor Jeannice Fairrer Samani, Fellow Amanda Calitz (South Africa, 2020-2021)

Country: South Africa

Cohort: 2020-2021

Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Professional Development, Youth Engagement

Mentor Jeannice Fairrer Samani, Founding Managing Director of the Fifth Wave STEaM initiative, recently collaborated with fellow Amanda Calitz (South Africa, 2020-2021) to bring “Fifth Wave STEaM Hackathon: Unleashing Innovation in the Future of Education” to South Africa. The hybrid hackathon, open to youths worldwide, spanned two days and featured 145 registered teams from both the eastern and western hemispheres. The event featured a metaverse virtual platform to promote team collaboration, mentorship and the use of on-demand videos. Activities included an accredited blockchain course, panel discussions, and a pitch session to showcase participants’ viable innovations addressing climate change. “We were delighted to launch [this event]” Jeannice shared in a recent letter. “By combining technology, education, and collaboration, our goal is to empower the next generation of leaders and create a sustainable future.”

Report Date...: 10/23/2023

Two fellows serve as One Young World Summit ambassadors

Fellow(s): Zyh Akumawah Berinyuy (Cameroon, 2022) Tamadur Almahdi Abukhamadah (Libya, 2022)

Country: Cameroon, Libya

Cohort: 2022

Policy Area(s): Professional Development

Fellows Zyh Akumawah Berinyuy (Cameroon, 2022) and Tamadur Almahdi Abukhamadah (Libya, 2022) both recently attended the One Young World 2023 summit in Belfast, Ireland as sponsored scholars. The One Young World provides a platform to empower a global community of young ambassadors on a mission to build a more sustainable future. The annual four-day summit brings together impactful young leaders from over 190 countries and 250 organizations. Influential global humanitarians, politicians and business figures serve as guest speakers and advisors for the One Young World ambassadors throughout the event. Zyh participated as an AstraZeneca Young Health Program (YHP) fellow and Tamadur, who also served as flag bearer for Libya, attended as one of five Bristol Myers Squibb scholar. “I am beyond proud to be a part of this exceptional group of social entrepreneurs, activists, health professionals, and scientists who are paving the way for a world with a more inclusive and innovative healthcare sector,” Tamadur shared in a recent post. She is the Chief of Staff at Speetar, a health tech startup that brings accessible, affordable and quality healthcare to over two million patients in conflict-affected communities. Returning from last year, Zyh is a medical doctor and the founder of EasyHealth, an organization that combines accessible digital technologies with community cooperation to improve the quality of health among rural Cameroonians.

Report Date...: 10/9/2023

Fellow gives talk on AI for Global Hackathon Talan

Fellow(s): Racha Friji (Tunisia, 2022)

Country: Tunisia

Policy Area(s): Professional Development

Fellow Racha Friji (Tunisia, 2022) recently gave a virtual talk entitled “The Paradigm Shifts of AI: Talan Innovation Factory Perspective” as part of Global Hackathon Talan 2023. The hackathon encourages innovation in AI with a focus on social impact by engaging with experts and leaders on the latest AI trends and how to leverage them for global impact in areas spanning health, education, environmental sustainability, and economic inclusion. “The power of the ChatGPT solution is that for once we have an AI solution that everyone in the world can access…and see how far artificial intelligence capabilities have evolved,” Racha, who is an AI researcher at Talan Innovation Factory, explained during her talk. She also recently spoke at a roundtable discussion, “Industry 4.0 and Its Impact on Environment” with a focus on #AI opportunities and threats” at Tunisia Polytechnic School during their annual Entreprise Forum.

Report Date...: 10/9/2023

Fellow appointed president of oil & gas governance NGO

Fellow(s): Jessica Obeid (Lebanon, 2012)

Country: Lebanon

Cohort: 2012

Policy Area(s): Environmental Sustainability, Professional Development

“There’s a new President in town,” shared fellow Jessica Obeid (Lebanon, 2012) in an announcement of her recent appointment as President of the Organization for Petroleum and Energy Sustainability (OPES), a non-governmental, non-profit organization that works to ensure governance and transparency in the oil and gas sector of Lebanon. “With an impressive background in energy engineering and extensive expertise in energy policy, sustainability, and low-carbon technologies, Jessica brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to lead OPES into a sustainable and promising future,” the organization shared in a recent post. Among many roles, Jessica is a founding partner of New Energy Consult in Dubai and a Senior Global Advisor for Azure Strategy in London, England.

Report Date...: 08/14/2023

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