Looking to make a global impact
Nominations can now be made for the 6th Professional and Career Women Awards organised by Women in Management (WIM) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) which celebrates the achievements of remarkable and inspiring women.
Announcing the event was founder/chairperson of Women in Management Sulochana Segera, along with the panel of judges, Senior Operations Officer-Sri Lanka and Maldives, IFC, Graeme Harris, Chairman of Lanka Sathosa, Dr. Rohantha Athukorala and Managing Director of Jetwing Travels Shiromal Cooray.
After a quick presentation on the winners of past years, Sulochana Segera spoke about the significance of WIM awards which honour women for their leadership and success while balancing their personal and career lives. “This year’s awards will highlight the impact that Sri Lanka’s professional women can have globally. We encourage any person to nominate women who they feel inspire them across the categories outlined. We would also like women to nominate themselves,” she said.
As a part of the World Bank Group, IFC has a strong commitment in advancing women’s contribution to the economy and developing gender- smart solutions that help transform markets. Graeme Harris said, “IFC’s partnership with WIM for these awards, and a number of other initiatives, will create new opportunities to help women professionals boost their skills and access new markets.” This is their second year as a partner with the WIM, and the following week they plan to launch events in Mannar and Batticaloa.
Having been involved in the selection process for the last three to four years, Rohantha Athukorale said it is “a tough job”, to select female winners in Sri Lanka because women as such, most of the time, refuse to apply for or to even claim an award.
Coming from a generation where women were brought up to be seen and not heard, Shiromal Cooray strongly opposed the traditional beliefs and stated that women should be role models and mentors to inspire young people. “Being recognised at the ‘Professional and Career Women Awards’ is an important accolade for many Sri Lankan women. It raises their profiles locally and can be an effective launching pad for international success” she said.
The judging panel this year will also include Dawn Austin, Ayomi Aluwihare and Kumar Samarasinghe.
Career Awards are Leadership Excellence in Human Resources, Information Technology, Marketing, Legal, Corporate Media and more. The best Woman CEO of the year, Power Woman of the Year, Best Entrepreneur of the Year also will be honoured.
Women in Management encourage any person to nominate women whom they feel, would inspire them across the categories outlined. Nominations could be made at www.womeninmanagementawards.org