A step towards equality and success for women in business

On July 27, the House of Digital Arts Port Louis hosted the launch of the second Women Entrepreneur Awards (WEA) 2024. “Celebrating our pioneers”the event brings together candidates, sponsors, partners and members of the startup ecosystem for an evening of inspiration and commitment. The WEA finals will take place on October 19, and the shortlisted candidates will be announced at an event scheduled for September 9.

The finals promise to bring together outstanding entrepreneurs, business leaders and government officials to celebrate success and foster exchange. This year’s jury includes notables such as Johanne Hague, Attorney at Law, Renaud Azema, CEO of Vatel Mauritius; Julien GuillotSestier, Founder of Turn Off Communication; Ingrid Bell, Managing Director (MD) of Aestika Studio; Lea Verbizier, MD of Ome Mauritius; and Éric Grenouilleau, Founder of Blue Frog Holdings.

At the opening ceremony, Naila Hanoomanjee, CEO of Landscope Mauritius, shared her career journey and discussed the particular challenges faced by women entrepreneurs. She highlighted barriers related to funding, social norms and lack of confidence. She called on business leaders to play a more active role in supporting women entrepreneurs and women’s leadership, stressing the importance of investing in women, opening doors for them and encouraging them to step out.

Kirti Sheonarain, founder and partner at Event Management and Digital Marketing, explained that WEA 2024 is part of this global initiative “Investing in women, accelerating progress”She clarified that WEA aims to promote and celebrate the contribution of women entrepreneurs to the Mauritian economy. She also announced a series of workshops on finance, digital literacy and well-being in August, hosted by Bank One, Emtel and Ennoia, with the participation of psychologist Sanjana Gobin.

Sendy Thoplan, Head of SME and Business Banking at First Bank, mentioned that First Bank will provide its expertise, professional knowledge and network to provide guidance, training and resources to candidates. She will sponsor a financial literacy workshop to provide women with the tools to address challenges and seize opportunities. He stressed that SMEs represent 127,000 businesses in the local economy, contribute 40% of GDP and employ 54% of the workforce.

Karen Yvon, Managing Director of House of Digital Art, encouraged female entrepreneurs to maintain their passion throughout the entire entrepreneurial process. Jean-Luc Manneback said: Impact Production Team LeaderThe event’s partners recall that women make up 43% of business creators worldwide.

An all-male panel then discussed the barriers faced by female entrepreneurs. Speakers including Alvyn Ulrish Shad Savrimuthu, Umarfarooq Omarjee, Ali Asgarr Mamode, Caleb Samy and Sandee Teeroovengadum discussed the stereotypes that may influence the behavior of some men in business relationships. They stressed the need to change the professional environment to better value the role of women in companies and ensure that they are fairly compensated.