Women Investing in Women
On Friday, March 6, 2015, Meridian International Center hosted a panel discussion, Women Investing in Women: Promoting Social and Economic Empowerment Among Entrepreneurs from the Middle East and North Africa. The panel, moderated by Ambassador Stuart W. Holliday, President and CEO of Meridian, featured Christopher M. Schreoder, Entrepreneur and Venture Investor, Esra Assery, Founder and Managing Director of eTree, and Fida Taher, Founder and CEO of Zaytouneh.
Meridian’s Senior Vice President Bonnie Glick gave opening remarks highlighting Meridian’s commitment to fostering entrepreneurship and empowering women around the world. After brief introductions, Holliday initiated the discussion by asking the panelists to describe their greatest challenge as entrepreneurs. Despite negative social forces, each panelist stressed the importance of education, specifically higher education, for success. Moreover, the panel promoted mentorship as it bridges generational divides and fosters personal growth. Schroeder, an established entrepreneur, commented that he is constantly learning new things from other people, even those younger than him.
Assery and Taher drew attention to how far behind technology in their home countries is compared to Silicon Valley, and stressed the significance of leveraging it in business. But, Schroeder noted that in Silicon Valley there are very few women leading businesses whereas women in the Middle East and North Africa are increasingly dominating the business field by becoming entrepreneurs. While there are many cultural differences, the challenges posed to women entrepreneurs in the Middle East and North Africa are comparable to those in the United States.
The audience, full of aspiring entrepreneurs, used the lively Q&A session to ask questions about their own ventures and comment on their personal experience. Through all the topics discussed, the pervasive theme was progress. Despite the obstacles, women are making a difference in their communities and their countries both economically and socially. This is an extraordinary achievement stemming from women supporting each other but, all sectors of society must join the effort. Men can no longer be the enemy of equality, but rather allies in achieving it. This program showcased women’s accomplishments and highlighted the progress soon to come.
This panel discussion was part of a Meridian Entrepreneurship Program in partnership with The Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women – U.S. Department of State Entrepreneurship Program for Women in the Middle East and North Africa. This program brought 29 young and enthusiastic women from the Middle East and North Africa to the United States to engage with diplomatic, policy, and business experts in conversations around supporting and empowering women entrepreneurs. It is no coincidence that the program overlapped with International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month to celebrate women’s achievements, from politics to business, all over the world.
