26 Nov Women of business strengthen alliances
THE CONCEPT of strategic alliances has always played a pivotal role in not only supporting but also strengthening female entrepreneurship. Female entrepreneurship formed a major part of the conversation of GEW efforts globally, and Trinidad and Tobago was also part of that experience.
A cross-section of women from various sectors converged recently at the Teaching and Learning Complex, University of the West Indies (UWI), to engage in a fruitful panel discussion themed “Using Strategic Alliances to Strengthen Female Entrepreneurship.” Hosted as a collaborative effort by Powerful Ladies of Trinidad and Tobago (PLOTT ) and The Institute for Gender and Development Studies, UWI , the event was moderated by Dr Paula Morgan, Head of Department, IGDS St Augustine unit, UWI. In opening the discussions, Morgan stated: “This initiative demonstrates the seriousness with which the UWI facilitates its outreach activities in support of independent and aggressive research. Every young person should be prepared to become an entrepreneur.” The panellists comprised industry experts who are also established female entrepreneurs including Dale Laughlin, chairman of Youth Business Trinidad and Tobago (YBTT ); Gillian Wall, founder/chairman and group CEO – IBB Holdings and co-founder of PLOTT ; Jennifer Jones-Morales, PhD candidate, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of of Management (UWI); Antoinette Maund, chairman, ANMA Holdings Ltd and Anthea Walcott, Owner of Flowers to Treasure.
In her contribution Wall stated that “simply ‘belief ’ in oneself causes all uncertainty to disappear; there is no right time for an entrepreneur – start now! “An entrepreneurial spirit should be inculcated in every employee; when more business owners become comfortable with young professionals sharing their dreams, more businesses will be established and of course, the country’s gross domestic product will increase.” Wall also described the importance of the social impact of entrepreneurship created by social entrepreneurs who use commerce to positively impact the environment within which they operate.
Laughlin used “Feminine Capital”, a book authored by Barbara Orser and Catherine Elliott, that focuses on unlocking the power of women entrepreneurs, as the basis to showcase the success of some of YBTT ’s female entrepreneurs including Jineal Chichester, Nikita Legall, La Toya Burgess and Asiya Mohammed, all of whom are testimonies to the power of entrepreneurship.
By: Sandrine Rattan
Project Co-ordinator – Stakeholder & Media Relations (YBTT)
Published in the Trinidad and Tobago Newsday on Thursday, November 26th, 2015
See link here: http://www.newsday.co.tt/features/0,220457.html