Words that express the overwhelming feelings of the energy and success of our Global Forum and World of Difference Awards! Our editorial content this edition clearly articulates the success and diversity of our program.
The excitement generated by 60 winners from 20 countries, women, young women and men all ascending on the Washington Capital to celebrate their fellow remarkable recipients of our Awards. If you are an award winner and were not able to attend, your certificate and program book with the stories of all the award winners have been sent to you. In the meantime, please check our website www.tiaw.org for the photos and stories.
So indeed many Thank Yous are in order!!
Thank you to all of our Honorary Chairs and Award Champions for their outstanding nominations this year for the World of Difference 100 Awards and to all of our Speakers, many who were also award winners which contributed enormously to our success.
I would also like to thank Lisa Kaiser Hickey our President elect for hosting our Presidents luncheon at the City Club in Washington. We were delighted that over 20 presidents of our network members or their representative attended. This was a great opportunity to meet TIAW board members, network and share best practises plus get a quick overview of our new strategic direction. It was a fitting start to our Global Forum!
I would also like to gratefully acknowledge Ambassador Mike Moore and his wife for hosting our opening reception at his residence, which also honoured our World of Difference Lifetime Achievement Award winner Amanda Ellis Deputy Secretary, International Development, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, New Zealand. This event also gave everyone an opportunity to network with our award winners, our board and our guests in an intimate and warm environment.
What a start to our Global Forum and World of Difference Awards. We then moved on to the opening of the conference which was hosted by Deborah Lyons, Deputy Chief of Mission and her remarkable team at the magnificent Canadian Embassy. It was a wonderful venue for our 2-day forum and awards ceremony.
For some of you this will be the first time you as a World of Difference 100 Award winner will be receiving our eConnections. So welcome, you are now connected to an incredible network of 300 winners from the past four years of this particular award. Many of our winners are already members “of” or founders “of” their own networks or chambers, but if you are not, I do encourage you to stay connected and join one of our network members or TIAW directly.
By joining TIAW, you or your organization will become part of our global network representing more than 35,000 members worldwide. We invite you to join a committee, get involved and become part of an organization that supports the economic empowerment of women. From experience, we know that those you get involved, in turn, receive the most. Be a part of the TIAW community and let us grow stronger together.
In 2008 I was honoured to be one of the inaugural award winners of the World of Difference 100 Awards. I was nominated by the first World of Difference Lifetime Achievement Award winner Andrina Lever (2003) which has led me on this remarkable journey as an award winner, an individual member, a board member and now in the second year as President of TIAW.
I would be extremely remiss if I did not thank the team of Maxine and Al Westaway for their herculean efforts in contributing to the success of this year’s Global Forum and World of Difference Awards.
Lastly I am thankful for our board, our members and our sponsors for their continued support and look forward to continuing to raise the bar next year. I am extremely proud to be part of an organization that recognizes and supports individuals who are making a real difference in the world to make it a better place for us all.
