Happy birthday, Indian Women in Enterprise!

Around this time last year, I was a guest at the launch of Indian Women in Enterprise (I-WE) Philippines and joined the panel on the societal impact of enterprising and empowered women that was moderated by Kanchana Akhouri and participated in by best-selling author and IT-BPM icon Maulik Parekh, Startup Village Founder and President Carlo Calimon, and Second Secretary for the Indian Embassy of the Philippines, Vishwanjali Gaikwad. I remember being hugely impressed by Ms. Vishwanjali, who had risen the diplomatic ranks at such a young age. Truly an empowered young woman and great inspiration to us all!

It was a hybrid event even then. Truth to tell, I was worried about leaving the house because of the pandemic, especially as we still had no vaccinations at that time, but I just could not resist the passion and excitement I saw in I-WE leaders’ desire to help empower women. I am happy I braved going to their event as I met such vibrant women leaders in person, like president Priyalashmi Murguesan, chairperson Beena Advani, Kanchana Akhouri, Sharon Vaswani, Kavita Handa, Tonichi Achurra-Parekh, and more.

I-WE is an organization for women by women in the Philippines intent on nurturing, mentoring and growing women to their full potential. One akin to our thrust at the Women’s Business Council Philippines (WomenBizPH) to inspire optimism and create opportunities for women. So, it was but natural to become partners in this quest and to support each other’s projects and events.

I can’t believe it’s been a year of journeying together with I-WE, and here we are at Shangri-La at the Fort, celebrating their first anniversary and many accomplishments as an organization, and launching their latest endeavor, Tech2Transform.

Chairwoman Beena Advani welcomed everyone formally to the event and introduced the guest of honor and main I-WE cheerleader and supporter H.E. Shambhu Kumaran, Indian ambassador to the Philippines. I learned just how instrumental Amb. Kumaran was in getting I-WE off the ground. Staunchly believing in the integral role of women in their homes, in business, and in humanity, Amb. Kumaran encouraged the ladies to organize themselves and launch I-WE. He congratulated the empowered I-WE ladies for their accomplishments, greeting them a happy birthday as he expected them to grow even bigger in stature year after year. He also highlighted the timing of I-WE’s launch as we are celebrating the 70^th anniversary of Indian Philippines Friendship. And he was right! Our two countries have been trading long before the Westerners arrived, sharing many similarities on culture and spirituality.

Responding to him, Philippine Commission on Women’s (PCW) Chairwoman Sandra Sanchez-Montano acknowledged the strength of Indian and Philippine women business leaders, observing how happy she was with the seating arrangement of the event with Mrs. Amrita Kumaran seated beside her husband, rather than behind him. Indeed, that was a very strong statement for gender equality!

Chairwoman Sandy highlighted the Philippines’ uniqueness in having a Magna Carta for Women that recognizes and protects women’s rights, and in celebrating women empowerment and gender equality for an entire month instead of just celebrating it on March 8 like the rest of the world. Introducing the idea of Juanas and Juans, as Filipinos refer to women and men, she shared PCW’s different initiatives during Women’s Month, including Musika ng Kababaihan Fridays (#MNKFridays) where songs on women empowerment are streamed on social media including Tiktok; #PurpleTuesdays where women are encouraged to wear purple to spark interest and discourse on women empowerment; and the inclusion of anti-violence against women and children (WAVC) in the 911 emergency hotline responses, among others.

WomenBizPH’s chairwoman Mylene Abiva then formally inducted the MSME participants of Tech2Transform who were joining the event virtually, stressing the importance of digital transformation and technology to success. And as luck would have it, I was asked to deliver the remarks of UN Women Philippines Program Manager for WeEmpowerAsia Lenlen Mesina who was unable to attend. This gave me a chance to congratulate I-WE on stage and to remind them that we all have the responsibility to help each other. When women support other women, great things happen. Tech2Transform is one such endeavor.

Tech2Transform is a digital series designed to empower women MSMEs post-COVID by equipping them with access to finance for expansion, mentorship from industry experts, and relevant tools to support digital growth. Filipino MSMEs will learn best practices from the Indian MSME environment, which will help them grow and contribute to the economic revival of our country. To do this, I-WE has assembled a formidable community of partners to help transform the MSMEs, and I eagerly listened to the partners explain their role in the project.

President and COO of Esquire Financing Inc. Navin Uttamchandani hailed the resilience of women-owned and women-led MSMEs to overcome challenges and pledged long-haul support and funding consultancy to help them succeed. Naveen said they have already extended business loans to over 10,000 MSMEs and are gunning to help 100K SMEs scale up their business. Esquire Financing is not just the primary funding sponsor of the project but will also evaluate the capstone business plans of participants and extend financing to those that need funding access.

Lisa Biddle, foreign liaison for In Touch Philippines, said they will extend their Employee Wellness Program to participants, providing professional counseling sessions for mental wellness and training them to become mental health first aid responders.

COO of WorkBank Jackie Lynn Canlas announced a two-month free access to their online job-posting platform to help the MSMEs find the people to form their teams to build a successful business.

Cats Crisostomo, director for Academic Affairs of the Philippine Center for Creative Imaging (PCCI), highlighted the importance of social media marketing for MSMEs at this time. As the marketing training partner for Tech2Transform, PCCI will review the MSMEs’ current digital footprint and mentor them on how to digitally market their business.

Carlo Calimon, founder and president of Startup Village, will link the MSMEs to startups that can provide digital solutions and technology through Project Match, a marketplace and resource platform he set up with funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Chuyie Kaye Guibelondo, VP for ESG and Public Affairs, announced that AG&P that is leading the transition to cleaner energy with scalable infrastructure solutions will mentor the MSMEs on how to operate sustainably in an environmentally and socially responsible manner. AG&P is also sponsoring the PR efforts of I-WE with the help of Greenbulb PR, led by my friend and fellow WomenBizPH member, Leah Caringal.

Joining virtually from India, Mr. Rajeev Warrier, EVP of Wadhwani Foundation said they will be providing mentorship and skills development to the MSMEs. He encouraged the MSMEs to do their best at Tech2Transform as the top three performers will be enrolled free-of-charge to their Ignite Program, a 9-week online immersive and experiential entrepreneurship course designed to turbo-charge entrepreneurial startups. And the best of the best of those attending the Ignite Program will get a chance to win an all-expense-paid trip to Silicon Valley to join their Takeoff Program, a famed entrepreneurial ecosystem where they network with other entrepreneurs, get mentored by the best teachers, and pitch to investors.

Another partner is Lgorithm Solutions, a concierge desk for MSMEs that will be extending heavily subsidized rates to the participants who need registration, book-keeping, and legal support. And as we were leaving Shangri-La, we were given gift hampers from MV Big Basket, an online Indian grocery store. Excited about this, as this will make sourcing specialty spices much easier!

Aside from the partners, I laud the dynamic I-WE team behind Tech2Transform.

Kanchana Akhouri, COO of Smarter Good, Inc., stressed the importance of pairing action with vision, saying dreams can come true, but only if MSMEs are clear with what they want to achieve, set their SMART goals, and act on it. Kanchana will be mentoring the MSMEs participating in the program on goal setting.

Addressing the 25 MSMEs participating in Tech2Transform, I-WE’s Director for Enrichment Programs Sucheta Joshi shared the journey that they will undergo under Tech2Transform. Sucheta challenged the mentees to do their best, quoting Indian activist Mahatma Gandhi who often said, “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.” I-WE’s director for Marketing and Communications Geeta Keswani also updated everyone on the project’s promotions and marketing.

It was truly uplifting to see such a dynamic group as I-WE ladies accomplish so much in such a short time. From supporting MSMEs in the food business through their SARAP India virtual food carnival and e-cookbook; to promoting e-commerce for independent artists, craft person and local weavers at LIKHA Bazaar; to launching Srushti, a social entrepreneurial effort supporting Indian women self-help groups and indigenous tribes; to starting holistic wellness initiatives promoting global physicians of Indian origin, third eye wellness for mind and soul enriching programs, and mental health training; to introducing Indian culture by inviting us to a virtual celebration of Divali or Festival of Lights; and now, to upskilling MSMEs digitally through Tech2Transform, I-WE has conducted a whirlwind of activities.

As I told Priya that night, my heart is singing with happiness. I am grateful that our first meeting has led to a treasured friendship, and I look forward to continuing our collaboration on women economic empowerment.

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