Recently, Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s University participated for the fifth year in the global movement, \u201cWomen\u00a0Entrepreneurship\u00a0Week.\u201d The Ignite Institute at Â鶹ÊÓƵ\u2019s University hosted a conference featuring a panel discussion on “Women\u00a0Entrepreneurs Making Their Mark in the International Community.”<\/p>\n
Panelists included Natalia F. Cabrera, founder of Khayyan Specialty Foods, Ch\u00e9ma Gargouri,\u00a0CEO of the Center for Applied Training, Ferg\u00fcl Kuzucuo\u011flu, founder of AFK Strategies Inc., and Samia Bahsoun, CEO of Capwave Technologies. Kymberlee Norsworthy, adjunct professor at Â鶹ÊÓƵ\u2019s University and public relations entrepreneur, moderated the discussion.<\/p>\n
\u201cÂ鶹ÊÓƵ\u2019s was the only University that hosted women that came from different parts of the world and traveled from different continents to take part in this event. Female business leaders from North Africa, Turkey, the Middle East, South America and North America shared their journeys in one event,\u201d said Chanaz Gargouri, Ph.D., assistant professor in the department of business administration and interim executive director of the Ignite Institute. \u201cThe diversity of these entrepreneurs contributed to a rich, international discussion on a variety of relevant topics.\u201d<\/p>\n
The panelists fielded questions about their definition of entrepreneurship and journey to becoming successful female entrepreneurs. As international leaders in their field, they shared how they overcame cultural barriers and achieved business success.<\/p>\n
“I’m a communications major at Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s and I’m so glad I had the opportunity to attend this event with my class,\u201d said Reyhan Lalaoui \u201819. \u201cTo see a group of strong women entrepreneurs gathered in discussion was such a wonderful learning opportunity for me as I aspire to pursue a career in media.\u00a0What inspired me the most was everyone’s distinctive perspective. Each person’s journey towards entrepreneurship was entirely unique.\u201d<\/p>\n
The event culminated with a keynote address led by Toni Ann Turco ’86 titled “Business for Social Good: From Wall Street to Your Street.” Turco discussed how she transitioned from a background in finance to founding the nonprofit organization, Home for Good Dog Rescue, where she has saved the lives of almost 7,000 dogs.<\/p>\n
Turco leveraged her Jesuit school background to begin a career as a Wall Street executive and was the first female officer at her company. Her reputation as a shrewd businesswoman allowed her to move up the corporate ladder in compliance operations.<\/p>\n
After years of working in finance, Turco decided to pursue her passion of helping animals. She began by rescuing dogs from \u201chigh-kill\u201d shelters, where dogs are euthanized if they do not find homes. As her nonprofit expanded, she opened her own rescue and began making trips to Georgia, which has one of the highest kill rates in the country and few laws protecting against the mistreatment of animals.<\/p>\n
Following, Turco\u2019s keynote speech, students were allowed to ask questions and learn more about becoming ethical leaders with a strong moral compass, committed to making a positive difference in their chosen professions and communities.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnder Dr. Chanaz Gargouri’s direction, we truly showcased an inspirational and diverse group of global women leaders, whose stories of business success, social impact and perseverance were empowering to us all,\u201d said Mary Kate Naatus, Ph.D., KPMG Dean of the School of Business. \u201cOver the past five years, we have featured so many inspiring\u00a0women\u00a0entrepreneurs\u00a0and leaders to motivate and empower our student and community\u00a0entrepreneurs\u00a0to believe in themselves, follow their dreams and launch their ventures.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Recently, Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s University participated for the fifth year in the global movement, \u201cWomen\u00a0Entrepreneurship\u00a0Week.\u201d The Ignite Institute at Â鶹ÊÓƵ\u2019s University hosted a conference featuring a panel discussion on “Women\u00a0Entrepreneurs Making Their Mark in the International Community.” Panelists included Natalia F. Cabrera, founder of Khayyan Specialty Foods, Ch\u00e9ma Gargouri,\u00a0CEO of the Center for Applied Training, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":54,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7514","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n