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PRESS RELEASE
Thursday, March 12, 2020
AGBU WOMEN SHAPING THE WORLD CONFERENCE ADDS UNIQUE VOICE TO THE FEMALE
EMPOWERMENT MOVEMENT
New York, NY: In celebration of International Women's Day 2020 and the 100th
anniversary of the ratification of the women's right to vote in America, over
200 attendees from across the region, as well as from New England and
California, spent the day in the company of exemplary female leaders who are
making transformational change through their careers, philanthropy and volunteer
work.
The sold-out Inaugural AGBU "Women Shaping the World" (WSTW) conference, held in
downtown Manhattan on March 7, 2020, was organized by a committee of
distinguished women with three goals in mind: to provide a forum for sharing
insights and ideas on challenges and opportunities facing women socially and
professionally; create a space to work in solidarity towards gender equality and
women's rights at home and abroad; and give women a platform for networking and
exploring career development strategies, with guidance from industry
specialists.
The diversity and scope of the conference attracted a mix of co-sponsors,
including Seta Nazarian and the Englestad Foundation as primary contributors, as
well as global names such as Citi® Private Banking, We Work,® and Loréal® Paris,
in addition to Congès fine jewelry and Keremo cakes.
In her welcoming remarks, advisory committee co-chair Claudia Nazarian set the
tone for the three-part agenda, promising a day in which "women of all ages and
a few brave men will come together to share their stories and leave feeling
enlightened, inspired and challenged to do more." She assured guests that the
conference was the first of many more to come.
THE AGBU LEGACY OF FEMALE EMPOWERMENT
AGBU Central Board member and Co-Chair of the AGBU Global Women's Empowerment
Initiative Ani Manoukian presented a brief overview of AGBU's century-old
commitment to the elevation of Armenian women in society. She highlighted how,
as early as 1917, AGBU women mobilized a multi-national clothing drive in behalf
of child survivors of the Armenian Genocide of 1915. AGBU also opened women's
shelters, orphanages and trade schools as well as took up the daunting task of
rescuing abducted Armenian women from Turkish homes. By the 1940s, women were
serving on the organization's Central Board of Directors. The early 1990s saw
Louise Manoogian Simone as AGBU's fifth president, during the critical years of
Armenia's independence. Manoukian further noted that today 40% of AGBU chairs
worldwide are women and, when looking solely at its Young Professionals
leadership, the rate increases to 55%. She made a compelling case that Armenian
women's voices do matter.
"We can balance the conversation; we add value to the pool of visionaries and
creators of our male counterparts. We are listeners, we are problem-solvers, we
are collaborators," Manoukian stated.
WISDOM AND PERSPECTIVE
The guest speaker segment opened with keynote remarks by Suni Harford, the
president of UBS Asset Management. Long known for her advocacy in support of
women leaders in finance and business, Harford described her own career path as
mostly unplanned, and more a succession of opportunities that opened doors to
others. She emphasized the importance of women as consumers and drivers of
change, underlining that female empowerment is connected to the bottom line and
there must always be an economic component to the movement.
She also shared her "four pearls of wisdom" beginning with Visibility within the
company's power structure by taking positions or getting involved in special
projects that allow access to key decisionmakers in the organization. Next, was
Don't Opt Out Early, when considering leaving the work world to start a family.
"You don't know what lies ahead, and you don't know what your companies are
going to look like," she noted. Third on her list was to Take Risks, saying, "I
do believe women have as many opportunities as men, but too many women wait for
these opportunities and don't raise their hands to take that risk." Her final
token of advice was to Speak Up; recounting the time she applied for a
leadership position in Tokyo to the surprise of her colleagues. "Everyone
assumed I would never take that role, but I had never let anyone know that I
wanted it." Though Hartford's big move never happened, she recalled that
advocating for herself started an important dialogue in her workplace and opened
other unanticipated doors in her career.
Picking up the threads of Harford's speech, panel moderator Alexis Alexanian, an
independent producer and former president of the New York Women in Film &
Television, opened the discussion with two high-powered Armenian-American women
who exemplified the "shaping the world" concept: Mary Ellen Iskenderian,
President and CEO of Women's World Banking, the world's largest network of
microfinance institutions and banks; and Carineh Martin, a leading luxury brands
executive who co-founded RAD, which partners with celebrity talent and brands to
use the Red Carpet for advocacy and social good.
On the subject of using professional platforms to advance social progress,
Martin made the case that good marketing can be authentic while creating social
change, "Status and good design don't cut it anymore. Who you are and what you
believe in can have a purpose and create social progress."
Iskenderian's insights on empowering women financially were also instructive,
"Finance can be a tool for change. When women are in control of resources, they
play a much bigger role in household decision making, and money is spent
unequivocally on saving towards goals." She noted that study after study showed
that, women who are lifted out of poverty and are in charge of the purse
strings, spend disproportionately on educating their children. She also stressed
the need for financial literacy, explaining that having a bank account, and even
buying insurance, can be just as important as receiving a micro-loan.
This theme prompted consensus among the speakers that education is paramount to
female empowerment and each of them owed much of their own success to their
academic experiences. Martin mentioned that attending an all-girls high school
led her to believe that women could do whatever they set their mind to, as the
girl students assumed roles otherwise filled by boys. It wasn't until she
entered university that she understood that gender imbalance was real.
Each discussant spoke with great passion about the reward of giving back to
others through their professional expertise, which provided them with the
resources, tools, exposure and access to forge their own paths to uplift others.
"We can take our platforms and use them to make people aware of what is
happening in the world," said Martin. "Shifting the culture is instrumental in
creating change, and how we work together to change the culture in little ways
can be impactful."
On that point, Iskenderian-taking stock of the sea of Armenian women
assembled-uttered a truth that resounded with many nodding heads throughout the
room. "That ian/yan is like a secret handshake wherever you are. It's something
ineffable we all share."
Alexanian expressed how impressed she was with the quality of the questions and
issues raised, saying, "I've never been in a room with this many Armenian women,
and it makes me emotional to be here today." She continued, "We all need a forum
like this, we need to talk about the things that bind us, our similarities, and
we need to talk about the differences. This is how we define our network."
The conversation continued over lunch, where attendees could talk shop with
peers and make new social and professional connections. An hour later, they were
back in their seats for the unveiling of AGBU EmpowerHer, presented by AGBU
Central Board Member and Co-Chair of the AGBU Global Women's Empowerment
Initiative Arda Haratunian.
LAUNCH OF AGBU EMPOWERHER
EmpowerHer is a multi-dimensional initiative designed to promote gender equality
in the Republic of Armenia, a country in which women (who represent over half
the country's population) are still struggling for a seat at the table in
business, economy and politics. They are also still grappling with outworn
cultural norms that undervalue females in society and subject them to
intergenerational household pressures that impede their personal growth.
Thanks to the early support of donors across the diaspora, the AGBU EmpowerHer
model has the capacity to combine education, training, institutional support,
mentorship, and expertise from program partners and collaborators worldwide,
including AGBU Hye Geen Centers for pregnant women and the Women's Support
Center in Armenia for victims of domestic violence and abuse.
Haratunian highlighted multiple ways that EmpowerHer can help Armenia's women
gain social and economic independence, including learning workplace fundamentals
and enrolling for trainings from Coding and IT to entrepreneurship and community
leadership, along with a cycle of support through alumni services.
She also invited the attendees to get involved in the EmpowerHer initiative
through volunteering, connecting, mentoring, fundraising, donating, and other
ways to help enhance the role of Armenia's women in business and society.
"When you transform the life of a woman, it will change their communities, the
organizations they work in, and the nation they create. You are empowered to
EmpowerHer," said Haratunian.
INDUSTRY BREAK-OUT SESSIONS
The remainder of the day was dedicated to networking and advice-gathering
through small roundtables grouped by industries. Each was led by a specialist in
the category, including Mary Ellen Iskenderian (Finance), Alexis Alexanian (Film
& Entertainment), Sara Anjargolian (Armenia Current Affairs); Ani Aydin
(Medicine & Health); Tamar Donikyan (Law); Houry Geudelekian (Gender & Women's
Issues); Arda Haratunian (Communications and Marketing); Kris McGarry
(NGO/Education); and Seta Nazarian (Philanthropy and Volunteerism).
The sessions allowed participants to explore industry-specific issues and
questions. For example, the Finance group, representing entrepreneurs, small
business owners, and leaders in global companies like PayPal, PWC, IBC, and the
World Bank, discussed topics from creating informal female support systems in
male dominated offices to asking for the same opportunities and responsibilities
as men. "Being the only woman in the finance department used to be the
narrative" said Elizabeth Akian. "But now we have women running departments and
it's fulfilling to see others grow." Others also noted the importance of having
female leaders. "We have a gift as women in the way we nurture relationships,"
said Oriona Nikaj. "We can see that here today in this conference."
The Medicine and Health group shared insights on how to approach mentors in
their field and how best to offer their skills in the Armenian world,
considering EmpowerHer's new healthcare initiative. In the Armenia Current
Affairs group, participants agreed with Sara Anjargolian, the chief of staff of
Armenia's Office of the High Commissioner of Diaspora Affairs, who said "nation
building is not a spectator sport." They discussed the changes in the country
since the Velvet Revolution, and how unprecedented programs like "iGorts," which
invites Diaspora Armenian professionals to work in Armenia's state institutions,
are tapping Diaspora talent throughout the world.
The heavily attended Film, Television and Entertainment session explored ways
for aspiring creative types to build their personal brands and profiles on
social media, recognizing the power of digital media to increase visibility and
exposure of their work. Meanwhile, the Communications and Marketing group
discussed the benefits of finding mentors and proactively reaching out to
established professionals without the fear of rejection. The Philanthropy and
Volunteerism session weighed the pros and cons of starting a non-profit
organization from scratch versus partnering with more established organizations,
thereby ceding some of one's decision-making power.
INSIGHTS AND TAKEAWAYS
Positive feedback from the sessions was consistent among the groups. "I really
got something out of this discussion today, said Katia Ariyan. "I expanded my
network of Armenians in my industry, made connections, and learned more about
how to put myself out there toward what I want to do."
Her sentiments were echoed by attendees, speakers, and organizers, alike. "Being
at an event like this, I now feel like I could push my Armenian world one step
further into a more career-driven, professional, and inspiring place," said
participant Shushan Sargsian. "I am so inspired by all of the amazing things
Armenian women are doing here, in Armenia and all over the world, and this has
given me a lot of ideas on how to get involved." Another participant, Lernik
Essayei chimed in, "This is why we all need to be connected at least once a
year, to remind ourselves why we are doing what we are doing."
At the close of the day, Alexanian made an astute observation, saying, "I think
we identified an underserved audience that needs this forum for empowerment,
bonding, 'what Armenian means to me' and inspiration. It's so obvious. It was
very impressive to see how many people are committed, passionate, want to
network and connect."
Nila Festekjian, the woman who first planted the seed of holding an
International Women's Day conference over a year ago, characterized the event as
an "unqualified success" and invited attendees to email their thoughts, ideas
and suggestions for future forums to [email protected].
The Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) is the world's largest non-profit
organization devoted to upholding the Armenian heritage through educational,
cultural and humanitarian programs. Each year, AGBU is committed to making a
difference in the lives of 500,000 people across Armenia, Artsakh and the
Armenian diaspora. Since 1906, AGBU has remained true to one overarching goal:
to create a foundation for the prosperity of all Armenians. To learn more visit
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