Dreams Beyond Borders program pursued in Barcelona and Cape Town
Successful women business owners mentor new entrepreneurs
photo: 2019 South African Mentee participants in Dreams Beyond Borders receive recognition at the 2019 IWEC Foundation Conference in New Delhi. Pictured left to right; IWEC President Ibukun Awosika; IWEC Chairwoman Ruth A. Davis; SA mentee Mandy Tinkler, CEO, Habits Co; IWEC Board Member, Janine Myburgh, CEO Myburgh Attorneys and former president of the Cape Chamber; SA mentee Zakira Palekar, CEO, Doggobone Raw Foods
In 2012 IWEC began encouraging its chamber and women’s business group partners to adopt the Dreams Beyond Borders program which was conceived by an IWEC Past Awardee, Anni Boddington. At the time both the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce and the Cape Chamber of Commerce set up a program and have continued the Dreams Beyond Borders since then.
This year both the Barcelona and Cape Chambers are adding another element to the program – mentoring across borders.
“In conversation with Nuria Basi, CEO, Armand Basi and past IWEC Awardee and Barcelona chamber Dreams participant, we decided to try another approach to support our mentee as well. One of our South African mentees will have Nuria in Spain as a mentor as well as a mentor in SA, Jill Bysshe, CEO, NEO Trading Pty Ltd. So for the first time we are literally having a mentor in one country and a mentee in another country,” offers Janine Myburgh, CEO Myburgh Attorneys & IWEC Foundation Board member.
“We also ask the mentee and the mentor to give us a 3 monthly one-page report on the progress made or challenges had as the year progresses. In order to keep the process formalized. The mentee and mentor have an opportunity to set the process over a 12- or 24-month process. We have found that building a longer relationship over an extended period of time is more beneficial,” she adds.
We encourage all of our IWEC Foundation chamber and women’s business group partners to adopt the Dreams Beyond Borders program. If they have a similar program, they will let us know so that we can monitor the progress of these mentoring programs and monitor their successes.