IWEC FOUNDATION HISTORY

Supporting Female Business Owners Connect, Learn, and Grow for Over Ten Years.

At the beginning of the decade of the year 2000, then President of the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce, Miquel Valls, and other Catalan business owners participated in a trade mission to India. During the visit to India he met and was impressed by women in FLO – the Women’s Wing of The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), Upon returning to Barcelona, Mr. Valls decided that he wanted to involve the Barcelona Chamber women business owners in activities that would promote the international economic empowerment of women business owners, beginning with women in India.  He also wanted to involve the United States and consequently, commissioned Adela Subirana to travel to the US to join with Ambassador Ruth A. Davis to find an organization interested in working with the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce on this project. After meeting with several organizations in New York, Adela and Ruth met with Nancy Ploeger, then President of the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce (MCC) and her colleague, Sunita Bajaj.  They immediately saw the value and potential of such a project and agreed to work with The Barcelona Chamber. Based on Valls’s connection with FECCI-FLO and then President Mukta Nandini Jain, It was decided that the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce would work with FICCI-FLO to honor three successful women business owners from India.

 

Three Indian business owners were selected to be honored at the first annual conference in 2007.  That was the beginning of IWEC and the idea of working through Chambers of Commerce to create a global network of successful women business owners with a view of working to support each other and create a level playing field for women entrepreneurs globally.  In 2008 the annual conference was held in NYC and since then, conferences have been held around the world.

Since that initial conference, IWEC has grown from an informal organization under the auspices of the 3 chambers of commerce to an internationally recognized Foundation which was established in 2014. This is thanks to the Founders, the late Mr. Miquel Valls, Ambassador Ruth A. Davis, Ms. Adela Subirana, Ms. Nancy Ploeger & Manhattan Chamber Co-Chair, Sunita Bajaj.

2023

Ruth A. Davis retires as IWEC Chairwoman and Ibukun Awosika becomes the new IWEC Chairwoman

2020 & 2021

IWEC holds their annual conferences virtually due to the COVID pandemic

2019

Ibukun Awosika, one of IWEC’s first awardees, joins IWEC Foundation as President of the Board of Directors

2017

Her Royal Highness Princes Noor Asem of Jordan joins the IWEC Foundation Board.

2017

IWEC celebrates its 10th anniversary with the Annual Conference, hosted by Microsoft at their U.S. headquarters in Redmond, WA, attracting over 260 attendees.

2015

The IWEC Foundation becomes a 501c(3) registered nonprofit headquartered in New York City.

2010

IWEC grows its reach within Southern Africa and Central Asia.

2010

The IWEC Foundation launches its Global Ambassador Program to offer additional peer-to-peer mentoring and business development opportunities on a regional and national level.

2009

With the first businesswoman from Australia receiving an IWEC Award, the IWEC Foundation’s network of female entrepreneurs now spans across five continents.

2008

Supported by the U.S. Department of State, IWEC commences to expand its footprint in Africa.

2007

IWEC is founded with the first conference hosted by the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce in Spain.