Q1. Can you tell me a little about yourself, age, education, etc
AnsI- am 54 and am half American and half Trinidadian. I have my undergraduate degree
from Georgetown University and my Masters in International Economics and Law from
Johns Hopkins University.
Q2. What prompted you to move away from print and broadcast media?
Ans2 -I loved being a journalist and wanted to be a foreign correspondent. However, as news
budgets got smaller and smaller, I realized that was not a realistic career trajectory. I
went to get my Masters and then was employed by the UN. Working with the UN let me
continue to tell important stories, without the space and time constraints, and give a
voice to the voiceless.
Q3. Can you also retail some interesting experiences as part of your journey with the
World Bank and Unicef, especially in India.
Ans- I’ve attached my CV but here are some highlights:
I worked for the UNICEF as chief of advocacy and partnerships, based in Delhi. 2008-
2011
Here are my achievements:
Led a multi-media advocacy campaign, with Government, Bollywood stars and donors
to
promote and educate influencers on India’s Right of Children to Free and Compulsory
Education (RTE).
Developed and fostered the child rights agenda culminating in the 20 th anniversary
of the
Convention on the Rights of the Child, including supporting media, advocacy and social
networking packages.
Managed the design of a child survival advocacy package, including key messages,
fact sheets,
advocacy arguments, position papers and human-interest stories for parliamentarians
and
policy makers.
Implemented a partnership with the Indira Gandhi National Open University linking
more than 80
national and state media with UNICEF and Government experts on maternal and child
health.
Managed advocacy strategy to influence policy on child rights/survival and engage
with civil
society.
Developed a youth participation strategy for the Millennium campaign, including an
analysis of
the best technology to disseminate and increase youth participation. Tribal children from
Orissa
at the J8 in Rome.
I then left UNICEF and went to the World Bank as Manager of external relations for the
South Asia Region based in DC.
Here are achievements:
Accompanied President Zoellick on farewell trip to India.
Created and managed regional capacity building for South Asian media on trade and
nutrition,
including development of a live nutrition e-book for NGO, UN, government and media
collaboration.
Led Open Development Roadshows promoting open data to civil society, media,
academia and
other stakeholders in South Asia, including the development of multimedia training
modules.
Q4. What is your role at WEConnect?
Ans-I am Vice President of Communications and my first trip was to India and ThinkBig!
Q5- What are WEConnect’s plans for India in particular?
Ans-WEConnect International in India identifies, educates, registers, and certifies women's
business enterprises that are at least 51 percent owned, managed and controlled by
one or more women. WEConnect International connects women-owned businesses with
multi-national corporate purchasing organizations outside of the United States. Globally,
there are approximately 224 million women entrepreneurs worldwide who participate in
the ownership of nearly 35 percent of privately-owned firms in the formal economy.
Q6- How can more women be encouraged to become entrepreneurs in the small-scale
sector?
Ans-Women account for over $20 trillion in spending per year and are involved in over 80
percent of consumer purchasing decisions worldwide. The real drivers of the economy
are women —as business leaders, employees, consumers, and entrepreneurs. And yet,
women-owned businesses earn less than 1 percent of the money spent on vendors by
large corporations and governments.
Q7- Can you give us 2-3 examples of success stories of women in business?
Ans-There are India-specific success stories on the website:
https://weconnectinternational.org/en/network/asia/india
Q8- What are some of your specific programmes that have enabled women entrepreneurs
across the world and in India?
Ans-ThinkBig is WeConnect International’s signature annual event in India. It brings together
some of the largest corporations in the world and female business owners from across
the region, creating opportunities for greater market access for women-owned
businesses. ThinkBig serves as a platform for women’s entrepreneurship and economic
empowerment as well as corporate engagement around inclusive and impactful
sourcing and corporate social responsibility initiatives.
10. What more can be done to encourage small-scale women entrepreneurs?
Women can self-register and have network access for FREE!
For details on self-registering as a Women Owned Business or becoming a certified
Women Business Enterprise, please contact Krithika Ram, Program Director for
WEConnect International India, kram@weconnectinternational.org
For corporate membership, contact Michael Tobolski, VP of Member Development,
mtobolski@weconnectinternational.org, or
online at https://weconnectinternational.org/en/corporate-membership/membership-
opportunities
Q10- What are your future plans?
Ans-I’ve just started this new position, but it combines my two passions of Women’s
Empowerment and leveraging the private sector for sustainable development. By
helping women entrepreneurs gain access to corporate markets, they can grow their
businesses and strengthen their communities economically. It’s a win-win for both the
corporates and the women entrepreneurs!
