Academy for Women Entrepreneurs holds first-ever regional summit in Malaysia

SHAH ALAM - Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) hosts its first ever regional summit in Malaysia in conjunction with International Women’s Day.

The three-day summit, which commenced on March 7, saw the participation of nearly 200 successful women entrepreneurs and business leaders across the Indo-Pacific region.

These participants shared information and best practices, built capacity and networks in order to promote growth, innovation, and sustainability.

The summit, which was launched by Women, Family, and Community Development Minister Datuk Sri Nancy Shukri, used American business knowledge and technology to increase business acumen and strengthen ties and networks among Indo-Pacific women entrepreneurs.

"Together with the Women Entrepreneur Network Association (WENA), the AWE program has benefited many women entrepreneurs, providing them access to education and mentorship. I believe education is the key to lifting up women and providing them equal access and opportunities on the playing field.

"I look forward to learning more about the summit’s outcomes and how Malaysian women entrepreneurs here can continue to scale up their businesses and provide further avenues for more women to participate and achieve economic success," Nancy said.

Participants were guided by American and Malaysian business leaders and angel investors on subjects such as using technology to scale up business models, future-proofing companies, and pitching and marketing to investors.

On the other hand, AWE Summit participant Irene Mositol said that AWE provided her with a lot of skills that she needed to realise her vision of improving the livelihoods of other women in her community through sustainable farming businesses.

"I am excited to network with like-minded business leaders at the AWE Regional Summit and learn innovative ways to continue growing our businesses and bring change to our communities," she said, who is the founder of DumoWongi, a social enterprise in Sabah.

The successful women entrepreneurs and business leaders who attended the summit were from Brunei, Fiji,Malaysia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.