en
Global
• This year’s program will be rolled out in Singapore, Brazil and Costa Rica
• 20 women entrepreneurs, representing a variety of businesses across different sectors
SINGAPORE – Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG), in close association with WEConnect International, announced the commencement of a comprehensive capability building program called Women Entrepreneurs Development Program. The kick-off ceremony took place at P&G’s Singapore Innovation Center in the gracious presence of representatives from Singapore Enterprise and the U.S. Embassy. The Women Entrepreneurs Development Program aims to provide training to women business owners to further develop their capabilities and help them grow their businesses. P&G’s strategic partner in this program, WEConnect International, is a global network that identifies, educates registers and certifies majority women-owned businesses and connects them to qualified buyers and multinational companies like P&G across the globe.
The program, which will be rolled out in Singapore for the first time in 2019, reaffirms P&G’s ongoing commitment to strengthen the management capabilities of small and medium enterprises in Singapore and the Asia Pacific region.
The Women Business Entrepreneurs Development Program is part of P&G’s long-term commitment to diversity and inclusion, specifically to promoting a more diverse supply network under a flagship initiative called the ‘Supplier Diversity Program’. P&G’s Supplier Diversity program started in 1976 to grow and develop under-utilized suppliers in the United States who are women-owned, minority-owned, LGBT-owned and U.S. Military veteran-owned. More recently in 2015, P&G declared its intention to expand this program outside of the United States with a focus on women-owned enterprises. In 2016, as part of the Clinton Global Initiative, P&G announced its partnership with WEConnect International to train women entrepreneurs in each region in which the company operates. Today, P&G spends over US$2 billion annually with diverse and women-owned businesses.
The Women Entrepreneurs Development program will be executed through a series of training sessions delivered by P&G Asia Pacific employees and organized in a 10 module curriculum. In Singapore, 20 women business owners have been selected as part of the 2019 cohort, representing a variety of businesses across different sectors such as law, art & lifestyle, marketing & communication services, intellectual property, financial services and social enterprises. The women business owners who complete the training program will benefit from a wide breadth of business development topics such as growth strategies, business operations, company branding, communications, and leadership skills and supplier relationship management. The training program is expected to have a ripple effect to impact these women businesses’ employees, clients, professional networks and communities.
Speaking at the kick-off ceremony, Stewart Atkinson, Chief Purchasing Officer, P&G Global said, “At P&G, we are focused on helping remove barriers to economic opportunities for women through sustainable measures and advocacy efforts. We are committed to ensuring women-owned businesses are a growing part of our external partners ecosystem. WEConnect International is a strategic partner in our efforts and shares a common vision of providing equal opportunity to women entrepreneurs to help them implement successful business solutions that will ensure mutual sustainable economic growth for partners and P&G.”
Rachel Williams, Corporate Engagement and Project Manager, WEConnect International said, “We are very pleased that this partnership with P&G is giving rise to new opportunities for women business owners in Singapore. With the launch of this program in Singapore, we aim to build a better connection between women-owned businesses and multinational companies, jointly reinforce women’s equality in business and urge actions to close the persistent economic gender gap around the globe.”
Pictured above, WEConnect International Corporate Engagement Manager Rachel Williams addresses a full-crowd at the inaugural kick-off event.
Camille Dawson, Counselor for Public Affairs, U.S. Embassy Singapore said, “The U.S. Government, through programs such as the Women’s Global Development and Prosperity (W-GDP) Initiative, is committed to supporting women around the world to help them thrive in the workforce, launch businesses, and create value for their communities. Working with partners, including P&G and WEConnect International, we can advance women’s empowerment and entrepreneurship. When women do better, organizations, communities, and countries do better. Research shows that gender equality is smart economics.
The graduation ceremony of the Women Entrepreneurs Development Program will be held as part of the P&G APAC #WeSeeEqual Symposium in May 2019, P&G’s gender equality annual flagship event. This being the second year of the symposium in Singapore, it is aimed to spark conversations that inspire people to become advocates for gender equality within the workplace and larger communities.
The graduation ceremony of the Women Entrepreneurs Development Program will be held as part of the P&G APAC #WeSeeEqual Symposium in May 2019, P&G’s gender equality annual flagship event. This being the second year of the symposium in Singapore, it is aimed to spark conversations that inspire people to become advocates for gender equality within the workplace and larger communities. Singapore has been chosen along with Brazil and Costa Rica for 2019’s rollout. Since 2016, the P&G-WEConnect program has been run in China, Turkey, South Africa, Mexico, Nigeria, India, and the US.
About Procter & Gamble
P&G serves consumers around the world with one of the strongest portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands, including Always®, Ambi Pur®, Ariel®, Bounty®, Charmin®, Crest®, Dawn®, Downy®, Fairy®, Febreze®, Gain®, Gillette®, Head & Shoulders®, Lenor®, Olay®, Oral-B®, Pampers®, Pantene®, SK-II®, Tide®, Vicks®, and Whisper®. The P&G community includes operations in approximately 70 countries worldwide. Please visit http://www.pg.com for the latest news and information about P&G and its brands.
About WEConnect International
WEConnect International helps women-owned businesses succeed in global value chains. It identifies, educates, registers, and certifies women’s business enterprises based outside of the U.S. that are at least 51% owned, managed, and controlled by one or more women, and then connects them with qualified member buyers. For more information, visit the website here.
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