ASTRID PREGEL INDUCTED INTO THE WBE HALL OF FAME

(November 30, 3016) Executive Director of WEConnect International in Canada Astrid Pregel was inducted into the WBE Hall of Fame on the evening of November 29 during a ceremony in Dallas. The event was sponsored by WEConnect International corporate member Pepsico and the Rush Group.

The WBE Hall of Fame is a nonprofit organization launched in 2009 to recognize the contributions of women entrepreneurs in their communities, as well as their accomplishments within their industries. Through a network of women’s business development organizations, corporate and government advocates and women-owned enterprises, the WBEHF spotlights best practices and insights as women create businesses that help build a stronger economy.

Recognized in Canada as the “god mother” of supplier diversity and inclusion, Astrid co-founded and served as executive director of WEConnect International’s work in Canada to introduce women’s business enterprises to the global supply chains of multinational corporations in 2008.

Astrid has had a distinguished career as a senior executive in Canada’s foreign service, and for the past 20 years has been a global thought leader in the area of gender, leadership, entrepreneurship and economic empowerment. She has also been widely recognized for her leadership in the area of women and international trade. She created the first Canadian International Trade Mission for women entrepreneurs and the first high-level Canada-US Women’s Business Summit. Her consulting company, Feminomics, has worked with organizations around the globe on policy and programs to enhance women’s economic empowerment through entrepreneurship and expanded leadership.

In photo (left to right): Ricardo Barrientos, Senior Director of Supplier Diversity and Procurement, PepsiCo; Astrid Pregel, Executive Director, WEConnect International in Canada; and Liliana Arevalo, Senior Manager of Shared Services, Pepsico.