THE 2014 ANNUAL JASMINE SUMMIT FOR WOMEN-OWNED BUSINESSES

WEConnect International’s partner organization Jasmine welcomed more than 450 attendees to its annual summit in Israel. This year, the prestigious list of speakers included the President of Israel Reuven Rivlin and the Minister of Finance Yair Lapid. Both the President and the Minister spoke of the importance of advancement of women-owned businesses and the key role that businesses play in diversifying their supply chain.

The most emotional moment of the day was when 98-year-old Ruth Dayan was presented with the Jasmine Lifetime Achievement Award. Nearly 50 years ago, Ms. Dayan established Maskit, a textile company that employed women representing the diversity of Israel: Jews, Arabs, Druze, and Bedouin.

Attendees also had the opportunity to hear from Catherine Rodgers, VP Global Opportunities from IBM who left an incredible impact with her words on diversifying supply chain at IBM. There were three breakout sessions with practical tips for women entrepreneurs on how to grow their businesses.

Read the full summary.

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Read President Rivlin’s summary , “You give us hope for a better, more just society, a more robust economy.”