US ambassador meets Pakistani women entrepreneurs

ISLAMABAD: American Ambassador David Hale met over 60 Pakistani women entrepreneurs, corporate executives, and capacity-building organizations here at the US Embassy for a Supply Chain Diversity Expo hosted by the US-Pakistan Women's Council and WECREATE/Pakistan.

Ambassador Hale congratulated the entrepreneurs on starting businesses and urged them to continue to inspire others with their creativity and determination, a press release issued by the US Embassy here on Friday said.

The US Ambassador also recognized WECREATE/Pakistan and USPWC Corporate Member Companies, including Proctor and Gamble, TRG, Engro, PepsiCo, General Electric, Citibank and The Coca-Cola Company for providing women-owned businesses the opportunity to market their products and services to industry leaders.

"The US-Pakistan Women's Council is a model of assistance that mobilizes female talent, builds international economic ties, and promotes economic growth and social stability, all of which benefit both Pakistan and America," Ambassador Hale said.

Procter & Gamble and PepsiCo briefed the entrepreneurs on their procurement processes and offered to help interested female suppliers connect with relevant procurement teams in their companies.

During this session, Procter & Gamble's Communication Manager, Claudia Manuel, said "When Pakistani women succeed, we all win." USPWC intends to facilitate continuing connections through its networking platform and working with TRG to host a second supply chain diversity event in Karachi later this year.

Women entrepreneurs attending the event had received training at WECREATE/Pakistan, and the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) through the US Embassy-supported Pakistan Women Entrepreneur Program (PWEP) managed in partnership with American University.

Participants from the World Bank's WomenX entrepreneurship training program, conducted with Enclude at Government College University, also took part in the event.

The Expo is the second in a series of events planned under the USPWC supply chain diversity initiative, which aims to help women-owned businesses access sustainable markets by linking them with corporate procurement representatives.

The first of these events occurred in April 2016 at Packages Limited in Lahore.