Guests: WE Empower Challenge winners Hadeel Anabtawi & Habiba Ali with Amanda Ellis

While female entrepreneurs have made great strides in some countries, in the U.S. and other nations women still face significant barriers that just aren’t there for male-headed start-ups. Despite that, women leaders are making a difference by promoting positive change in their local communities – changes that can have a global impact.

The United Nations recognizes several entrepreneurial women every year with their WE Empower UN Sustainable Development Goals Challenge; it promotes female founders globally who run successful businesses while supporting the UN’s sustainable development goals (SDGs). Past winners Hadeel Anabtawi of Jordan and Habiba Ali of Nigeria join Challenge co-chair Amanda Ellis to discuss their successes, their challenges…and the importance of women working with each other to overcome those challenges.

Produced in conjunction with the International Leadership Association: https://ilaglobalnetwork.org/ .

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• More Women on Boards with Marlene Janzen Le Ber and Lynne E. Devnew

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RESOURCES:  

Women entrepreneurs interested in the next WE Empower UN SDG Challenge can apply at https://weempower.awardsplatform.com/ . More information about the challenge in general is available at https://globalfutures.asu.edu/we-empower/ . The website for Habiba’s renewable energy organization is https://sosairen.org/ .

The Alchemist Lab, Hadeel’s STEM/STEAM program, has information at https://www.thealchemistlabacademy.com/ .

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Maureen’s latest book is Innovative Leadership & Followership in the Age of AI. You’ll find details about it at https://bit.ly/LeaderInAI. Her other 10 books are available on Amazon here. 

Books we’re reading for fun or personal development right now include:

• Everyday Ubuntu: Living Better Together, the African Way by Mungi Ngomane. Hardback (https://amzn.to/48Doh6j) and audiobook (https://amzn.to/48YCRF4)

• Full Disclosure – https://amzn.to/46TxW6Q (paperback) https://amzn.to/46VDL3Q (audiobook)

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Host & Executive Producer: Maureen Metcalf

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About Our Guests:  

Habiba Ali has been in the renewable energy industry since 2005. She co-founded the Developmental Association for Renewable Energies and worked as the national coordinator. She worked on the Clean Development Mechanism project, Efficient Cook Stoves for Nigeria, the Solar Lamps Assembly and sales training program, and the solar dryers for healthy foods project. Habiba was named a Vital Voices GROW fellow, a World Bank Womenx fellow and is a graduate of the Cherie Blaire Road to Business Growth program. Habiba in 2018 was a Global ambassadors program beneficiary and the UNSDG awardee for Africa on WeEmpower.

Hadeel Anabtawi is a Social Entrepreneur in the children & girls empowerment field. A certified life coach, teachers’ trainer on interactive teaching methodologies and the founder of The Alchemist Lab in Jordan. She is DVF international awardee 2019, WE Empower awardee 2018 and a Vital Voices fellow 2017. Studied Industrial Engineering at University of Jordan and Masters in Business Administration at University of Leicester. She launched many initiatives that empower children and girls in particular, one of which is “Go Girls!” a program that encourages girls towards STEM & scientific thinking.

Amanda Ellis is Senior Director for the ASU Global Futures Laboratory. She is former New Zealand Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva and Prime Minister's Special Envoy. An economist by training, Amanda held senior roles at the World Bank, the International Finance Corporation, and Westpac Banking Corporation. Amanda is a founding member of the Financial Alliance for Women and the recipient of the TIAW Lifetime Achievement Award for services to women's economic empowerment.