At the 22nd annual Women in Management, Business and Public Service (WIMBIZ) conference concluded recently, women have been charged to unlock their potential, break barriers and thrive. This was the thrust of the exceptional, empowering and thought-provoking conference held at Eko Hotels and Suites, Lagos.
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The two-day hybrid conference, which was held from November 2-3, with the theme, ‘Mission I’m Possible, Thrive!’ brought together an extraordinary array of dynamic women leaders, entrepreneurs, public servants and innovators, with speakers and participants drawn from different parts of the world.
Chair of the Conference Planning Group, Molade Adeniyi, in her welcome address, said the conference was beyond just an event, urging the participants to “seize this opportunity to learn, connect and empower yourselves.”
Sharing a motivational mantra, using “I AM,” the Conference Chairperson, Bimbo Oloyede, urged the participants to nurture qualities and skills that promote personal growth.
The keynote speaker and Group CEO of Landmark Africa Group, Paul Onwuanibe, shared key principles, tools and confessions important for daring to dream.
“Not all dreams will become a reality, but dreams will never become a reality if you do not dare to dream in the first place. The opportunity of a lifetime can only be realised in the lifetime of that opportunity,” he said.
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Executive Director of WIMBIZ, Hansatu Adegbite, while speaking on the evolution of the organisation, harped on the impact it has had on women. She tagged the WIMBIZ 2023 year a “Shendu year”, which translates as “Depth of Profundity.”
Female pioneers in the aviation sector were honoured. They are Captain Chinyere Kalu, pioneer Nigerian Female Commercial Pilot; Hauwa Danbo Musa, pioneer fully licensed female air traffic controller and the late Christiana E. Stallings, pioneer Nigerian Female Air Hostess.
The two-day event also witnessed five plenary sessions, two deep dive sessions, WIMBIZ conversations session and a debate. Plenary one, which was on ‘Navigating Through Rugged Male-dominated Industries’, addressed the challenges of working in male-dominated industries and the necessary skills to overcome them. The panelists shared personal experiences and discussed strategies to combat gender bias and shatter stereotypes while establishing a strong presence as women in these fields.
Plenary two, which was on, ‘Getting Results In Tough Times (GRITT): Stories of Triumph’ celebrated resilience, determination and perseverance in challenging circumstances. It underscored the power of grit and its role in achieving remarkable success.
Plenary three, titled, ‘Collaborate: Build Strong Alliances that Last’, emphasised the significance of working together, forming partnerships and leveraging collective strengths to achieve common goals.
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Plenary four, titled, ‘Personal Equilibrium: Self-care in a Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous (VUCA) World’ underscored the importance of self-care, particularly for women, and the need for practices like mindfulness, resilience-building and work-life balance to flourish in a VUCA world.
The final plenary on ‘Womenpreneurs: From Start-up, Scale-up to Success’, saw entrepreneurs on the panel sharing their remarkable journeys from starting their businesses to achieving remarkable success and scaling up. They provided valuable insights on various aspects of entrepreneurship, including funding, networking and strategic decision-making.
The deep dive session on ‘Modern-day Challenges of Parenting and Raising Families Across Borders’ focused on parents’ unique difficulties in raising families in multicultural or transnational settings while the session on ‘Transgenerational Successions for Sustainability and Impact’ explored the importance of successful transitions and continuity in family businesses, organisations and initiatives across generations.
The WIMBIZ Conversations, titled, ‘Evolve: Take Giant Strides’, was moderated by a non-Executive Director at Ecobank Plc, Bimbola Wright. Members of panel, Consul General and Head of Mission, Royal Danish Consulate General, Lagos;Ambassador of Finland to Nigeria and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Jette Bjerrum, and Leena Pylvanainen respectively spoke on how women should push themselves beyond their comfort zones and aim for substantial progress.
The debate, titled, ‘Artificial Intelligence – Friend or Foe?’ was moderated by Executive Director at Junior Achievement Nigeria, Foluso Gbadamosi.
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