WEConnect International hosted its largest annual regional conference across 15 countries throughout the Asia Pacific Region.

The conference serves as a platform for corporations, women-owned businesses and other government and non-government stakeholders to connect, learn and share the best practices on gender-inclusive sourcing and understand the socio-economic impact of inclusive sourcing efforts globally.

The 2023 theme is “Going Global” - emphasizing global trade as a powerful catalyst for success and sustainability for women entrepreneurs in the current globalized economy and corporations looking to build more resilient supply chains.

The July 31-August 7 conference was delivered virtually and in-person to amplify the learning and business connection opportunities among global corporations and women-owned businesses. It will feature in-person events in Indonesia, Japan, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Australia, China, and India.

The conference includes a virtual matchmaking day on August 4th to enable women-owned businesses to connect with WEConnect International member buyers committed to sourcing from women-owned businesses.  The event will generate long-term opportunities for women-owned businesses and develop the skills necessary to conduct business with large buyers, including local and multinational corporations, government agencies and non-profit and non-governmental organizations.

“Women business owners constitute the most promising engine of growth across the Asia Pacific region,” said Elizabeth Vazquez, CEO and Co-Founder, WEConnect International. “By focusing on women’s economic empowerment and advancing gender equality, the region will capture the tremendous economic potential women business owners can bring to the economy, including job creation.”

“When women have access to economic opportunities, they raise their families and communities up with them.” said Julie Chung, United States Ambassador to Sri Lanka. “Promoting and investing in women-owned enterprises is not only good for societies, but also smart for businesses.  As key decision makers in their homes, families and communities, women offer unique and invaluable perspectives about the types of goods and services that are beneficial and relevant for themselves and their peers.”

Over 100 women-owned businesses participated in the Sri Lanka chapter event, where they attended business matchmaking with corporations, sessions on inclusive sourcing, best practices in gender-responsive sourcing, and success stories of women-owned business founders. The event has been made possible with the generous support of sponsors including ExxonMobil, Accenture, P&G, IBM, Organon, EY, Dell Technologies, Johnson and Johnson, Mondelēz, ABInBev, Trane Technologies and CBL.