KARACHI: The 11th annual ‘International Women Leaders’ Summit’, which was held here after a gap of two years, has brought together leaders from across the globe to share their stories of success and inspire others to take the lead.

The event was organised by New World Concepts led by Yasmin Hyder, who has been organising the summit since 2012.

The annual conference series has to date hosted 177 speakers from 44 countries and over 3,000 delegates in the previous 10 conferences, said a press release issued here on Tuesday.

Ms Hyder highlighted that this conference was a culmination of a decade of achievements in women leadership and empowerment. “The vision for this conference is to make women draw inspiration from global and Pakistani leaders and overcome the stereotypical barriers which restrict their growth and provide a forum for dynamic female leaders, entrepreneurs, opinion makers in the region, to explore their potential, share their success and inspire many more to take their lead,” she said.

Guest speakers included Devrim Erol from Turkey, Major General Abeera Chaudry from army’s medical corps, Abdul Samad Dawood, vice chair Dawood Hercules Corporation, All Pakistan Newspaper Society’s secretary general Nazafreen Saigol Lakhani.

Devrim Erol highlighted the evolution of women’s economic empowerment and the importance of promoting inclusiveness of women in the workforce.

Speakers expressed their commitment to create more awareness about the importance of girls’ education.

Maj Gen Abeera Chaudry shared her experience of performing duties in the face of severe challenges, both personal and professional.

The conference displayed the spirit of inclusion through active participation of special athletes from Special Olympics Pakistan.

Nicole Theriot, US Consul General in Karachi, spoke about the origins of the Special Olympics movement from the USA and Ronak Lakhani detailed the preparations underway for Team Pakistan’s participation in the Special Olympics World Games Berlin 2023.

The conference explored topics related to managing a younger human capital, use of technology for sustainable living, etc, and presented success stories of women leaders.

Members of the diplomatic community, business leaders, women entrepreneurs, teams from the World Bank Group and others attended the event.

Published in Dawn, February 1st, 2023