The third annual WeLead Caribbean Women’s Leadership and Business Conference will be held in September this year in Guyana and headlining the conference will be Yvette Noel Schure, Beyonce’s publicist and co-founder of Schure Media.
The conference is being held under the themePowHERful: Transition from Inspiration to Action.
It will be held at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre at Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown from September 18-19.
The conference is an opportunity for local business owners to network and have access to mentoring to further develop their businesses. Schure is the woman who is responsible for the R&B superstar, Beyonce’s public image since she was 14 years old.
Schure in a video message said she is excited to be part of the conference and this will be her first time in Guyana.
“I am so excited that I am gearing up to be the keynote speaker at the WeLead Caribbean PowHERful Conference…it’s of business women and it’s PowHERful!
“It’s because women are going to be sitting at the table – they have built the table and we are about to sit at it and we are going to speak about to how we turn our inspiration into action; when women are gathered powerful things happen,” Schure said her in message.
The woman behind the conference is Abbigail Loncke, a young entrepreneur who has become a voice for women to cultivate their skills and manage their businesses. Loncke is also the President of the WeLead Caribbean.
At the official launch of the conference Wednesday on North Road, Georgetown, Loncke said she is motivated to empower women to take to lead and create changes in society.
“I was given the opportunity to host a programme or project here in Guyana and I chose a women empowerment and mentoring workshop,” Loncke said.
In 2016 Loncke was recognized by President Barrack Obama for her contribution in business to Guyana. She is the Founder and CEO of Community Healthcare, which provides home care for the elderly, babysitting and maid services for homes and offices.
The first women empowerment workshop was held in 2016 and this led to the continuation of the annual conference.
“Last year it was quite successful and we saw a contingent of women not just from Guyana but we had a whole bustle of women from Suriname who not only came to the conference but exhibited their products.”
She said women also came from Barbados, Trinidad and Jamaica.
“So I am even more excited about what’s going to happen this year,” Loncke said.
Strategic Recruitment Solutions Incorporated is one of the businesses which will be featured at the conference and the Chief Executive Officer, Kerri Gravesande-Bart, spoke to the media Wednesday.
“So I truly believe that this conference is meant to recognize women working with strength, tenacity and courage to overcome obstacles and achieve our joyous accomplishments and what could be more joyful than woman pursuing their passion and doing what they love,” Gravesande-Bart said.
Meanwhile, Public Affairs Officer at the United States Embassy, Amanda Cauldwell spoke about the Young Leaders of the America’s Initiative (YLAI) programme. Abbigail Loncke was a fellow for this programme in 2016.
“Really what YLAI is doing is not creating success stories…what YLAI really does is enhance the capacities that already exist in Guyana,” Cauldwell said.
Through YLAI, young local business owners get the opportunity to spend one month in the United States at an American company to enhance their business capacity through intensive training and mentoring.
Meanwhile, other speakers at the upcoming conference will include Guyana’s First Lady Sandra Granger and the First Lady of Jamaica, Patricia Allen.
Tickets cost GY$15,000 and can be purchased at Eco for Life on North Road, Georgetown, 592 Tees at the Courtyard Mall and Beaton’s Boutique in Reliance Essequibo.
