Bangladesh
Brand Forum yesterday celebrated the achievements of 27 inspiring women
who scaled remarkable heights in their own lives and set examples for
others to follow.
A total of 31 awards were given in 15
categories, including one special category for female students, at an
event styled 'RFL Inspiring Women Awards' at Radisson Hotel in Dhaka.
Among
the professional categories, an honorary recognition award -- Inspiring
Corporate Leader of the Decade -- was given to Rupali Chowdhury,
managing director of Berger Paints Bangladesh, for setting an example
for aspiring women in the corporate world.
Seven honorary awards
were also given in the category 'Inspiring Regional Leader' to seven
'Joyeetas' from seven regions of the country.
The purpose of the
awards is to encourage women to aim for leadership positions, said Nazia
Andaleeb Preema, president of the Women in Leadership Project of BBF.
In
the education sector, women manage better scores than their male
counterparts, but their representation in various professional sectors
is found wanting, she added.
The award ceremony also honoured the
most women-friendly organisations from both the private and public
sectors, emphasising the necessity of a working environment conducive to
women. Winners in the private sector include Brac and British American
Tobacco Bang-ladesh; and Bangladesh Bank from the public sector.
Three
jury boards comprising 20 members selected the winners out of around
350 nominations, said Tabita Zahur, project manager of the Women in
Leadership Project.
BBF also awarded a male professional -- Sayed
Talat Kamal, deputy director and head of external communications of
Grameenphone -- for his role in promoting women's leadership.
Award
winners and nominated candidates will be further engaged through
multiple platforms and activities, said Shariful Islam, founder of BBF.
He
said their future engagements will include mentoring of female
professionals, inspiring the leaders of tomorrow, university
engagements, and a bi-monthly publication -- Women in Leadership.
Crests and certificates were handed over to winners in each category at the ceremony.
Nazneen
Sultana, deputy governor of Bangladesh Bank, said the central bank has
been actively promoting women entrepreneurs in the country for the last
five years. Now banks have to set aside 15 percent of their SME loans
for women.
Sophie Aubert, French ambassador to Bangladesh, said women are not the second half; rather they are the one half of humanity.
About
500 guests from local companies and multinationals, development
agencies, government bodies and dignitaries from foreign embassies were
present.
Pran's RFL was the title partner of the event, while the
Access to Information (a2i) programme of the Prime Minister's Office
and Foreign Investors' Chamber of Commerce and Industry provided
support.
The Daily Star was the strategic partner, Webable the social media partner and Maverick Studios the digital partner.
