We are very honored to announce that the President of EMEA, Prof. Rym Ayadi, Professor at Bayes Business School, City University of London, and Senior CEPS Advisor, received one of the ASCAME awards for 2023 for her support to the diversification of the Mediterranean economy, regional integration and financing programs for the private sector. The awards were announced by Fadi Saab, President of ASCAME’s Integrity Values and Business Ethics Commission, at the end of the 15th Mediterranean Women Entrepreneurs Forum, at Casa Llotja de Mar in Barcelona on 15 November 2023.
The 15th Mediterranean Women Entrepreneurs Forum 2023 was organized by the Association of the Mediterranean Chambers of Commerce and Industry (ASCAME), the Federation of Mediterranean Businesswomen Associations (AFAEMME) and the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce, in the framework of MedaWeek 2023.
Prof. Ayadi was the keynote speaker of the session “The Financial Challenge”. In her speech she emphasized: “Empowering women in ESG frameworks demands tailored indicators that recognize their distinct roles and challenges, ensuring that social progress in sustainability is inclusive and equitable.”
The session was chaired by Elisabeth Trallero, International Relations Federation of Mediterranean Businesswomen Organizations – AFAEMME. The panel included Doris Sammut – Vice-President Equality Group in the European and Economic and Social Committee E.E.S.C, Noha Shaker – Vice President of the Africa FinTech Network, Néjia Gharbi – CEO of Caisse de Dépôts et des Consignations -CDC, and Maria Lago – Managing Director – ARMANEXT.
The panel shared their experiences in tracking gender-disaggregated data. They also discussed potential mechanisms to bring together investors, regulators, and financial institutions to accelerate lending to women-led firms, as well as issues around definitions of women-owned and led enterprises and harmonization of reporting.
Both the Association of the Mediterranean Chambers of Commerce and Industry (ASCAME), and the Federation of Mediterranean Businesswomen Associations (AFAEMME) are partners of the Euro-Mediterranean Economists Association – EMEA.