Google Business Group Sonargaon recently carried out the launch ceremony of its premier women chapter, Womenwill, at the United International University (UIU) in the capital Dhaka.
An initiative from Google, Womenwill, is geared towards enhancing digital literacy, entrepreneurship, inclusive workplace and leadership in women.
Despite the rise of female entrepreneurs, women remain greatly underrepresented in the ranks of top management even in the most developed markets around the world.
Google’s aim is to support and develop programs so women in every market can connect to the information they need and the tools to make the most of it - to help them learn, succeed, and be heard.
Google executes these programs though Google Business Groups (GBG), communities of business professionals all around the world, bringing the benefits of the web to their local business communities, on a volunteer basis. GBG Sonargaon is one such community in Bangladesh.
The session titled “Women will conquer: Fostering Diversity and Inclusion to Help Women Succeed” by GBG Sonargaon aimed to raise awareness about gender inequality by helping women business owners and professionals advocate for themselves so they can achieve success in their own businesses.
The program was attended by approximately 90 participants representing both male and female entrepreneurs, jobholders from across industries as well as students.
The session was kicked off with Ms Narmin Tartila Banu, Lead, Womenwill, and Manager, Google Business Group Sonargaon introducing Womenwill and its objectives.
Ms Misha Mahjabeen, General Manager, Purnava at Renata Ltd. conducted the following session focusing on women’s physical and mental health.
The following two sessions were geared towards confidence building and were conducted by Ms Deneb Zeenat Latif, Director, Organisational Development Advisory Services, Magnum Management Consulting and Ms. Tanvira Choudhury, HR Business Partner - Supply Chain, Unilever, Bangladesh.
Ms Nurun Nahar Nargish, Photographer, Ministry of Health, shared her own inspirational story next, connecting with most of the female participants at the venue.
The session concluded with Mr Hasan Mazhar Pial, Category Manager, Unilever, addressing the audience and informing them about the importance of male sponsorship in promoting gender diversity in a workplace.
In attendance were Mr Manjurul Haque Khan, Director, UIU Career Counseling Centre; Mr Sayed Rafiul Islam, Manager, Google Business Group Sonargaon; Ms. Nadia Firoz, Chief Sustainability Officer of a fast growing agro-based startup, Just Farming; and Ms. Tithi Mehjabeen, Experience Integration Engineer at Ericsson Bangladesh.
Also in attendance were startup owners, entrepreneurs, job holders, representatives from IEEE and Women in Engineering chapters as well as faculty members and students of North South University and UIU.
The program was sponsored by Purnava by Renata, supported by IEEUIUWIE, facilitated by UIU Career and Counseling Center. The venue partner was UIU and digital partner was Boomerang Digital.