London, United Kingdom—The speakers at a UPF-UK event honoring International Women’s Day focused on different avenues of empowerment for women. The program was held at the UPF-UK offices and online on March 9, 2023. UPF-UK honors International Women’s Day annually by holding an event to address the inclusion and equality of women in the modern world.
The moderator was Margaret Keverian-Ali, the director of UPF-UK.
British businesswoman Yvonne Thompson CBE, FRSA, a managing director of the marketing and PR company ASAP Communications and president of the European Federation of Black Women Business Owners, is an esteemed patron of UPF. Ms. Thompson led a panel of young entrepreneurs whom she has supported and encouraged. (See video here.)
The young entrepreneurs on the panel were:
Tukiya Mutupa, the CEO and founder of the company Pomi and Seeds, which uses the circular economy model to revolutionize the way women shop for, wear, and care for lingerie. She also works as a program manager in the Violence Reduction Programme of the National Health Service and is a trustee at the Desmond Tutu Foundation UK.
Yoanna Chikezie, the founder and chief executive officer of The Assembly, which builds a bridge between African creatives and international fashion companies that seek skilled and diverse talent to grow their brands and businesses.
Olivia Simpson, a data protection lawyer and the founder of JAMCAN JUICE, which weds traditional Jamaican flavors and cannabidiol in a juice shot.
Following the panel, Ernest Kamga, a senior executive officer, graphic and web designer, addressed the importance of using digital avenues to stimulate gender equality. He encouraged everyone to embrace innovation and technology in the quest for gender equality. (See video here.)
Aditi Sharma, a senior software engineer at Cognizant Technology Solutions, also inspired the audience to embrace the digital and artificial intelligence era, pointing out the gender equality advantages that it offers. (See video here.)
Next, two Young Achievers spoke about the empowerment of women and the importance of improving male attitudes toward women:
Hera Kruja, a journalist, model and senior project manager (see video here);
Reuben Johnson, a student of sociology and politics at the University of Greenwich. (See video here.)
Other speakers were:
Marie Hanson MBE, the CEO and founder of the STORM Family Centre (see video here);
Dr. Sangita Shrestha, the communications manager of Feed the Minds (see video here);
Several male speakers passionately supported women and gender equality:
Keith Best, the chair of the UPF-UK Board of Trustees; (His speech can be read here and the video of his talk can be seen here.)
Kostas Kapelas, the founder and head practitioner of Total Health Now Clinic. He stated how important gender equality is for the improvement of modern society. (See video here.)
Robin Marsh, secretary general of UPF-UK, offered the closing remarks, summarizing some of the important contributions of the program. He emphasized that UPF is led by a woman, Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon, who encourages us to participate in an era in which women's leadership will facilitate human development around the world.
