American Ambassador David Hale Meets with Pakistani Women Business Owners

American Ambassador David Hale Meets with Pakistani Women Business Owners

Al-Bab Report

Islamabad, March 31, 2017: American Ambassador David Hale met with over 60 Pakistani women entrepreneurs, corporate executives, and capacity-building organizations at the U.S. Embassy for a Supply Chain Diversity Expo hosted by the U.S. Pakistan Women’s Council and WECREATE/Pakistan.  Ambassador Hale congratulated the entrepreneurs on starting businesses and urged them to continue to inspire others with their creativity and determination.  He also recognized WECREATE/Pakistan and USPWC Corporate Member Companies, including Proctor and Gamble, TRG, Engro, PepsiCo, General Electric, Citibank and The Coca-Cola Company for providing women-owned businesses the opportunity to market their products and services to industry leaders.

“The U.S.-Pakistan Women’s Council is a  model of assistance that mobilizes female talent, builds international economic ties, and promotes economic growth and social stability, all of which benefit both Pakistan and America,” said Ambassador Hale.

Procter & Gamble and PepsiCo briefed the entrepreneurs on their procurement processes and offered to help interested female suppliers connect with relevant procurement teams in their companies.  During this session, Procter&Gamble’s Communication Manager, Claudia Manuel, said “When Pakistani women succeed, we all win.” USPWC intends to facilitate continuing connections through its networking platform and working with TRG to host a second supply chain diversity event in Karachi later this year.

Women entrepreneurs attending the event had received training at WECREATE/Pakistan, and the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) through the U.S. Embassy-supported Pakistan Women Entrepreneur Program (PWEP) managed in partnership with American University.  Participants from the World Bank’s Women^X entrepreneurship training program, conducted with Enclude at Government College University, also took part in the event.

The Expo is the second in a series of events planned under the USPWC supply chain diversity initiative, which aims to help women-owned businesses access sustainable markets by linking them with corporate procurement representatives.  The first of these events occurred in April 2016 at Packages Limited in Lahore.