Kerensa Jennings’ Post

Hi everyone, This is conversation about BCCT 2024 in Focus: Gareth Davies & Phinnipha (Nina) Suriyong(Ep3)as follows: ❤️Phinnipha: So I hope that my learning can contribute in the future. ❤️Gareth: And it has already. So for the remaining year and a half-ish, what do you want to achieve as a Board Director? ❤️Phinnipha: Firstly, it will be my initiation to complete as the working group as well So I hope that the board can blend in the projects that we have in both Women in Business and DEI(Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion)working groups. And we still have some goals that we still cannot achieve. And we on the learning curve and try to achieve, which is the advocacy work for the Women in Business. So we hope that we can contribute in terms of advocacy. So if our members have any things for me or the working group to contribute, please feel free to reach out to me. ❤️Gareth: That's cool. And members should reach out to Nina. Final question. As a fellow SME and someone who's been involved in multiple working groups before joining the Board, what advice would you give to any British Chamber members who are looking to set up a working group, join a working group, lead a working group, or indeed join the Board? ❤️Phinnipha: I see from my experience myself So when I joined the Chamber of Commerce, just joining the events, I don't see much activities or business return in the beginning, right? But after I've been very active in the working group and supportive the community, I see that my network expand extensively as well as I know more people and it's helped my business to grow. And I think if you join the British Chamber of Commerce, the level of activities will help you to expand your business as well as to help you develop your business further. ❤️Gareth: Thank you very much for joining us today, and thanks for your input and look forward to seeing you at the next Board meeting. Cheers, Nina. ❤️Phinnipha: Thank you for having me. Thanks.

Values come alive through examples and stories shared. We live ours when we choose what to prioritize and to where we dedicate our resources. Recently receiving treasured photos from #VisionExpo elicits sentiments akin to seeing a long-lost buddy; with nostalgia, we simply can’t help but smile 😊. Leaning onto our ClearVision Optical #mission of making each day better for someone else, we identified an opportunity to make a more meaningful contribution to our #eyecare community and to support talent from varied backgrounds. This led to a deeper relationship with the Optical Women's Association and greater involvement in their endeavors. 🔌 Supporting the first Unplugged Retreat was a chance to make an impact on nearly 40 professionals who are steering organizations throughout #optical. It is a lasting experience that will stay with all who attended & friendship ripples will occur forever forward. ✍️ Dedicated CVO colleagues dove into varied sub-committees and chose to commit volunteer time. Lending #creativity to articles, blog posts and podcasts, we seek to connect on common ground. 💍 Going Platinum was a natural extension, as CVO sought to expand reach and further the organization’s vision of what is possible. We too #Imagine what is possible for the future of women, personally & professionally in an industry with limitless opportunities. 🤝 Social currency is a powerful tool in career #growth and CVO is energized around introducing so many friends to the OWA. Authentic network connections are priceless. 👩🏫 Making genuine #friendships with super smart and caring females, who are navigating the complexities of family responsibilities, leadership potential, and community commitments is a tremendous benefit. 🍽️ Mixing it up, we had many NYC breakfast attendees and loved sitting at all different tables. Just like the OWA, Team CVO cherishes our heritage and honors those who have shaped the organization’s #OriginStory. We look to ways of disrupting the norm, while holding true to treating one another like family. 📚 Investing in the future, we recently launched our Adira Grant program to award competitive, accomplished members with the chance to further their career #development and to continue to embrace a rich future. Reminiscing on all the fun experienced with: David Friedfeld peter friedfeld Nancey Harris Tracy V. Green Madalyn (Lorusso) Moeller Stephen Tripi Pamela Benson Jill Eldridge Jennifer Coppel Ecco Matlak Cathy Kaye Liz Friedfeld Allie Glick Dr. Lorie Lippiatt Alyssa Smith Barbara Lax.

Omg It’s official! I’m working with Yovana Rosales to put on an amazing event for Latinas focused on tech, finance, and entrepreneurship. And of course community because that’s always at the core of what I do. “While women comprise 28.8% of the U.S. tech workforce, Latina women hold only 2% of jobs in STEM.” - according to perscholas.org I’ve talked with Yovana about the importance of increasing our knowledge as Latinas in the fast moving, ever evolving new technologies…especially in entrepreneurship, and in life in general. If we are not learning, and including our voice, we won’t be able to break barriers and elevate our cultural narratives in this field. So…we decided to talk about it! And then we decided to make it bigger!  Because we can make a bigger shift in things if we work together in community! So we’re bringing in another big topic, finance. This is another important area in which we as first/second gen-Latinas are starting from square one with. We’re realizing that there is a whole other world of knowledge and wealth, and we too can tap into it. But first we need to understand it, and we do that by sharing knowledge. Thus the Latina Brilliance Summit came into being. Yovana and I really want to elevate experts in the areas of tech and finance so we can learn from each other, grow together, and elevate our cultura. We are capable of amazing things, especially when we can share resources and expertise…just like our ancestors did.  Save the date for March 2nd, and get your ticket! Get all the info: https://lnkd.in/gHJ9B57j

Hey, Positive Disruptors! I'm ecstatic to announce that my company, Disrupt The Impossible, LLC, has achieved certification under the Business Enterprise Program (BEP) for Minority, Females, and Persons with Disabilities. We are now officially a Certified Women/Minority Business Enterprise (WMBE) for the State of Illinois. This is another proud moment in my business book of life. God continues to tell me to keep going, no matter how hard the road may seem, because you are on the right path.  I truly love what I do. I am committed to building, growing, supporting, and adding value to this world. Here are some of the benefits of becoming certified. If you are a small business, you should look into what it has to offer. This is a challenging process, but it is worth it. Nothing great in life is easy! A WBE Certification gives businesses of all sizes access to purchasing networks that they would otherwise be unable to sell to. More importantly, the Women Business Enterprise Certification gives your firm access to corporations, Fortune 1000 companies, and large government agencies looking to purchase products and services. MWBE certification offers several benefits, including: Heightened business visibility. Increased credibility. Broader reach. Inclusion in directories. Connections with potential clients and partners. Access to industry events and networking opportunities. Avenues for collaboration and growth. #Disrupttheimpossible #BusinessEnterpriseProgram #WomenMinorityBusinessEnterprise #MWBEcertification #WBEBenefits #Womenowned

I am grateful to one of my partners for sharing this report: https://lnkd.in/eX8jntTs The reports notes that gender bias in investor scrutiny of entrepreneurs was followed by a massive difference in the funding of female-led and male-led startups, and mentions the bizarre statistic that female entrepreneurs receive only about 2% of all venture funding despite owning 38% of the businesses in the US. This is also happening in the UK, as explained to me by a leading figure within Innovate UK and at a recent event 'Lessons from Leading Women Tech Entrepreneurs' organised by Women in Telecoms & Technology (www.wittgroup.org). In a room full of incredibly well qualified and experienced entrepreneurs, several people mentioned their experience of investors asking different types of questions of male and female entrepreneurs - both when deciding whether to invest and afterwards. Why are we making our most talented women work so much harder than their male counterparts to access funding? Why do male academics cite their male colleagues' papers more than those of their female colleagues? Why are female inventors so under-represented? I am starting to find out, thanks to a loan of 'The Authority Gap' by Mary Ann Sieghart. I know I should have educated myself earlier.

Thanks to those who joined us today for the Women in Tech and Business (WITAB)- business chat! See you all December 7th for another chat! More details to come! One thing to note- we have challenged each other to read: Atomic Habits over the next month.

We had an exciting, inspiring WahlheYmat Talks on October 23, 2024, at the Amerika-Gedenkbibliothek. Before sharing our takeaways, let’s give a big thank you to our guests: Kasia Wojcik, coordinator of Berlin Polyphon, Mine Nang, Co-Director of Give Something Back to Berlin e.V., and Philipp von der Wippel, Founder and Managing Director of ProjectTogether. Special thanks to Deana Mrkaja for moderating, Lucy Alice Thomas for the small group appreciation activity, Barbara Vid for boosting us and the Mentimeter exercise, Elisa for managing the Talks, Khaled Abdalla for handling the tech, Zina Hmidan for the graphics, Raunaq Malhotra for photographing, all our dedicated WahlheYmat volunteers, and everyone in the audience, especially for the insights from Sigrid Arteaga Marquard, Karen Enriquez Monroy, Nadav Nir, David. Wow - our list of contributors shows how the Talks are growing, with more new elements every time! Here are our top 5 takeaways: ONE THING – The first question asked: If you could change only one thing in today’s democracy, what would it be? Responses included: inclusive and equal participation for everyone, and allowing citizens to decide how 50% of all tax income is distributed. ENERGY – The energy in the room was tangible! When people come together to think about solutions and collaborate, energy flows. The room was filled with civic society leaders—true changemakers. REVERSE – The big question: How can we unleash the full energy of civic society? How can we ignite it as a powerful fuel for change? Can we reverse the current relationship between politics and civic society, where politics assigns tasks and provides minimal funding? Imagine if civic society set the agenda for politics. TENSION – There’s tension in society: What do we think about others, the “unknown”? How do Germans perceive newcomers? How much do newcomers understand about Germans, or even second-generation immigrants? We all carry assumptions and prejudices. How can we listen more closely and reconnect? TOGETHER – Society’s challenges are stacking up. Even East-West unity remains incomplete, with visible rifts rather than cohesion. Now, more newcomers seek participation than the entire population of former East Germany. Our only option is to take responsibility for finding new answers - each of us, one by one.

Don't miss this opportunity to get some insights and learn a few tips.

🌍✨ Diving Into Democracy & Diversity: A #ZNLive Exploration ✨🌍 In this episode of #ZNLive, CEO Philip Weiss and Social Content Manager Daniel Bartual, brought together Thomas Huddleston, Academic Collaborator & University Partnerships Advisor, Bertrand WERT PhD., Innovation Maker, Democracy Player & Advocate, and Larry Moffett, Business Development Consultant, Entrepreneurship Advisor, & Climate Activist. Together, they unpacked Brussels' vibrant democracy and the city's essential role of civic engagement in fostering an inclusive community. 🇪🇺🗳️ Brussels' diversity was the key insight from Thomas Huddleston: "Brussels stands as one of the world's most diverse cities." 💬🌐 A thought echoed by Bertrand, whose passion for the "European project" and the "beauty of the Brussels community" reflects the values of "development, democracy & freedom." 🫂🇪🇺 Finally, Larry's 'outsider' point of view: "I was raised in NYC, but the resource of knowledge, experience, ideas, and potential of entrepreneurship here is tremendous." 💻💡 Philip Weiss knows it well: "It's a very diverse hub, where people from completely different horizons have different perspectives of the world." 🌎 Key Takeaways: 🤝 Active participation in democracy is critical for a thriving & inclusive society. 🌱 Embracing innovation for tackling global challenges & advancing sustainability is key. 🎨 Cultural diversity enriches communities, offering a wider range of perspectives & experiences. 🏛️ Engaging in informed politics is vital for creating cosmopolitan & democratic communities. Recommendations 📚: Thomas Huddleston: "Get Out the Vote" by Donald P. Green and Alan S. Gerber, a must-read for those looking to increase voter turnout, https://kont.ly/4343b9cc, and the "New Europeans Initiative Changing the Table" podcast for insights on European elections, https://kont.ly/8327d83a. 📚🎧 Bertrand Wert: Dive into the works of Jürgen Habermas "A New Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere and Deliberative Politics" to understand the essence of European democracy and the importance of communication freedom, https://kont.ly/13561eeb. 📘 Larry Moffett: Stay updated with the Change Now conference in Paris for the latest in sustainability and innovation, https://lnkd.in/gjnRkM2. Daniel Bartual: Explore the MigratieMuseumMigration in Brussels to understand the city's diverse history,https://kont.ly/1514c1af. 🌿🏛️ From Philip Weiss: Engage with "Anna Karenina" by Leo Tolstoy for a journey through philosophical and psychological depth, https://kont.ly/021aff64 and indulge in the finest Brussels chocolates to share the love. 🍫📖 🎥 Watch the full episode now to dive deeper into this #OneStepAhead discussion: https://lnkd.in/djk6npVt Gaia Gambaro Justin Rey Evilenia Tsimpoura Coleen Hartig Maria Banlaki