WED at United Nations

Women’s Entrepreneurship Day at United Nations – 2016

November 18, 2016–It was great to be at the United Nations again, this time to moderate a panel for Women’s Entrepreneurship Day. Although 98-year-old yoga master Tao Porchon-Lynch never considered herself an “entrepreneur,” she certainly has been one and was celebrated as such at the 2016 Women’s Entrepreneurship Day (WED) at the United Nations. In addition to being a top couture model and Vice President at Unitel TV in the 1950s helping to lay the groundwork for TV in places like India, she was an early international film distributor, publisher of one of the first wine newspapers in America, a co-founder of the American Wine Society (and a Vice President still today), founder of the Westchester Institute of Yoga, President Emeritus & Program Director of the Yoga Teachers Association, and so much more! This WED honor is well deserved.

I was delighted to moderate the panel with Tao, Joan Hornig (Founder of Joan Hornig Jewelry) and Rachel Cohen Gerrol (Co-Founder of Nexus Global Youth Summit, PVBLIC Foundation & The Survivor Initiative). We were in very good company and joined other trailblazers during the day including Mindy Grossman (CEO of HSN, Board of Directors UNICEF, National Retail Federation), Kay Koplovitz (Founder of USA Networks, The Syfy Channel, Co-Founder and Managing Director of the Springboard Fund, Board of Directors of CA Technologies, ION media and Time Inc.), Sandra Lee (Philanthropist, Author, TV Personality & Editor In Chief of Sandra Lee Magazine), Randi Zuckerberg (Founder and CEO of Zuckerberg Media, host of Dot Complicated on SERIUSXM Business Radio and New York Times bestselling author of Dot Complicated and DOT!), Yue-Sai Kan (Emmy-winning Television Host & Producer, Founder of Yue-Sai Cosmetics, Best-selling Author & Philanthropist), Loreen Arbus (President/Founder of Loreen Arbus Productions, Inc., and The Goldenson-Arbus Foundation), Kate Rogers (CNBC, Small Business & Entrepreneur Reporter), Bobbi Rebell (Author How to be a Financial Grownup, Reuters Money Columnist, Chief Television Correspondent & Anchor, Business Video Thompson Reuters), among others.

With a variety of days dedicated to various causes, one might ask – Why does the world need a Women’s Entrepreneurship Day? Consider then, that women perform 66% of the world’s work, yet earn 10% of the world’s income. At the same time, they account for 85% of consumer purchases and control $20 trillion in worldwide spending. The WED mission is to empower the 4 billion women across the globe to be catalysts of change, and uplift the 250 million girls living in poverty globally. In addition to the mission of empowerment, they are committed to gathering a think tank of inspiring women leaders who can amplify the message of expanding businesses with social-good initiatives in communities around the world. Much admiration and thanks to visionary Founder & CEO of WED, Wendy Diamond! View pictures below from the 2016 event.