Today Bank of America and Vital Voices convened a mentoring forum in
Cape Town, South Africa, to develop a global action plan to engage the
international community in increasing the number and impact of women
leaders as decision-makers. The effort is part of the Global Ambassadors
Program, a Vital Voices and Bank of America partnership, which mobilizes
accomplished professionals as mentors for talented women leaders in
developing countries.
The forum in Cape Town from June 26 to 30 brings five Global Ambassadors
(mentors) and more than 20 international women leaders together to
advance the dialogue on the value and impact that women’s leadership
will have in the discussion around the post-U.N. Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs). These goals, which range from dramatically reducing
poverty to providing universal primary education, are top priorities
agreed upon by all the world’s countries.
The five mentors participating in the South Africa event are Wendy
Luhabe, co-founder, Women Investment Portfolio Holdings; Inez McCormack,
founder and advisor, Participation and the Practice of Rights; Denise
Menelly, operations executive, Global Commercial and Corporate Banking,
Bank of America Merrill Lynch; Jennifer Taylor, chief operating officer,
Asia Pacific, Bank of America Merrill Lynch; and Ann Veneman, former
executive director, U.N. Children’s Fund and former Secretary, U.S.
Department of Agriculture.
The events in South Africa build on the inaugural mentoring forum that
took place earlier this year in Haiti, where Global Ambassadors worked
with mentees and more than 100 Haitian women leaders to develop a
platform for the reconstruction of the country and the role of women in
this effort.
“Mentoring is a critical path to leadership and an undeniable link to
helping female leaders achieve economic, political and social change. We
are encouraged that the inaugural mentoring forum in Haiti is expanding
the capacity of women leaders in Haiti and confident that our
collaboration with Vital Voices will help emerging leaders in South
Africa to be a driving force for change,” said Jennifer Taylor, chief
operating officer, Asia Pacific, Bank of America Merrill Lynch. “Through
the Global Ambassadors Program, we are helping to provide hundreds of
women around the world the skills and tools they need to positively
contribute to their communities, the global economy and a more
sustainable future.”
The Global Ambassadors Program is part of Bank of America and Vital
Voices’ ongoing commitment to investing in leadership development, a
goal guided by the belief that strong leaders are vital to healthy,
vibrant communities and help advance economic growth. Over time, mentors
and their mentees build critical communications, advocacy and business
skills and develop strategies for emerging leaders to advance their work.
“Today’s unprecedented global challenges necessitate strong leadership.
Now more than ever, creative solutions and innovation are needed to
propel sustainable progress,” said Alyse Nelson, president and CEO,
Vital Voices Global Partnership. “Training and mentorship that connect
emerging women leaders with mentors will foster regional and
international collaboration across sectors to address these global
challenges. Advancing dialogue on the value of women’s leadership in
South Africa is a significant step in the work of the Global Ambassadors
Program and we are delighted that the events in Cape Town will further
the efforts of mentees as leaders in their community.”
The next Global Ambassadors Program mentoring forums are set to take
place later this year in Mumbai, India and Buenos Aires, Argentina.
For more information on the Global Ambassadors Program, visit www.bankofamerica.com/globalambassadors.
Bank of America
Bank of America is one of the world's largest
financial institutions, serving individual consumers, small- and
middle-market businesses and large corporations with a full range of
banking, investing, asset management and other financial and risk
management products and services. The company provides unmatched
convenience in the United States, serving approximately 57 million
consumer and small business relationships with approximately 5,700
retail banking offices and approximately 17,250 ATMs and award-winning
online banking with 30 million active users. Bank of America is among
the world's leading wealth management companies and is a global leader
in corporate and investment banking and trading across a broad range of
asset classes, serving corporations, governments, institutions and
individuals around the world. Bank of America offers industry-leading
support to approximately 4 million small business owners through a suite
of innovative, easy-to-use online products and services. The company
serves clients through operations in more than 40 countries. Bank of
America Corporation stock (NYSE: BAC) is a component of the Dow Jones
Industrial Average and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
For more Bank of America news, visit the Bank
of America newsroom.
Vital Voices
Vital Voices Global Partnership is a leading
non-governmental organization that identifies, invests in and brings
visibility to extraordinary women around the world by unleashing their
leadership potential to transform lives and accelerate peace and
prosperity in their communities. Founded by U.S. Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton in 1997, the organization trains and mentors women
leaders as agents of transformative change in economic development,
human rights and political participation. The Vital Voices Global
Leadership Network includes more than 12,000 leaders representing 144
countries who have trained and mentored 500,000 additional women and
girls in their communities. Visit www.vitalvoices.org
to learn more.
www.bankofamerica.com
