Dr. Okonjo-Iweala will headline PBWC’s virtual stage to
share her story, which carried her from Nigeria to one of the most powerful and
important roles in the world economy. In her work as a global economic leader,
Dr. Okonjo-Iweala served twice as Nigeria’s finance minister before rising to
the top position at the World Bank. She is the first African and first woman to
lead the WTO.
An economist with a background in international development,
Dr. Okonjo-Iweala is known for her dedication to assisting countries most in
need. During her tenure at the World Bank, she spearheaded efforts to raise
$49.3 billion to aid the world’s poorest countries. She is a powerful force,
formulating policy to re-energize the global economy while inspiring the next
generation of leaders. She believes “Investing in women is smart economics, and
investing in girls, catching them upstream, is even smarter economics.”
Influential and impactful, Dr. Okonjo-Iweala has been
included in the 50 Greatest World Leaders, Top 100 Most Influential People in
the World, Top 100 Global Thinkers, Top 100 Most Powerful Women in the World,
and the Top 100 Most Inspiring People in the World Delivering for Girls and
Women by Forbes, Time Magazine, Newsweek, and more. She is listed among 73
“brilliant” business influencers in the world by Condé Nast’s International
Business Intelligence Magazine and she is the 2017 recipient of the Aspen
Institute’s prestigious Madeleine Albright Award.
Born in Nigeria and educated at Harvard University, she
earned her doctorate in Regional Economics and Development from the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is a dual U.S. and Nigerian citizen.
In her spare time she enjoys swimming, reading and writing poetry. She is
married to Dr. Ikemba Iweala, a surgeon, and they have four grown children and
two grandchildren.
PBWC, one of the largest women’s organizations with a
diverse community of more than 42,000 professionals worldwide, provides skill
development and networking opportunities that break down silos, bridging
seniority, specialty, gender, race and identity.
On May 11-13, 2021, PBWC will host a global virtual event
for 10,000 women and men of all backgrounds to empower, inform, and ignite
professional advancement. “We are delighted to welcome Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
to our conference stage. Her confidence and determination are exactly what we
seek when selecting leaders to inspire and motivate our community to dream big
and IgniteCHANGE in their own lives,” said Nicole Soluri, PBWC CEO. “With
millions of women being sidelined by the pandemic, it is encouraging to witness
one achieve two firsts: first woman and first African named to the WTO’s top
position.”
The conference experience, along with PBWC’s year-long
programming, is designed to give attendees the tools, inspiration and
networking opportunities to grow their careers, achieve their ambitions,
support their colleagues and give back to their communities.
IgniteCHANGE conference attendees will hear influential
narratives, grow their networks, and gain tools to transform their communities.
Participants will experience daily live-stream keynote and seminar
presentations; connect through moderated networking sessions, direct messaging
and face-to-face meetings; celebrate PBWC’s class of 2021 Industry Leaders and
Scholarship Program recipients; and visit a virtual Exhibit Hall with bonus
content and online gift bag discounts. Most conference benefits will be
available and accessible on-demand through mid-June.
Joining a powerful lineup of speakers, Dr. Okonjo-Iweala is
the standard-bearer for this year’s IgniteCHANGE theme. “When I became finance
minister,” she says, “they called me Okonjo-Wahala—or ‘Trouble Woman.’ It means
‘I give you hell.’ But I don’t care what names they call me. I’m a fighter; I’m
very focused on what I’m doing, and relentless in what I want to achieve,
almost to a fault. If you get in my way, you get kicked.”
Hear how she is inspiring change in the world and “kicking
things up a notch” at PBWC’s 2021 Conference, IgniteCHANGE.
Registration for the three-day event is now open with
tickets priced at $299 through March 15, 2021.
For more information, please visit: conference.pbwc.org
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