1. Commonwealth Businesswomen’s Network
Strengthening the Commonwealth. Building Businesses. Advancing Women.
53 Countries. One Platform
www.cwbusinesswomen.org

2. To provide the tools, opportunities and support necessary to ensure the growth and global reach
of women. Whether as entrepreneurs, in corporate life, or in government our focus is on shaping
women’s economic empowerment through:
Trade – provision of a trading platform providing opportunities for women
entrepreneurs to connect, collaborate and do business across all 53 countries
of the Commonwealth. In addition linking tenders in emerging markets and
developing countries through collaboration with UN Development Business
and BusinessXchange
Talent - the 2015 Commonwealth Women in Business Awards in London and
CBW’s collaboration with the global professional body for headhunters
Training - the CBW Academy with its modules on procurement,
entrepreneurship, business and financial intelligence and women on boards all
delivered by leading global providers
www.cwbusinesswomen.org

3. • Includes a billion women across 5 continents with 60% under the age of 30, but
with 43% of the world’s poorest women
• Commonality of language, education, professional training and legal and financial
institutions – a 15% cost advantage over business outside of the Commonwealth
• Several Commonwealth members are in most major trading blocs ie EU, NAFTA,
CARICOM,SADEC, COMESA, ASEAN, APEC and SAARC and includes 5 of the G20
providing a bridge to the non-Commonwealth
• 53 Heads of Government meet every two years and also hold a critical dialogue
during these Commonwealth Summits (CHOGM) and other meetings with key
stakeholders ie the business community; young people; NGOS and from 2015
with women in business via the first ever Commonwealth Women’s Forum
alongside Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), Malta
www.cwbusinesswomen.org

4. Executive Board Operational Team
Co Chairs
Deborah Leary, OBE, FRSA, CCMI
Freda Mirkilis
Executive Director
Arif Zaman
Chief Operating Officer
Lizze Leary
Director of Online Media
Kimberley Leary
Head of Strategic Partnerships & Business
Development
Sharon Jandu
Advisor, Media and Asia
Erum Masood
Adviser, Trade, Entrepreneurship and Small
States
Mayeesha Jamil
Advisor, Governments and Finance for
Women Entrepreneurs
Margot Thomas
Advisor, Communications
Aisha Sarwari
www.cwbusinesswomen.org

5. The 3 T’s
T
Trade
Talent
Training
www.cwbusinesswomen.org

6. CBW BusinessXchange T no:1
TRADE
A trading platform providing opportunities for
women entrepreneurs to connect, collaborate
and do business across 53 countries of the
Commonwealth
 Provide an overarching international strategy for
women in business
 Provide a toolkit for growth, providing opportunities
for trade, form strategic partnerships, drive
innovation
 Target and communicate key messages to policy
makers , and lobby via consultation/media
Acting as a beacon for global business excellence

7. BusinessXchange Benefits
• B2B and trade opportunities with
businesswomen across 53 Commonwealth States
• Business collaboration on joint projects/tenders
• Peer group support
• Benefit from Group Buying offers
• Promote business through Case Studies, short
videos and elevator pitches
• Advertising & Editorials
• Attend events and promote events
• Promote special offers to other businesses
registered on the site
• Promote good news stories
• Feedback based rating system so businesses can
relate experiences about suppliers enabling others
to collaborate / buy in confidence
• Utilise a direct link to social media including
LinkedIn, Twitter etc and additional information via
blogs and knowledge sharing
www.cwbusinesswomen.org

8. Working with key strategic partners in order to identify women from both the
entrepreneurial and corporate sectors with boardroom aspiration and to work through
the CBW Academy to develop skills and knowledge to ensure board readiness. Feeding
into a database of board ready talent which can be matched with board opportunities.
Working with ITC and others to bring Commonwealth Corporates and Governments as
buyers and women from Commonwealth developing countries as suppliers to the ITC
Global Platform for Action on Sourcing from Women Vendors`
Talent T no:2
TALENT
Celebration of Commonwealth
Business Talent via the Annual
Commonwealth Businesswomens’
Award
www.cwbusinesswomen.org

9. T no:2
TALENT
The Academy
What does it represent?
• An academy of peers
• A global network that challenges and supports
• A peer group designed to create the business and thought leaders of
tomorrow.
• Working with leading international service partners
In addition through its online ‘Business Exchange’ trading platform it
provides the opportunity for businesswomen to trade across the
Commonwealth, to seek partnerships and collaborations and promote their
businesses globally at the same time having the opportunity to learn and
share experiences.
www.cwbusinesswomen.org
T no 3
Training

10. T no:2
TALENT
The Academy
T no 3
Training
The Aim
Provide an environment that supports women at all stages of their business journey
and business growth and celebrates the economic impact businesswomen have
throughout the Commonwealth via annual Commonwealth Businesswomen Awards
Recognise the need to support, train and mentor women from start-up through to mid
term, through to exit and thereby create a cyclical pattern whereby those who have
been invested in, invest back into the business community.
Initially concentrating on 3 key areas:
Entrepreneurship – Strategic Partner – School for Start Ups
Procurement – Strategic Partner – Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply
Women on Boards – Strategic Partner Boardwalk (UK), Lead Women (Malaysia) and
Women on Boards Network (Kenya)
Additional courses will focus on: Business & Financial
Intelligence, International Trade, E-Commerce
70%-100% will be delivered online

11. • Sri Lankan Government (Commonwealth Chair in Office)
• Commonwealth Secretariat
• Commonwealth Enterprise & Investment Council (CWEIC)
• Commonwealth Fashion Council
• Birmingham Commonwealth District Association/Commonwealth
Local Government Forum
• UN (UN Development Business, UN Women and UN Global Compact)
• World Bank Group and IFC
• Association of Executive Search Consultants and Global Board Ready
Women
• BusinessXchange
• School for Start Ups
• Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS)
• Royal Society of Arts (RSA)
• ACCA
www.cwbusinesswomen.org

12. • Annual membership : Gold (£50 per month), Silver (£20 per month),
Bronze (£8 per month)
• Corporate Rate: £799 +VAT
• Invited organisations/Regional Partners single annual membership
£499 + VAT
• Sponsorship/advertising
• Foundations & Philanthropists
• Flagship events (Commonwealth Businesswomen Awards, London and
in country of Commonwealth Chair in Office in the following year
www.cwbusinesswomen.org

13. www.cwbusinesswomen.org
@CWealthBizwWomen
Strengthening the Commonwealth. Building Businesses. Advancing Women.
53 Countries. One Platform