From left: Her Excellency, Gloria Guevara Manzo, Chantal Khoueiry, Dr Iman Bibars and Desiree Bollier. Photo: Courtesy of The Bicester Collection
The Bicester Collection has launched its annual initiative to recognize and empower female first-time founder social-impact entrepreneurs from around the world. As part of its Do Good program, the Unlock Her Future Prize’s inaugural edition will make its debut in the Middle East and North Africa region before being rolled out to a different part of the world each year.
The prize will identify three women social entrepreneurs and empower them with financial, social, and human capital to grow their business skills, launch start-up ventures, and ultimately “drive sustainable positive social, environmental and economic impact within their local region.” Each of the three winners will receive a business grant of up to US $100,000. Those eligible to win the prize are women from the MENA region who are first-time founders of any age with a nonprofit business idea that aims to deliver a positive and sustainable impact on society, as defined by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Applications will be reviewed by a selection committee of experienced international business professionals and social impact experts, as well as a group of judges comprising high-profile Arab women. The chosen eight finalists will then be invited to pitch their ideas to the judges in person in London, after which three winners announced on March 8, International Women’s Day 2023.
For this initiative, The Bicester Collection has partnered with Ashoka Arab World. Founded in 2003, the platform has pioneered social entrepreneurship, contributing to the flourishing sector across the Arab region, and is also the Academic Partner of the world-renowned New York University Abu Dhabi.
“Women social entrepreneurs in the MENA region can and do have an impact in every field yet are still underfunded and under-recognized,” says Dr Iman Bibars, regional director of Ashoka Arab World, founder of the Women’s Initiative for Social Entrepreneurship, and vice president of Ashoka: Innovators for the Public. “The Unlock Her Future Prize is a transformative opportunity for the region’s leading women social entrepreneurs to access not only funding but also mentorship, technical support, a global network of allies, and global exposure.”
Chantal Khoueiry, The Bicester Collection’s chief culture officer says, “Our mission is to generate authentic and meaningful, scalable social progress in different regions of the world through our inspirational partners, and with a focus on unlocking the potential of women wherever they are born. We’re very proud to be launching the Unlock Her Future Prize. We believe in a world in which every woman has the opportunity to achieve her full potential, to become an extraordinary change agent and a role model for future generations.”
Applications for the prize are open until January 31, 2023. Apply now at Thebicestercollection.com
