IÉSEG supports “Led by Her” – a social incubator for women who have experienced violence
03/30/2017
For the last 3 years, IÉSEG has been working in partnership with the association Led by Her and ESCP Europe business school to provide a personalized entrepreneurship program to a group of women (around 75 in total) who have experienced violence or difficult personal circumstances.
(From left to right) Chiara Condi, Isabelle Jégouzo, Janice Byrne and Caroline Roussel.
Earlier this month, IÉSEG, represented by Professors Caroline Roussel (Academic Dean) and Janice Byrne (Academic Director of the Led by Her Program), organized a lunch to celebrate International Women’s Day. Isabelle Jégouzo, Head of the Representation of the European Commission in France, was invited as keynote speaker and to meet the Led by Her participants, and the team of IÉSEG professors who are actively involved in the program.
The women are accompanied by a team of 15 IÉSEG faculty and admin staff as well as over 50 external facilitators who volunteer their expertise in fields as varied as finance, marketing, communication, negotiation and strategy. Each of the participants have a dedicated mentor to help them develop and implement their business creation plans.
The event with Isabelle Jégouzo was also the opportunity to more broadly address the activities of the European Union in the field of gender equality. She praised the energy of ‘Led by Her’, founded by Chiara Condi, and which mobilizes the entrepreneurial community in the greater Paris region. Just recently, Led by Her organized its second annual hackathon in central Paris, a unique opportunity for entrepreneurs to work with and meet experts from different fields.
Chiara Condi underlines the importance of initiatives like Led by Her and the opportunity for policymakers to see the impact of such initiatives. Last year, for example, European Commissioner Věra Jourová visited Led by Her on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and the launch of a European campaign against Violence against women. Chiara Condi also thanked the entire IÉSEG team who contribute to the program and “without whom, everything the association does, would not be possible”.
“We are delighted to be involved in the Led by Her program, which fits perfectly with the values of the School (Accomplishment, Responsibility, Integrity, Solidarity, and Commitment) and our new mission which aims to empower changemakers for a better society. The participants of Led by Her are a very good example,” explains Caroline Roussel, Academic Dean at IÉSEG.