By Kimberly Hosey
As we mark Women’s Entrepreneurship Day, reflect on recent U.S. elections that saw women breaking records and making history across the country, and contend with persistent inequality in everything from sports and space to gender-based violence and the climate crisis; The State of Women Institute and SHEQONOMI are pleased to report from this year’s Reykjavík Global Forum, which The State of Women and SHEQONOMI Founder Anu Bhardwaj attended earlier this month.
Hanna Birna Kristjánsdóttir, Chair of the Reykjavik Global Forum, Women Leaders; Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, former president of Iceland and first woman elected president; and The State of Women/SHEQONOMI Founder Anu Bhardwaj at the Reykjavík Global Forum.
The 2022 Forum, now in its fifth year and with the theme of “Power, Together for Progress,” saw women leaders, investors, entrepreneurs, and influencers from various backgrounds meet Nov. 8-10 to discuss building a more equal future.
Particularly in light of recent regression and blows to the rights of girls and women, participants saw the meeting—which hosts leaders from governments, the private sector, nonprofits, and more—as a critical opportunity to collectively build on progress, address setbacks, and safeguard gender equality going forward.
Bhardwaj joined a global discussion driven by women political leaders from six continents. The forum featured several Iceland dignitaries, including former President Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, the world’s first woman democratically elected as president; Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir; and First Lady Eliza Reid.
Other prominent guests included U.N. Women Executive Director Sima Sami Bahous and former Director General of UNESCO Irina Bokova, who discussed the need for more women leaders in global decisions around climate change and the new digital economy.
Panels and keynote speeches addressed a wide range of topics. Other notable subjects included Ukraine, sustainability, investing in women entrepreneurs, the latest research on societal perceptions of women’s leadership, the importance of access to capital, and blockchain regulation.
“When we all come together unified, nothing is impossible—especially given the caliber of all the women and men who were present and cheering from the sidelines,” Bhardwaj said, adding that she believes the theme of “Power, Together” resonated with all attendees, whether they traveled to Reykjavík or joined virtually from around the world.
Bhardwaj added that she’s especially proud and excited to build on the connections and conversations nurtured in Iceland in a new podcast series planned to highlight the voices and stories of global women leaders.
The podcast, which will be hosted on SHEQONOMI’s The State of Women Podcast Network, will be available online and on SHEQONOMI mobile apps as well as through mainstream podcast listening apps.
The Reykjavík Global Forum – Women Leaders was co-hosted by Women Political Leaders, the Government of Iceland, and the Parliament of Iceland.
