Call for nominations: Woman Entrepreneur of the Year Award
Nomination deadline extended through March 8th!
The Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves is pleased to announce a call for nominations for our Woman Entrepreneur of the Year Award. This award recognizes outstanding female leaders in the household energy sector who are advancing clean cooking solutions in emerging markets.
The Woman Entrepreneur of the Year will receive:
- Sponsorship to attend the Sustainable Energy for All Forum in Lisbon, Portugal in May 2018—includes registration, airfare to/from Lisbon, and lodging.
- International recognition in the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves’ newsletter, website, social media, and other promotional materials.
- Photoshoot to highlight the winner’s work and impact in the sector.
“Women entrepreneurs play an important role in advancing cooking solutions and increasing adoption,” says Radha Muthiah, CEO of the Alliance. “Research shows that customers are more satisfied and more likely to use cookstoves when they purchase them directly from women. By explicitly recognizing women’s leadership in the clean cooking sector, the Alliance is bringing attention to the fact that women aren’t simply passive consumers, but also play a critical role in business success and can help companies achieve key impacts and advance progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals.”
Last year’s recipient of the award, Betty Ikalany, is the founder of Appropriate Energy Saving Technologies (AEST) LTD, a woman-led social enterprise that creates livelihood opportunities for women in the improved cookstove and alternative fuel value chain in Eastern Uganda. “Being given the award of Woman Entrepreneur of the Year has increased my confidence to work hard with my head up,” Betty says. “It has increased the visibility of my company…as well as myself as a woman. This has encouraged many women who look up to me as their mentor.”
[pullquote]Nominees for the award must be currently working to advance clean cooking solutions with a minimum 3 years of professional experience in the clean cooking sector, and currently hold the position of CEO, COO, or another key leadership role within their organization/institution. Nominees should be able to demonstrate that they serve as role models for other women through coaching, mentorship, or other forms of community engagement. Nominees should exhibit a strong track record of leadership in the household energy sector as well as a demonstrable impact on the clean cooking sector in particular. Finally, nominees must be a resident / national of Ghana, Uganda, Kenya, Nigeria, India, Bangladesh, China, or Guatemala.
Nominations will be accepted beginning January 30, 2018, and must be submitted by March 1, 2018. Please email any questions and submit complete nominations to gender@cleancookstoves.org. Contestants may self-nominate.
Please see more information on the nomination process and nominate applicants using the attached Nomination Form. Please email any questions and submit the complete nominations no later than March 8, 2018 to gender@cleancookstoves.org.