The Filipina Women’s Network (FWN), the US-based women’s organisation behind the long-running “100 Most Influential Filipina Women in the World” awards program, will hold their Filipina global leadership summit in Sydney next week.
Under the theme “Femtech Futures: Tech and AI Revolution”, the week-long summit will explore the role of Filipino women in IT innovation, particularly in artificial intelligence (AI).
FWN founder Marily Mondejar (Far right in a black gown) with FWN awardees.
The Hon. Ma. Hellen de la Vega, the Philippine Ambassador for Australia, will participate in the keynote panel discussion: “Builders Changing the World: Tech and AI”, which will tackle the impact of AI and tech on diplomatic relations, the workforce and the Philippine economy.
Marla de Castro Rausch, chief executive of US-based Animation Vertigo and part of this year’s award selection committee, joins the panel on how AI will transform the gaming, robotics and entertainment industries.
Michelle Baltazar, Money editor-in-chief
Michelle Baltazar, founding editor of this publication, has been named among this year’s "Most Influential Filipina Woman in the World" award, joining a prestigious list of awardees dating back to 2013 when the global awards were first launched.
Previous awardees include Juslyn Manalo, Mayor of Daly City, California (2015); Holly Vocal, managing director, Bank of America Securities, New York (2021); and Rechie Valdez, Member of Parliament, House of Commons, Canada (2022).
From the Philippines, awardees include Georgitta Puyat, chairman of Philippine Orchard Corporation (2022), Gina Atienza, president of SunStar Management Inc (2016) and Leni Robredo, former vice president of the Philippines (2016).
“I am deeply honoured to accept this award, and I thank FWN for this recognition. The Global FWN100™ award connects us, Filipino women, in a global network of support and empowerment," said Baltazar.
Marily Mondejar, founder and chief executive of the FWN, has said, “When I started this organisation more than 20 years ago, Filipina women in managerial positions were few and far between. I founded FWN to rewrite the narrative and find the Filipina women who are CEOs, scientists, artists and change makers. Slowly but surely, the tide is changing.”
On choosing ‘AI and technology’ as this year’s theme, FWN noted on its website: “It's time to leverage our Filipina power and become the architects of a future powered by AI, built with our vision.”
The awards ceremony, networking and summit will be held from October 27 – November 2 at the Sheraton Grand Sydney Hyde Park in Sydney.
Photo credit: FWN website, FWN Facebook