Women's Entrepreneurship Day (WED) celebrated annually on November 15 is a day on which the work of women entrepreneurs is observed and discussed, held each year. The inaugural event was held in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

at the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

, with additional events being held simultaneously in several other countries. 144 nations overall recognized the first WED in 2014, which included the presentation of the Women's Entrepreneurship Day Pioneer Awards. The organization behind WED also has an ambassadorship and

fellow A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned society, learned or professional society, p ...

ship program.

History

Women's Entrepreneurship Day was founded and implemented by Pet Pioneer, Animal Fair Media Founder and

Ellis Island Medal of Honor The Ellis Island Medal of Honor is an American award founded by the Ellis Island Honors Society (EIHS) (formerly known as the National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations (NECO)), which is presented annually to American citizens, both native-born ...

recipient Wendy Diamond, after volunteering with the Adelante Foundation who provides microcredit to low income women while in

Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Ocean at the Gulf of Fonseca, ...

. Upon her return to the US she decided she wanted to develop something to help this and similar philanthropic causes. The first day was held on November 19, 2014, and was observed in 144 countries that year. It was described by ''

Fortune Fortune may refer to: General * Fortuna or Fortune, the Roman goddess of luck * Luck * Wealth * Fate * Fortune, a prediction made in fortune-telling * Fortune, in a fortune cookie Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''The Fortune'' (19 ...

'' as "a global movement to celebrate and support female founders and shed light on some of their challenges."

Forbes Magazine ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The c ...

wrote that the intention was also "to mobilize a global network of female business owners, entrepreneurs, and change-makers who support and empower this community of women entrepreneurs and their businesses." November 19 was proclaimed an "official day" by both

New York Governor The governor of New York is the head of government of the U.S. state of New York. The governor is the head of the executive branch of New York's state government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor ha ...

Andrew Cuomo Andrew Mark Cuomo ( , ; born December 6, 1957) is an American politician and lawyer who served as the 56th governor of New York from 2011 until his resignation in 2021. A member of the Democratic Party and son of former governor Mario Cuomo, ...

and

New York City Mayor The mayor of New York City, officially mayor of the City of New York, is head of the executive branch of the government of New York City and the chief executive of New York City. The mayor's office administers all city services, public property, ...

Bill de Blasio Bill de Blasio (; born Warren Wilhelm Jr., May 8, 1961; later Warren de Blasio-Wilhelm) is an American politician who was the List of mayors of New York City, 109th mayor of New York City, mayor of New York City from 2014 to 2021. A member of t ...

, Philadelphia Mayor

Jim Kenney James Francis Kenney (born August 7, 1958) is an American politician who served as the 99th mayor of Philadelphia from 2016 to 2024. Kenney was first elected on November 3, 2015, defeating his Republican rival Melissa Murray Bailey after winning ...

, and Los Angeles Mayor

Eric Garcetti Eric Michael Garcetti (born February 4, 1971) is an American politician and diplomat who served as the List of ambassadors of the United States to India, United States ambassador to India from 2023 to 2025. He was the 42nd mayor of Los Angeles f ...

and is celebrated annually at the

and around the globe. Women's Entrepreneurship Day got moved to November 15 in 2024 to avoid clashing with International Men's Day which has been celebrated annually on every November 19 every year since 1999. 15 years before WED was put on that same date. This was moved for fairness as

International Women's Day International Women's Day (IWD) is celebrated on 8 March, commemorating women's fight for equality and liberation along with the women's rights movement. International Women's Day gives focus to issues such as gender equality, reproductive righ ...

is celebrated annually on March 8 every year since 1914 (1st celebrated on March 19 1911) to celebrate Women's achievements and to push for gender equality. Many thought that Women's Entrepreneurship Day being held on the same date as International Men's Day, was not fair and was a way to silence Men's issue and Men's mental health and well being.

Inaugural event at the United Nations

Women's Entrepreneurship Day event convenes at the

including a conference, speakers, and the inaugural Women's Entrepreneurship Day Pioneer Awards. An Education Philanthropy Pioneer Award was given to

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

’s grandmother Sarah Obama, for her work in bringing gender equality to education in that country. Obama was presented the award by actress

Quvenzhané Wallis Quvenzhané Wallis ( ; born August 28, 2003) is an American actress and author. In 2012, she starred as Hushpuppy in the drama film ''Beasts of the Southern Wild'' (2012), for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress, becomi ...

. Loreen Arbus received an award for her philanthropic work, as did to Lynn Tilton. Other attendees of the United Nations inaugural launch included

Miss Universe Miss Universe is an annual international major beauty pageant that is run by a Thailand and Mexican-based Miss Universe Organization.Natalie Tadena (July 2, 2015"Donald Trump's Miss USA Pageant Lands on Reelz Cable Channel". ''The Wall Stree ...

Gabriela Isler María Gabriela de Jesús Isler (; born March 21, 1988) is a Venezuelan model, presenter, and former beauty queen who gained international recognition by winning the titles of Miss Venezuela 2012 and Miss Universe 2013. She passed on her Miss ...

;

Jimmy Choo Jimmy Choo Yeang Keat (born 15 November 1948) is a Malaysian fashion designer based in the United Kingdom. He co-founded Jimmy Choo Ltd, which became known for its handmade women's shoes. Early life Choo was born in 1948 in the Crown Colony ...

co-founder Tamara Mellon; and First Ladies Gertrude Maseko of Malawi and

Penehupifo Pohamba Penehupifo "Penny" Pohamba (born 16 June 1948) is a Namibian nurse and politician who was the second First Lady of Namibia while her husband, Hifikepunye Pohamba, was President of Namibia from 2005 to 2015. Early life Pohamba was born in Okatale ...

of Namibia. Delegations were sent from many different nations attended the event as well. A second WED is planned at the United Nations in 2015: the

United Nations Foundation The United Nations Foundation is a charitable organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., that supports the United Nations and its activities. It was established in 1998 with a $1billion gift to the United Nations by philanthropist Ted Turn ...

is a founding partner of the events.

List of Pioneer Award winners

2014

* Loreen Arbus (Philanthropy) – President of Loreen Arbus Productions * Lynn Tilton (Business) – Founder and CEO of Patriarch Partners * Mama Sarah Obama (Education) – Founder and CEO of The Mama Sarah Obama Foundation *

Sandy Lerner Sandy Lerner (born 1955) is an American businesswoman and philanthropist. She co-founded Cisco Systems, and used the money from its sale to pursue interests in animal welfare and women's writing. One of her main projects, Chawton House, is in En ...

(Technology) – Co-founder of

Cisco Systems Cisco Systems, Inc. (using the trademark Cisco) is an American multinational corporation, multinational digital communications technology conglomerate (company), conglomerate corporation headquartered in San Jose, California. Cisco develops, m ...

and Founder of

Urban Decay Urban decay (also known as urban rot, urban death or urban blight) is the sociological process by which a previously functioning city, or part of a city, falls into disrepair and decrepitude. There is no single process that leads to urban decay. ...

* Shannon Schuyler (Social Responsibility) – Chief Corporate Responsibility and Purpose Officer of

PricewaterhouseCoopers PricewaterhouseCoopers, also known as PwC, is a multinational professional services network based in London, United Kingdom. It is the second-largest professional services network in the world and is one of the Big Four accounting firms, alon ...

, LLP (PwC US), and President of the PwC Charitable Foundation, Inc. * Tamara Mellon (Fashion) – Co-founder of

and Creative Director & Founder of the Tamara Mellon brand

2015

* Dr. Jen Welter (Sports) – First woman to hold a coaching position in the

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...

and linebacker for women's

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

for 14 years * Heidi Messer (Technology) – chairwoman and co-founder of Collective and Founder of LinkShare * Kelly O. Chezum (Education) – President of External Relations at

Clarkson University Clarkson University is a private research university with its main campus in Potsdam, New York. Clarkson has additional graduate programs and research facilities in the New York Capital District. It was established in 1896 and enrolled over 4 ...

Leona Lewis Leona Louise Lewis (born 3 April 1985) is a British singer, songwriter, actress, model, and activist. Born and raised in Islington, Inner London, she later attended the BRIT School for Performing Arts and Technology in Croydon. Lewis achieve ...

(Music) – British singer-songwriter and Animal Welfare campaigner * Leslie Blodgett (Beauty) – Creator of bareMinerals, former CEO of Bare Escentuals, board member for Every Mother Counts, Stella & Dot, and

SPANX Spanx, LLC is a United States shapewear company, founded by Sara Blakely in Atlanta, Georgia in 2000. The company offers innerwear and outerwear, including activewear, apparel, denim, shapewear, swimwear, intimates, leggings, and hosiery. As o ...

* Martha "Muffy" MacMillan (Philanthropy) –

Recipient, Director on the board of Cargill, Inc., Director of the Cargill Foundation, Waycrosse, Inc., Boards of the

American Federation of Arts The American Federation of Arts (AFA) is a nonprofit organization that creates art exhibitions for presentation in museums around the world, publishes exhibition catalogues, and develops education programs. The organization’s founding in 1909 ...

, Global Minnesota, The Economic Club of Minnesota, and

Walker Art Center The Walker Art Center is a multidisciplinary contemporary art center in the Lowry Hill, Minneapolis, Lowry Hill neighborhood of Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. The Walker is one of the most-visited modern and contemporary art museums in ...

, Chair of

Opportunity International Opportunity International is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization chartered in the United States. Through a network of 47 program and support partners, Opportunity International provides small business loans, savings, insurance and training to mor ...

's agricultural-finance campaign

2016

* Iris Apfel (Fashion) – interior designer and businesswoman * Joan Hornig (Accessories) – American jewelry designer and the founder of Joan Hornig Jewelry and

Winner * Katia Beauchamp (Beauty) – CEO and co-founder of Birchbox *

Kay Koplovitz Kay Koplovitz (nee Smith, born April 11, 1945) is an American businesswoman, best known as the founder of the cable television channel USA Network, for which she served as chairwoman and CEO from its founding in 1977 until 1998 when it was sold fo ...

(Finance) – Founder of

USA Network USA Network (or simply USA) is an American basic cable television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Media Group division of Comcast's NBCUniversal. It was launched in 1977 as Madison Square Garden Sports Network, one of the first national sports ...

and Syfy and the first woman to serve as network president in television history * Mindy Grossman (Philanthropy) – CEO of WeightWatchers and CEO and director of HSN and a member of the company's Board of Directors * Sandra Lee (Celebrity) – television chef and author * Tao Porchon-Lynch (Sports) –

Yoga Yoga (UK: , US: ; 'yoga' ; ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines that originated with its own philosophy in ancient India, aimed at controlling body and mind to attain various salvation goals, as pra ...

master and author * Yue-Sai Kan (Business) – television host and producer, entrepreneur, author and humanitarian

2017

* Andrea Kerzner (Arts) – Daughter of

Sol Kerzner Solomon 'Sol' Kerzner, (23 August 1935 – 21 March 2020) was a South African accountant and business magnate. He founded both of South Africa's largest hotel groups, the Southern Sun Hotel Group and Sun International. He was also the founder, ...

, Founder and CEO of Lalela Project, Co-Creator of themoreweshare.com, Director of the Board of Kerzner International Holdings Limited * Angie Bastian (Culinary) – Founder, Angie's Boomchickapop *

Bobbi Brown Bobbi Brown (born April 14, 1957) is an American professional make-up artist, author, and the founder of Bobbi Brown Cosmetics. She created ten natural-shade lipsticks which according to ''Entrepreneur'' "revolutionized the beauty industry". Sh ...

(Beauty) – CEO of Beauty Evolution and Former CEO & Chief Creative Officer of Bobbi Brown Cosmetics * Dorothy "Dottie" Herman (Business) – Co-founder, President & CEO of Real Estate brokerage firm Douglas Elliman Real Estate, LLC * Judith Ripka (Accessories) – Luxury Jewelry Designer & Founder of Judith Ripka * Lucy Jarvis (Media) – First woman television producer,

Peabody Award The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Foster Peabody, George Peabody, honor what are described as the most powerful, enlightening, and in ...

winner * Muna Rihani Al-Nasser (Philanthropy) – Chairwoman of the UN Women for Peace Association *

Sara Bareilles Sara Beth Bareilles ( ; born December 7, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actress. She has sold over three million albums and over 15 million singles in the United States. Bareilles has earned various accolades, including ...

(Music) – Singer-Songwriter

Waitress Waiting staff ( BrE), waiters () / waitresses (), or servers (AmE) are those who work at a restaurant, a diner, or a bar and sometimes in private homes, attending to customers by supplying them with food and drink as requested. Waiting staff ...

Writer/Composer * Sonia Gardner (Finance) – President, Managing Partner, and co-founder of

Avenue Capital Group Avenue Capital Group is an American multinational investment firm focusing on distressed securities and private equity with regional teams focusing on opportunities in the United States, Europe and Asia. The firm operates as both a private equit ...

& Global Chair of the Board of 100 Women in Finance * Suzanne Lerner (Fashion) – President and co-founder of Michael Stars and board member of Women Thrive Alliance *

Twinkle Khanna Twinkle Khanna (born 29 December 1973) is an Indian author and former actress. A daughter of actors Dimple Kapadia and Rajesh Khanna, she made her acting debut with a leading role in the film '' Barsaat'' (1995). After playing the leading lady ...

(Celebrity) – actress, entrepreneur, author, and philanthropist

2018

Anna Sui Anna Sui (; born August 4, 1955) is an American fashion designer. Her brand categories include several fashion lines, footwear, cosmetics, Perfume, fragrances, eyewear, jewelry, Fashion accessory, accessories and home goods. Sui was named one ...

(Fashion) – Fashion Designer and Entrepreneur * Eileen Murray (Finance) – CO-CEO

Bridgewater Associates Bridgewater Associates, LP (informally known as "Bridgewater") is an American investment management firm founded by Ray Dalio in 1975. The firm serves institutional clients including pension funds, Financial endowment, endowments, Foundation (no ...

* Her Highness Princess Märtha Louise of Norway (Politics) – Author & Chair Princess Märtha Louise's Fund to benefit disabled children * Kathleen King (Culinary) – Founder Tate's Bake Shop * Mary Ann Thompson-Frenk (Civics) – President/Co-founder Memnosyne Foundation & The John Philip Thompson Foundation * Shannon Dellimore (Beauty) – Co-founder & Creative Director GLAMGLOW * Shari Staglin (Philanthropy) – CEO Staglin Family Vineyard, Co-founder One Mind * Shelley Zalis (Technology) – Founder OTX Global Technology Consulting Firm, CEO/Founder The Female Quotient

2019

* Wendy Diamond (Humanitarian) – A Social Entrepreneur, Impact Investor, Humanitarian, Animal Advocate, Best-Selling Author and CEO/Founder of Women's Entrepreneurship Day Organization (WEDO)/#ChooseWOMEN, a non-governmental philanthropic volunteer organization. WED, with chapters in 144 countries and 112 universities/colleges, is on a global mission to alleviate poverty and empower women in business. * Hannah Stocking (Influencer) – Global Entertainer 25+ Million Followers *

Missy Elliott Melissa Arnette "Missy" Elliott (born July 1, 1971), also known as Misdemeanor, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. She began her musical career as a member of the Contemporary R&B, R&B girl group 4 All the Sistas Arou ...

(Music) –

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

Winning Musical Artist * Leah Solivan (Technology) – General Partner Fuel Capital & Founder TaskRabbit * Stephanie Newby (Finance) – Founder Golden Seeds, the premiere early-stage investment firm for women-led companies * Patty Baker (Philanthropy) – Philanthropist, Broadway Producer, Founder Baker Scholars, Board Member

Hunter College Hunter College is a public university in New York City, United States. It is one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York and offers studies in more than one hundred undergraduate and postgraduate fields across five schools ...

Foundation (Baker Theater Building), New York Public Theater, Naples Players, Baker Art Museum &

Milwaukee Repertory Theater Milwaukee Repertory Theater ("Milwaukee Rep") is a theater company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Founded as the Fred Miller Theatre Company, the group is housed in the Associated Bank Theater Center, which includes the Quadracci Powerhouse Theater, th ...

. * Norma Kamali (Fashion) – International Fashion Designer, Founder/CEO Normalife, Founder/CEO Wellness CAFÉ & STOP OBJECTIFICATION CAMPAIGN * Francine LeFrak (Accessories) – Founder/Visionary Same Sky, Chair

Harvard Kennedy School The John F. Kennedy School of Government, commonly referred to as Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), is the school of public policy of Harvard University, a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Harvard Kennedy School offers master's de ...

Women's Leadership Board & Founder LeFrak Productions.

2024

Helena Christensen Helena Christensen (born 25 December 1968) is a Danish fashion model. She is a former Victoria's Secret Angel, co-founder and original creative director for ''Nylon'' magazine, and she is a supporter of funding for breast cancer organizations an ...

(Model)—

UNHCR The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is a United Nations agency mandated to aid and Humanitarian protection, protect refugees, Internally displaced person, forcibly displaced communities, and Statelessness, s ...

Global Ambassador, Former

Victoria's Secret Victoria's Secret is an American lingerie, clothing and beauty products, beauty retailer. Founded in 1977 by a Stanford graduate student and his wife, Roy Raymond, Roy and Gaye Raymond, the company's five lingerie stores were sold to Les Wexner i ...

Angel, Co-Founder Nylon Magazine * Marilyn Simons (Philanthropy)—Founder/Board Chair

Simons Foundation The Simons Foundation is an American private foundation established in 1994 by Marilyn and James Harris Simons, Jim Simons with offices in New York City. As one of the largest charitable organizations in the United States with assets of over $5 ...

* Suneera Madhani (Finance)—Founder & CEO Worth AI Founder Stax Payments CEO/Founder CEO School * BINA48 (Science)—Breakthrough Intelligence via Neural Architecture 48* Humanoid AI Robot * Tanis Jorge (Technology)—Co-Founder Trulioo.com & the Cofounders Hub * Tina Nova (Health)—Co-Founder Genoptix Medical Laboratory /Former CEO DecipherBiosciences

International events

Additional events were held internationally, including one at the

University of Luxembourg The University of Luxembourg (French language, French: ''Université du Luxembourg''; German language, German: ''Universität Luxemburg''; Luxembourgish language, Luxembourgish: ''Universitéit Lëtzebuerg'') is a Public university, public researc ...

, which held a conference that featured speeches from women entrepreneurs as well as discussions between local entrepreneurs. The keynote address was provided by Deputy Chief Executive of the

European Investment Fund The European Investment Fund (EIF), established in 1994, is a financial institution for the provision of finance to SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises), headquartered in Luxembourg. It is part of the European Investment Bank Group. It ...

Marjut Santoni. Other events were also held, for example, in

Lagos, Nigeria Lagos ( ; ), or Lagos City, is a large metropolitan city in southwestern Nigeria. With an upper population estimated above 21 million dwellers, it is the largest city in Nigeria, the most populous urban area on the African continent, and on ...

. WED founded and launched the Women Wednesday social media event held on the Wednesday after

Thanksgiving Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in October and November in the United States, Canada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Germany. It is also observed in the Australian territory ...

in 2014, to support women in business and related causes.

Fellowships

In addition to the annual events, WED founded and initiated a Global Ambassador Initiative, in order to develop WED communities on university campuses. It also runs the Women's Entrepreneurship Day Fellows Program, which is chaired by Kunal Sood.

References

{{reflist

External links

Official website
Recurring events established in 2014 November observances Entrepreneurship organizations