ISLAMABAD, Dec 14 (APP): U.S. Embassy in Pakistan, Chargé d’ Affaires, Andrew Schofer on Thursday said the U.S. Mission Pakistan and the U.S.-Pakistan Women’s Council (USPWC) are tremendously proud to celebrate S&P Global’s milestone achievement in reaching 20,000 women as mentees, under the USPWC’s Million Women Mentors (MWM) Initiative.
Addressing as chief guest at the S&P Global 20K Women Mentorship Milestone Event, he said, “Just one year ago, Ambassador Blome celebrated S&P’s goal of 10,000 women mentees. These are remarkable efforts, and I applaud Mr. Zahur and his team’s impressive and energetic work, which reflects the best of U.S. corporate and social values in action.”
The Million Women Mentors is an initiative of the U.S.-Pakistan Women’s Council, led by member company Pod and STEMConnector. By 2025, it aims to provide one million Pakistani women and girls with the contacts, networks, and skills
critical to succeed in the workforce or as entrepreneurs, he added.
Mr Schofer mentioned that with women accounting for only 14.4% of total business owners in Pakistan, and more than twice the number of women out of the labor force than men, the Mission knew that women were the true key to unlocking economic growth.
The U.S.-Pakistan Women’s Council, a public-private partnership between the U.S. Department of State and Texas A&M University, catalyzes commitments from the private sector, civil society, and government leaders in both countries to advance women’s education, entrepreneurship, and employment.
“Mentoring is a powerful way to encourage and equip women and girls to pursue their career goals in all sectors. We are incredibly excited that S&P Global joined with us in this initiative and has been a trailblazer in reaching their mentoring commitments.
Mentorship nurtures our next generation of professionals in the workplace and can enable women to rise to positions of leadership,” he added.
On the occasion, Managing Director, S&P Global Pakistan, Mujeeb Zahur said, “This landmark achievement highlights our commitment to progress and equality, embodied in the Million Women Mentors (MWM) initiative. MWM not only opens doors for women in STEM but also fosters business and digital marketing skills, bridging the global skills gap and promoting an inclusive economy.”
The S&P Global Pakistan, steadfast in its mission, continues to uplift communities and empower women, whereas this success reiterates its dedication to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), he added.
“To honor their commitment, S&P Global Pakistan, teamed up with the Society for International Education (SIE), The Indus Entrepreneurs (TIE), She Means Work (SMW), National Incubation Center (NIC), Epiphany, CaterpillHers, and xCircle Women.
Under the MWM program over 250 sessions were conducted, engaging 150+ S&P Global mentors who dedicated more than 1170 volunteer hours. Covering a diverse range of STEM-related topics, the program mentors provided critical support to women entrepreneurs and professionals. The mentorship covered areas such as STEM Awareness, Upscaling
Business using Technology, Growth Mindset, Confidence and Imposter Syndrome, Freelancing, Digital. Marketing, Building Resumes, and Linkedln profiles. The commitment to mentor 20,000 women, and girls over three years has reached fruition. The MWM initiative has been lauded for the impact it has had and won the Vanguard Award in 2020 while earning an Honourable Mention in 2021.
At the token of appreciations and awards were distributed among the mentees and mentors. However, awards were given to top mentors with highest number of sessions delivered including Sadan Durrani, Usman Saleem, Samia Abbasi, Amjad and Fahad.