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JAM | Feb 3, 2025

Scotiabank Women Initiative celebrates three years with forum on ‘The State of the Jamaican Woman’

ABIGAIL BARRETT

ABIGAIL BARRETT / Our Today

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Flyer for  ‘The State of the Jamaican Woman’. (Photo: contributed)

Scotiabank will host a public forum to discuss ‘The State of the Jamaican Woman’ on Wednesday, February 4, to celebrate year three of the Scotiabank Women Initiative (SWI). 

So far, over JM$3 billion has been injected via a Special Loan Fund into women-led, women-owned businesses involved in diverse industries including technology, retail, tourism, manufacturing and education.

SWI is a comprehensive programme that supports women-owned and women-led businesses through three pillars: Access to Capital, Education and Advisory Services. These programme pillars address myriad obstacles women face on their path to growing and scaling their businesses.

The public forum aims to bring women leaders, programme beneficiaries, industry experts and other stakeholders together for an evening of inspiration, learning, and collaboration. The event will feature an impressive lineup of influential women leaders:

  • Jackie Stewart Lechler- Managing Director, Stewarts Automotive Group
  • Patricia Francis, CD – Chairperson, Trade Facilitation Task Force, Government of Jamaica
  • Rev. Dr. Marjorie Lewis – Chaplain, Acadia University
  • Audrey Tugwell Henry – President and CEO Scotia Group Jamaica
  • Claire Bernard – Deputy Director General, Planning Institute of Jamaica
  • Dr Jacquiline Bisasor-McKenzie, CD – Chief Medical Officer, Ministry of Health and Wellness
  • Patricia Francis, CD – Chairperson, Trade Facilitation Task Force, Government of Jamaica
  • Javilla Hoo – President Jamaica Psychology Association
  • Deesha Delatie-Budaire – Deputy Director General, Statistical Institute of Jamaica.

Since its inception, the Scotiabank Women Initiative has played a key role in reshaping the entrepreneurial landscape for women. By unlocking access to funding and providing tailored support, the programme has enabled women to scale their businesses, create jobs, and contribute to the economy in significant ways. 

“To mark the end of the first three-year cycle, we pause to reflect on where we are collectively as Jamaican women. This forum is a multidimensional reflection facilitated by the perspectives of experts in their respective fields. Our hope is that this forum will leave listeners informed and inspired. We are proud of the contribution that the SWI has made to women-owned and women-led businesses. Since 2022, training and workshops have been made available to over 500 women,” 

Nadine Heywood, SWI Programme Lead and Vice President of credit Solutions with Scotiabank.

As Scotiabank reflects on its achievements through the SWI, the forum will serve to excite business operators to take the necessary steps to get their businesses to the next level. 

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