Corporate Ambassadors Program

"Jordanian - U.S. Leaders Address Sustainability as a Business Strategy at Second Corporate Ambassadors Program"

On November 8, the Business and Professional Women – Amman (BPWA) held its second Corporate Ambassadors Program (CAP), “Green Businesses: Sustainability as a Business Strategy.” The conference brought together leading experts in the field of sustainability and business growth from the U.S. and Jordan, and included opening remarks from the BPWA President Meisa Batayneh, an accomplished architect, U.S. Ambassador Stephan Beecroft, and Engineer Yarub Qudah, CEO of Jordan Enterprise Development Corporation. Qudah represented the Minister of Industry and Trade, His Excellency Engineer Amer Al Hadidi. Middle East and North Africa Businesswomen’s (MENA BWN) Director at Vital Voices Global Partnership, Mary MacPherson, was also in attendance.

“Green Businesses” brought together an impressive number of BPWA members, local and regional businesswomen and men, ministry and government representatives and civil society leaders. The group continued the dialogue on incorporating sustainable business strategies to encourage business growth and gain a deeper understanding of the various green initiatives currently being undertaken in Jordan. The conference was supported by the MENA BWN, the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI), Vital Voices Global Partnership, Tatweer and Sabeq. Sponsors included Silsal, Union Bank and the A/E Business Council.

The BPWA set out to increase awareness of sustainability and how adopting sustainable practices can promote business growth. To reach this aim, the BPWA engaged three experts from the U.S. along with a diverse number of local experts and professionals. The international speakers included Nell Merlino, CEO and president of Count Me In/Make Mine a Million; Kris Manos, director of KeyCorp and former president of Herman Miller North American Office; and Mira Meghdessian, public affairs manager at The Dow Chemical Company; and Shereen Allam, president of the Egyptian Hub AWTAD, a member of the MENA BWN.

The one-day conference allowed for extensive, and sometimes heated, dialogue between panelists and the audience. The first panel, moderated by Hala Al Ayoubi, former president of the BPWA, focused on general concepts of sustainability as a business strategy and included all three U.S. Corporate Ambassadors. They offered insights into the international perspective of going green, positioning your company vis-à-vis the media and community stakeholders, and highlighted green business with revenues of at least $1 million created by women entrepreneurs. The Jordanian counterparts shared the activities and opportunities available in the energy, water and environment sectors, including the movement to incorporate more solar power usage within the Kingdom.

The second panel, called “Green Initiatives and Policies in Jordan,” was moderated by Suzanne Afaneh, a member of the BPWA and director of communication and CSR at Zain Telecommunication. The Minister of the Environment, H.E. Khalid Irani, and the Secretary General of the Ministry of Public Works and Housing, H.E. Mr. Sami Halaseh spoke of the policies and initiatives in place to enhance and support the environment in Jordan, while Ms. Meisa Batayneh, Mr. Malek Kabariti, Ms. Ruba Al Zu’bi and Dr. Odeh Al Jahhousi spoke of different projects being developed in Jordan, including the Green Building Initiatives and the development zones in Jordan.

The third panel was a practical session that allowed each speaker to share tips for incorporating sustainable practices into their business. The moderator, Nesreen Barakat, a BPWA member, was able to draw the panelists into a dialogue that highlighted techniques for positioning and marketing a business for growth, and included two case studies. The first case study came from Shereen Allam, co-president of AWTAD, the Egyptian MENA BWN Hub. She is also founder and president of Ecotek, a printer cartridges recycling company. Participants were able to hear what motivated Shereen to start a recycling company. The second case study was presented by Jordanian Henna Khalili, who brought sustainable housing to Jordan through eco-shelters.

The event concluded with an overview of Nell Merlino’s Count Me In/Make Mine a Million program. This overview generated a great deal of excitement and was the jumping-off point for a training on November 9 held at the offices of the BPWA. The session brought together over 20 women entrepreneurs on ways to grow their businesses and increase their revenues. For those who were more experienced in business, this was a great opportunity to share their know-how and expertise with young emerging entrepreneurs.