Geneva, Wednesday 17 February 2021: Today we announce the five recipients of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) 2020 Leading Women Awards. The Awards are designed to recognize outstanding female leaders and to showcase their work in sustainability towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
In past years, the Awards have been limited to nominations from WBCSD member companies. However, in recognition of the special circumstances of 2020, we have opened a special category to businesses worldwide, to recognize women who have demonstrated exemplary leadership during the COVID-19 crisis.
The Leading Women Awards of 2020 have been proudly sponsored by GRIFFITH FOODS.
The recipients of the 2020 Awards are as follows:
EXCELLENCE: a female leader for her sustained and outstanding contribution to advancing sustainability within a WBCSD member company.
- Henri Moore, Vice President/Head of Global Responsibility, Corteva
Exemplary leadership during the COVID-19 crisis: Recognizing women from businesses all over the world who are leading with passion and impact during the COVID-19 crisis
- Racey Muchilwa, Head of Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), Novartis
- Emily Ma, Head Food for Good, Google
- Pallavi Wad, Head - Product Supply Organisation (India and SAARC), Godrej Consumer Products Limited
- Amaya Sarasa, Supply Chain Senior Director Iberia SMO, Procter & Gamble
Each recipient receives a bursary for the 2021 LEAP program covering all of their tuition expenses.
LEAP is an executive program for women that strives to build the diverse and inclusive leadership that is needed to sustainably transform the systems that underpin our world. It aims to help women reach senior positions in their companies and ensure that sustainability is embedded in their leadership and included in their company strategy.
WBCSD’s work on advancing SDG 5 and driving transformation started in November 2016 with the launch of the Leading Women Awards (LWA). The objective was to contribute to achieving gender equality, empowering all women and increasing the presence of women in leadership positions. In 2020, WBCSD members have supported the addition of five new membership criteria, including one where members will have to declare support for inclusion, equality, diversity and the elimination of all forms of discrimination.
According to the Better Business, Better World report launched by the Business & Sustainable Development Commission in January 2017, achieving gender parity and other human capital gains would unlock between USD$12 and USD$28 trillion by 2030.
Quotes from the 2020 Leading Women Award recipients
Henri Moore, Vice President/Head of Global Responsibility, Corteva
“This award represents the work, commitment and passion of Corteva colleagues across the world who worked tirelessly to create a sustainability strategy that’s embedded in every part of our business. This was teamwork at its best, and I was honored to lead the effort.”
Racey Muchilwa, Head of Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), Novartis
“I am truly honored to be one of the recipients of this award. Ultimately, the pandemic resulted in one of the most difficult and challenging years of my career and called for a different kind of leadership: one that is highly agile and inspires hope in the organization. Our culture of Curious, Inspired and Unbossed underpinned by Integrity, was well exemplified by all of our employees during the pandemic and I am profoundly grateful to lead such an incredible and inspiring team.”
Emily Ma, Head Food for Good, Google
“Women at all levels in all sorts of organizations - for-profit and non-profit, private and public - who can bring deep empathy and radical inclusion to their work are absolutely necessary in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals. I'm honored to represent a community of individual Googlers who are committed to solving food waste (SDG12) and food insecurity (SDG2) challenges.”
Pallavi Wad, Head - Product Supply Organization (India and SAARC), Godrej Consumer Products Limited
“The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in lots of challenges being thrown up for the world and of course, the Supply chain. The results that we got would not have been possible without the Godrej Consumer Products culture of agility and ‘can do’ spirit of our people and partners. I am extremely thankful to WBSCD for receiving this award on behalf of GCPL and my team that worked imaginatively and tirelessly during this time. My sincere gratitude to Griffith Foods for supporting this program and the learning opportunity through the LEAP program that it brings with it.”
Amaya Sarasa, Supply Chain Senior Director Iberia SMO, Procter & Gamble
“In a moment when we all have been exposed to an unprecedented crisis, affecting what is most important to us, I am extremely proud to receive this award on behalf of the P&G family, who have given their best to protect our people and to serve consumers. This recognition is not only for our P&G colleagues working every day to deliver products to our customers, but to everyone across the entire Supply Chain. They are our unsung heroes on the frontline of the COVID-19 crisis.”
