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IWF Hong Kong member and 2019 WWMD honoree Katharina Zellweger (in black) poses with female cataract patients in North Korea.

For this edition of In the Lead, we are delighted to feature one of the extraordinary Women Who Make a Difference honorees who will be celebrated at our International Hall of Fame Awards Gala in Toronto on November 15. IWF Hong Kong member Katharina Zellweger manages KorAid Limited, a Hong Kong-based NGO she established in 2015 that serves children in institutions and the disabled in North Korea and China.

“As their fellowship with the International Women’s Forum (IWF) draws to a close, Helena de Oliveira, former Head of Procurement Americas with Bombardier and Ève Laurier, General Manager at Edelman Montreal are confident that they have created a life-long bond with the 34 other female fellows…”

– Forbes, “Building Real Relationships To Empower Female Leaders.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – [September 17, 2019] –The International Women’s Forum (IWF) Leadership Foundation has announced its 2019-2020 Fellows Class, featuring 38 top-performing women leaders from 11 countries.

Each year, the IWF Leadership Foundation selects a group of diverse and accomplished women from a competitive applicant pool to partake in the Fellows Program, a year-long, intensive leadership development experience. For over 25 years, more than 500 women have benefited from this robust and transformative experience.

Photo by Alisha Townsend/Grand Magazine

Earlier this month, we commemorated International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples (August 9), which shines a light on the unique indigenous cultures and languages around the globe. To help celebrate, we are highlighting the work of indigenous activist Melanie Goodchild. Melanie is a Senior Indigenous Research Fellow, Ambassador and Suncor Fellow at the Waterloo Institute for Social Innovation and Resilience, founder of Turtle Island Institute, and an IWF Fellow alumna. She is a member of the Anishinaabe community, and utilizes that background to inform her research around sustainability and systems thinking.

At the IWF World Leadership Conference in Toronto, Melanie will speak on a panel about entrepreneurship, economic development and social innovation. Here, we asked her about using indigenous knowledge to combat climate change, how the IWF Fellows Program influenced her professional journey, and what it takes to join a group called the Iron Butt Association.