Farah Mohamed: Changing the Way Presidents & Prime Ministers Think
Founder & CEO, G(irls)20
Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/pub/farah-mohamed/a/b26/313
Twitter: @FarahMohamed007
Bio:
A social entrepreneur, Farah created G(irls)20 which galvanizes the world’s greatest resource – girls and women – and cultivates a new generation of female leaders through entrepreneurship and education.
Innovating in Field of Work:
Five years ago, Farah set out to change the way Presidents & Prime Ministers from more than 20 key countries think by creating the G(irls)20. Since then, she has curated 4 Summits in different parts of the world (Toronto, Paris, Mexico City and Moscow, the 5th one takes place this coming August from the Sydney Opera House), connected more than 100 girls in 20+ countries and launched a global mentorship program which guides them to starting their own entrepreneurial initiatives, challenge norms in their own countries and find their passions – academically and professionally.
Impact:
By working with the private sector (Google, Caterpillar, Norton Rose Fulbright, Jones New York, etc), social profit enterprises (NoVo Foundation, Nike Foundation, etc.) and host governments (Canada, France, Mexico and Russia) she convenes one girl from each G20 country and a representative from the African and European Unions, Afghanistan, Pakistan and the MENA region and provide these future leaders with a global platform to challenge conventional thinking and make tangible recommendations for the G20 Leaders to consider as they set the economic policy for the globe.
Role Model:
Farah does not believe that talk is enough so as part of the G(irls)20 experience she encourages delegates to return home and put the ideas they have generated for G20 leaders into action. In less than 3 years more than 36 delegate led initiatives have been launched and maintained by G(irls)20 Ambassadors (former delegates) resulting in the empowerment of hundreds of girls around the world. Farah is a serial connector who believes that one of her greatest weapons of empowerment is her address book and she uses it to connect others so they can maximize their own potential.
Reinvention / Momentum:
In the last 20 years, Farah has moved from being a political strategist, to government spokesperson to brand maker and manager to part time columnist and now to full time social entrepreneur. For her volunteer efforts, she was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. In June, Farah will launch a global campaign to mark Father’s Day that celebrates how fathers empower their daughters and to show we can engage men in the empowerment of women. In the next year, Farah plans to launch a new global initiative to combat youth unemployment.
“The combination of Farah’s curiosity and drive has taken her up Mount Kilimanjaro,
put her in the middle of elections in Egypt and Jordan and had her take on corruption in Russia.”