By Gibron Rahim

AWARDS are not merely symbolic tokens. They may tell of the journey a person or a group of people undertook to accomplish amazing feats and change lives. Moreover, others can be encouraged to follow in the footsteps of those individuals who have the honour of receiving awards. It is in this same vein that the annual ‘25 Influential Women Leaders’ Awards (IWLA) will be held on May 16, 2019.

The first award of its kind in Guyana, IWLA is being organised by The Nico Consulting, Inc. (TNC) and Cerulean Incorporated and will recognise the successes of national, regional and city women leaders. The Pepperpot Magazine spoke to one of the award’s founders Mrs. Lyndell Danzie-Black, Managing Director of Cerulean Inc., to gain some insights on the event. She noted that herself and founder and CEO of The Nico Consulting, Inc. Ms. Michelle Nicholas are the co-creators of the IWLA.

Danzie-Black related that Nicholas, who currently resides in the United States, is a native of Linden. She explained that she and Nicholas had a discussion some years ago about the work of women in Guyana. They observed that there were many women accomplishing great things in the country. “But we always seem to showcase the ones who are in Georgetown,” she said. “And so, it was very clear to us that there is a need for a platform that recognises the work of women.”

The decision to collaborate was aided by the fact that Nicholas was awarded at the 21st Annual “40 Under Forty” Achievement Awards in 2018. Danzie-Black explained that Nicholas was able to bring the knowledge she gained from being part of that award and harness it in creating IWLA. “She had the technical knowledge on how these awards work and me having very intricate information on what’s going on in Guyana with women in various parts of the country.”

The 25 Influential Women Leaders’ Awards has a unique nomination process. “We decided that we wanted to be part of a very transparent and accountable process,” Danzie-Black related. They began by first informing the general public about the award and inviting the public to nominate women within their communities who they felt needed to be recognised through an award. Nominations were thus not limited to women from the corporate environment. The general public was given around six to seven weeks to make their nominations.

Danzie-Black revealed that 44 total nominations were received at the end of that process. “Once we received those 44, we pulled together a panel of judges that emanated from Guyana as well as internationally,” she explained. One of the judges, a former lecturer at the University of Guyana, lives in Norway. This panel of judges deliberated and eventually decided on which of the 44 would be the final 25 awardees.

The 25 IWLA awardees span a wide cross-section of Guyanese society. Danzie-Black expressed excitement and anticipation at the fact that the awardees come from varying backgrounds. She noted that the 25 awardees have already been announced on the IWLA Facebook page. “The 25 women already know themselves because we want them to get ready, we want them to celebrate,” she said. “We also want them to tell their families and friends to come to celebrate with them.” The awardees include women who are miners, activists and, in general, leaders in their own rights.

The awardees are a reflection of the changing roles of women, not just in Guyana, but globally. “One of the things we see very evidently is that women are now embracing men in partnership for development,” Danzie-Black observed. She noted that both she and Nicholas believe that men and women should be working together for development. “In Guyana there is no exception,” she said. “We notice as well that women now are taking up key roles, they are taking up key developmental roles but not just within the grouping of women.”

While there is still a long way to go in terms of men and women being seen as equal, she opined that there is an appreciation of women. “Although we still fight with the issues of abuse, etc. we think that women are moving and having a voice, their voices are now being heard in a way that it probably was not in the past.”

Awards such as IWLA are important, according to Danzie-Black. She pointed out that we are often so focused on our goals that our busy lives do not permit us to take stock of those persons who impact our lives. “Whether it be man, woman or child, you can see a woman somehow in the shadow pushing that person ahead,” Danzie-Black affirmed. “There’s not one of our leaders who cannot say that they are where they are because of a woman in some form or fashion.” She remarked that the award will now shed light on those contributions that have been made for years but have gone unnoticed. “It also helps develop the confidence of women.”

The prestige attached to the award is secondary to its true purpose. Danzie-Black explained that the purpose was for it to take on a life of its own. To illustrate, she related that there was an outpouring of responses to the story of one of the awardees, a young miner and entrepreneur, on Facebook. “Women are really embracing it as something for them and that is where my gratification and that of Michelle lies, in that this is for women but other women are so excited,” she related. “It’s taken on its own persona, for want of a better word.”

The attendees at the 25 Influential Women Leaders Awards can expect an exciting evening of celebration of women. Danzie-Black noted that the ambience will not only push the confidence level of the 25 awardees but will also boost the confidence of the other women in the audience. “As well as the men because we are also inviting men,” she said. She emphasised that men are not excluded and are encouraged to attend and be part of the event as well.