JW Marriott Hotels & Resorts Debuts Program To Drive Women’s Leadership & Economic Empowerment

"The JW Voices for Women program will provide unique opportunities for women entrepreneurs and business leaders in countries like Mexico – where the full participation of women in the workforce is crucial to achieving sustainable economic growth," said Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, in a letter shared at the kick-off event.

In 2014, JW Marriott and Vital Voices developed the program while collaborating on the launch of the new Vital Voices Mexico City chapter and a local mentoring program. "JW Voices for Women" leaders have been appointed in Mexico City and Dubai with additional markets to follow in 2015.

Piloted at the JW Marriott Mexico City, "JW Voices for Women" provides valuable career development and networking opportunities for women around the world. The partnership with Vital Voices is also helping to meet hotel revenue and supplier diversity goals and grow the hotel's reputation within its local market. With 69 hotels around the world, the JW Marriott brand is committed to sourcing supplies and services from women-owned businesses.

"Marriott's co-founders were J.W. and Alice Marriott, a husband-wife team who ran a root beer stand in Washington DC in 1927. Alice was our first chef and accountant so women have always been at the heart of our business," said Mitzi Gaskins, Vice President & Global Brand Manager for JW Marriott Hotels & Resorts. "As a global hospitality brand, we are welcoming to all people, and a culture of diversity and inclusion is in our DNA."

Eugenia Podesta, Director, Latin America & the Caribbean, Vital VoicesCreated as a forum to educate and empower women, Tuesday's event featured networking activities for more than 100 women who attended. There were two panel discussions about the economic and career challenges women still face in Mexico, the importance of investing in the power of women to drive change, and the powerful results of mentoring and its impact. Panel discussions were moderated by Kathleen Matthews, Chief Global Communications and Public Affairs Officer, Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR), and Alyse Nelson, Vital Voices President & CEO. Speakers and panelists included:

• Lucy Lara Editor-in-Chief, Glamour Mexico & Latin America
• Mitzi Gaskins, Vice President & Global Brand Manager, JW Marriott Hotels & Resorts
• Lucy Lara, Editor-in-Chief, Glamour Mexico & Latin America
• Cintia Angulo, President and Director, Alstom Mexico
• Eugenia Podesta, Director, Latin America & the Caribbean, Vital Voices
• Luz Maria de la Mora, Founder, LMMConsulting & Vital Voices Mexico
• Belén Alonso, Director of Sales, JW Marriott Hotel Mexico City & VV GROW Mentor
• Marisa Porrúa, General Director Arte Irrepetible & VV GROW Mentee
• Sylvia Sánchez Alcántara, Founder, Retos Feminios & Tu Reto Emprendedor

"We are delighted to deepen our partnership with JW Marriott Hotels through the new JW Voices for Women program," said Alyse Nelson, President and CEO of Vital Voices Global Partnership. "We believe that it's critical that companies and their leaders follow JW Marriott's example in using the power of mentoring to support the career development of women entrepreneurs in Mexico and elsewhere around the globe. Harnessing the passion and excellence of JW Marriott's female leaders will undoubtedly deepen the success of the women entrepreneurs in our global network."

The JW Marriott partnership with Vital Voices is part of a larger commitment to action announced by Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at the 2013 Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting where more than 25 organizations came together to track and measure at least US$1.5 billion in money spent with women-owned businesses based outside the U.S. over the next five years and to bolster the supplier readiness of 15,000 women entrepreneurs around the world. In 2014, Marriott International provided tremendous support towards this effort, identifying and spending nearly $3 million with WBEs outside of the U.S., while the JW Marriott Hotels & Resorts brand collectively spent well over $30 million with diverse-owned businesses.

About Vital Voices Global Partnership
Vital Voices Global Partnership identifies, invests in and brings visibility to women around the world by unleashing their leadership potential to transform lives and accelerate peace and prosperity in their communities. The Vital Voices Global Leadership Network includes more than 14,000 leaders representing 144 countries who have trained and mentored 500,000 additional women and girls in their communities. Based on its experience with women business owners around the world, Vital Voices has launched the VV GROW Fellowship Program, a one-year program to support growth-oriented women business owners to take their businesses and leadership to the next level. This signature program is tailored to support women-owned enterprises in Latin America and the Caribbean, the Middle East and North Africa, and Sub-Saharan Africa with a unique blend of online learning, in-person training, and individualized support services. www.vitalvoices.org