Women from the international education industry were recognised this month in Berlin for making an impact in business at the first ever Women in International Education awards.
Among the winners were The PIE’s Amy Baker for Business owner/MD of the year and co-founder of German language school did deutsch-institut, Madeleine Semidei-Koetter, honoured for her Lifetime achievement.
Men were also honoured with an accolade for being “champions of change” or an “enlightened employer” at the event organised by Lead5050, the women’s leadership movement founded in Europe by two Britons and a Spaniard.
Maria Castro, Germany-based MD of Linguland, is one of the three founders who set up Lead5050 in January 2017.
“The feedback for our inaugural edition of the WIE Awards was amazing,” she told The PIE News.
“It was great to see so many inspiring peers celebrating women´s achievements in our industry and the effort of men and women working together towards gender equality,’ she said.
“Our aim for next year is to get more people from across all sectors of the industry involved with nominations and also more diversity in terms of backgrounds and nationality.”
Isabel Vogt, VP of Events & Logistics at ICEF was among the winners, receiving a joint-award with Jenny Nieveen who founded Open Hearts Language Academy in Florida, USA for Inspirational Women of the year.
“Our aim for next year is to get more people from across all sectors of the industry involved”
Vogt pointed out that while the attendance at ICEF’s Berlin workshop, where the event was staged, was exactly 50% men/women, those considered to be in top management positions were 57% male and 43% female.
“Over the years I have met many fantastic and inspirational women who work in this industry who have been my role models,” said Vogt. “For the first time Lead5050 will give women their own voice in the industry and this is so important.”
“It has been a great honour for me to win this award. I obviously love what I do and it is therefore wonderful to be acknowledged and recognised through the Lead5050 awards – especially as much of our work is happening ‘behind the scenes’.”
Another winner was Hannah Alexander Wright, who scooped the Best new business award (sponsored by The PIE) for the consultancy she started this year.
“For me, this award is proof to myself that I did the right thing by going out on my own,” she related.
“No one ever said that I shouldn’t do it, but I had real doubts: will people in this industry want to pay me to work with them, on my terms? I am so glad that they do!”
The full list of 2017 WIE Award winners:
- Best new business
Hannah Alexander-Wright - Champion of change
Andrew Nye, Cambridge Assessment English - Charitable Endeavour
ILSC - Enlightened Employer
ILAC - Inspirational woman
Isabel Vogt, ICEF
Jenny Nieveen, OHLA - Lifetime Achievement
Madeleine Semidei-Koetter, did deutsch-institut, Germany - Mentor
Jon Kolber, ILAC, Canada - Rising star
Gabriela Rana, World Study, Brazil - Teacher/Academic Director
Melanie Johnson, EC - Business owner/MD of the year
Amy Baker, The PIE
Lead5050 is the third women’s leadership network to have been created in the last two years. In the US, the Global Leadership League was formed in 2016 and won the PIEoneer of the Year award. In Canada, GLOW-Ed is planning an event at the upcoming CBIE Conference.
Full WIE awards shortlist here and more photos here.
