Cherie Blair Foundation partners with Salesforce on Women’s Entrepreneurship Day

Salesforce Women’s Network and the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women have committed to an exciting new partnership this Women’s Entrepreneurship Day (19th November), coming together to deliver the Foundation’s flagship, cross-border Mentoring Women in Business Programme.

Recognising the importance of centring women’s economic empowerment, at a particularly challenging time for female entrepreneurs all over the world, Salesforce will deliver professional mentoring through the Foundation to female entrepreneurs in low and middle income countries, supporting global business resilience and growth in the wake of COVID-19.

Eight business leaders from Salesforce Women’s Network have committed to the programme as mentors from November 2020, who will help to develop and grow women entrepreneurs over a 12 month period. Each mentor will be matched with a woman mentee at a crucial stage in her business, in a year-long relationship of professional support and development, conducted through the Foundation’s newly-redeveloped online Mentoring platform.

A recent survey conducted in light of COVID-19 by the Foundation on the women in its programmes showed clear findings that women entrepreneurs need mentors more than ever. The pandemic also stands to create more female entrepreneurs, pushed into starting their own businesses out of necessity due to a global economic crisis that puts women’s jobs at more likely to be at risk. This partnership responds to the immediate action required to ensure that women-owned SMEs in low and middle income countries survive and continue to grow through this period.

Helen McEachern, CEO of the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women, commented: “Salesforce is helping us to lead the global response to COVID-19 by providing these mentoring places through their workforce into our virtual mentoring programme. Through working with the Foundation, Salesforce will be helping women all over the world to get their businesses through this crisis, keep industries on their feet, and collectively forge a brighter future.”

Sara Earnshaw, President of Salesforce Women’s Network, UK, added, “We feel fortunate in being able to volunteer with high-impact, inspiring programmes such as the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women’s Mentoring Programme. Salesforce Women’s Network believes in women’s economic power and the power to change society. I’m proud of the talented people in our business, and know we are all delighted to help our mentees grow their businesses, and in turn, their communities.”

“With only 18% of all COVID-19 fiscal stimulus focused on supporting women and an estimated 500 million women at risk of losing jobs due to the pandemic according to the World Economic Forum, it is an imperative that business continues its support of closing the gender parity gap,” commented Charlotte Kirby, Vice President of Global Strategic Relations at Salesforce. “At Salesforce, we believe that mentorship is a key factor in enabling women to access future opportunities and so are proud to be supporting the Foundation and building a brighter future for women globally.”