Global Team

Elizabeth A. Vazquez  evazquez@weconnectinternational.org

President, CEO and Co-Founder, WEConnect International, Washington, D.C., USA

Elizabeth is a serial social entrepreneur and world leader in global supplier diversity and inclusion. As the CEO of WEConnect International, she is responsible for the development of the global strategy and network. She sits on several non-profit Boards of Directors and has been a speaker and trainer in numerous countries on business and economic development. She is also the CEO and Co-Founder of TradeBuilders, which conducted the world's first "Virtual Trade Missions" starting in 1999 to connect businesses over the Internet. Elizabeth was born in Mexico and has a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School at Tufts University, where she studied development economics and international negotiation as a Woodrow Wilson Fellow.

Mary Anderson  manderson@weconnectcanada.org

Executive Director, WEConnect Canada, Toronto, Canada

Mary is the Executive Director of WEConnect Canada. She has long been engaged in international trade and was the first woman president to be appointed in the 75-year history of the Canadian Association Importers and Exporters, a position she held from 2005 to 2009. Before taking on the position of Executive Director for WEConnect Canada, Mary was President of the Brazil Canada Chamber of Commerce. She was the CEO of Trade Partners, a women-owned business that she began in 2002. Mary served as the chair of the board of the Forum for International Trade Training (FITT) where she encouraged young women to enter the field of international business. She was Co-President for the Toronto Chapter of the Organization of Women in International Trade (OWIT), where she contributed to raising the profile of the organization with the trade community in Ontario and internationally. When Mary was the President of the Brazil Canada Chamber, she served as a mentor to young Brazilian professionals. She finds nothing more rewarding than hearing from those she mentored and how so little has meant so much to them.

Shirley Cooper  sc@weconnectinternational.org

Executive Director for Europe, WEConnect International, London, England

Shirley is the Executive Director for WEConnect Europe. Shirley is a successful director with extensive financial, commercial and procurement experience gained in a variety of organisations in both the private and public sector; including Computacenter, Yorkshire Water, Leeds Hospitals and Allied Domecq.

In 2005 Shirley joined the board and council for the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS) and was appointed Chairman in 2008 and President in 2010, only the third female to hold this office since CIPS was formed 80 years ago. Shirley is co-founder and President of Blueprint Club, with 250 members, supporting women in procurement.

In addition to her financial and business qualifications, she is a Freeman of the City of London and the Worshipful Company of Information Technologists and ForumUK. Shirley maintains a diverse range of interests that include human rights, cycling, and opera. Plus being a qualified masseuse and reiki master.

Liz Cullen  lcullen@weconnectinternational.org 

Director of Compliance and Education, WEConnect International, Washington, D.C., USA

Liz is the Director of Compliance and Education for WEConnect International. She maintains global certification standards and conducts training and outreach for WEConnect. Prior to joining WEConnect International, Liz worked for nine years at the Women Presidents' Educational Organization, most recently as the Executive Director of the Washington DC region, where she directed the certification operations for women business owners according to the standards set forth by the Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC). Along with the certification services, WPEO also provides education and training, networking programs, and additional opportunities for women business owners and major corporations to build business relationships. Liz's educational background is in gender issues and economic development. She received her bachelor's degree from Dartmouth College and her master's in international affairs from Columbia' School of International and Public Affairs. Liz was born in Washington, DC and roots for all the DC sports teams, including DC United! She also enjoys that her workday does not involve a commute –both of which make her an atypical DC resident.

Sucharita Eashwar  sucharita@weconnectinternational.org

Executive Director for India, WEConnect International, Bangalore, India

Sucharita is the Executive Director for WEConnect in India. Prior to joining WEConnect, Sucharita was responsible for two special initiatives as a Senior Director for NASSCOM: The Diversity and Inclusion initiative, and the Mentor Program for small and medium enterprises. She has a wealth of experience in not-for-profit organizations, establishing Madhyam and VOICES and functioning as Founder & Director until 1999. Her work was instrumental in the introduction of FM community radio in India. Sucharita started her career with global ad agency Ogilvy & Mather. Her training and experience in Communication and Policy Advocacy has enabled her to create focused strategies to reach agreed objectives, connecting and enrolling key stakeholders as major contributors to their success. Sucharita is continuing her efforts to support corporations align their corporate goals with the Triple Bottomline of Profit-People-Planet, thus creating sustainable and responsible businesses. Sucharita is based in Bangalore, India, and loves to travel and experience different cultures.

Sophie Guerin SGUERIN@WECONNECTINTERNATIONAL.ORG

Deputy Director for Greater China, WEConnect International, Beijing, China

Sophie Guerin is the Deputy Director of WEConnect International, China. She works closely with Su Cheng Harris-Simpson to develop initiatives and programming that supports the continued growth of women owned businesses in China. She has a Masters in Public Affairs from SciencesPo, the leading school of political science in France. Her studies focused on the development of special economic zones in Asia, which involved on-site inspections of factories throughout Laos & Cambodia. Sophie is also the founder of Women in International Public Affairs an organization that supports the inclusion of women in public policy.

Rebecca Hamilton  RH@weconnectinternational.org

Director of IT and Systems, WEConnect International, Washington, D.C., USA

Rebecca is the Director of IT and Systems for WEConnect International. She determines the right set of technology investments to meet long-term strategic business objectives. She guides the development and management of IT, including the sourcing and alliances necessary to deliver services globally and support our mission to empower women business owners to succeed in global markets. Rebecca is also responsible for social media across all markets, enabling and expanding our reach through a diverse and growing global network. Rebecca previously worked as an executive in Systems Integration and Technology consulting at Accenture, managing large-scale projects within the financial services industry. Through a common goal to improve women's access to networks and markets globally, and a common thread through Accenture as a founding member of WEConnect, Rebecca is applying her many years of IT management expertise to support the strategic growth of WEConnect.

Su Cheng Harris Simpson  suchenghs@weconnectinternational.org 

Executive Director for Greater China, WEConnect International, Beijing, China

Su Cheng is the Executive Director for WEConnnect in Greater China. Su Cheng works actively to build partnerships and expand opportunities for women owned businesses in China. A large part of this effort is accomplished through outreach initiatives in collaboration with local Chambers of Commerce. Su Cheng has been working in Beijing in the areas of event planning, project management, and fundraising since 1997. As an active member of Beijing's business community and charity organizations, Su Cheng has built up a strong professional and personal network within China. Su Cheng has a degree in International Business from the University of Washington, and an MBA from Seattle Pacific University. Su Cheng is an active golfer & tennis aficionado. She is Co-Chair of AmCham China golf committee and is always looking for the chance to improve her game.

Sue Lawton  sl@weconnectinternational.org 

Director for Global Education and Innovation, WEConnect International, London, England

Formerly the Executive Director for Europe and part of the WEConnect International team since its inception, creating the first UK pilot, building the Canada program and expanding WEConnect throughout Europe, Sue is now the Director for Education and Innovation. Sue has broad business experience in both public and private sector organizations, across gender and enterprise development and has worked extensively in the area of not-for-profit business development and microfinance. She has worked within the UK, the USA and Central America. Sue has an MA Human Resource Management, an MA Social Enterprise Management and is a Chartered Member of the Institute of People Management. She is also a Visiting Fellow at the Small Business Research Centre at Kingston University. Despite truly appreciating good food, wine and 5 star hotels, Sue is often to be found back packing around the world without a hairdryer.

Arathi Laxman  alaxman@weconnectinternational.org

Project Manager for India, WEConnect International, Bangalore, India

Arathi is responsible for managing special projects for WEConnectInternational in India. She is currently spearheading a WEConnectInternational pilot with the Self Employed Women's Association (SEWA), the World Bank, the International Trade Centre, and Accenture to helplink the recycled paper office products produced SEWA members to corporate value chains. Arathi is a management consultant with over19 years of experience with both large and start up companies in the US, the UK and India. She has lead major projects at Siebel Systems, CrossWorlds Software, Kana Software and Sybase. Arathi holds a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science from Richmond University. Arathi balances out her work in the corporate world with a farm she owns in Coimbatore, India. She says that being in the midst of nature is a beautiful experience, and is always grateful for what it teaches her.

Claudia Leno  cleno@weconnectinternational.org 

Executive Director for Peru, WEConnect International, Lima, Peru

Claudia is WEConnect's lead representative in Peru. She aims to facilitate linkages and networks for Peruvian women entrepreneurs in order to create opportunities for them to improve and grow their businesses. In addition to her work at WEConnect, Claudia is a provider of marketing services for small businesses and is the WPO Chapter Chair for the Lima Peru Chapter. In years prior, Claudia has worked for large corporations like HP and Belcorp and has a strong professional background in business administration and marketing. She holds a degree in Business Administration with a marketing specialization from the Universidad de Lima. After a busy day at work Claudia says there is nothing more rewarding than spending time with her three children. It is not only a good excuse to have a fun moment, but also the best way to remember what hard work really is!

Virginia Littlejohn  vlittlejohn@quantumleaps.org

Global Advisor, WEConnect International, Washington, D.C., USA

Virginia is the Global Advisor for WEConnect International, which she helped incubate as CEO and Co-Founder of Quantum Leaps. Quantum Leaps works on strategic initiatives to fuel the growth of women's entrepreneurship, including development of global "Roadmaps to 2020." Virginia was President of the National Association of Women Business Owners in the U.S., an architect of the Women's Business Ownership Act signed into U.S. law in 1988, and Vice President of the World Association of Women Entrepreneurs. She was the OECD's Senior Advisor for Women's Entrepreneurship for 10 years, and is currently Lead Consultant for the UN International Trade Centre's 10-year "Platform for Action on Sourcing from Women Vendors." Virginia has won numerous awards for her women entrepreneurial advocacy. She has lived, traveled and/or worked in 80 countries; worked in Czechoslovakia during the Prague Spring; organized entrepreneurial training in the Soviet Union in 1990; and was married in Kathmandu, Nepal.

Alexis Oganesoff  aoganesoff@weconnectinternational.org

Communications and events manager, WEConnect International, Washington, D.C., USA

Alexis is the Manager of Communications and Events for WEConnect International. She manages a variety of projects including communications, public relations, and administrative activities. With a background in communications, Alexis has had several years of experience creating and managing events and communications in industries like entertainment, sports marketing and not for profit. As a recent graduate from The Pennsylvania State University, Alexis hopes to fulfill her passion for making a difference in the world by excelling in her endeavors with WEConnect International for years to come. Alexis is also an avid scuba diver and has completed over 60 dives in places around the world including Australia, Thailand, and the British West Indies.

Michael Tobolski  mtobolski@weconnectinternational.org

Director of Corporate Relations, WEConnect International, Washington, D.C., USA

Michael 's focus is Business Development, Corporate Relations, and the support of Strategic Planning, Finance and Operations. Most recently, Michael was the Chief Operating Officer for Electro-Media Design, an Audio-Visual and Acoustics firm. His prior experience included Marriott International as Sr. Director of Supplier Diversity. Other positions with Marriott included Hotel Controller, Director of Purchasing and Food & Beverage Director. Michael also worked at Walt Disney World as a Food & Beverage Manager and co-founded and operated a three restaurant company in Northern Virginia. He has served as Chair of the Maryland/DC Minority Supplier Development Council, Chair of the National Minority Supplier Development Council's Hospitality Industry Group and was an active member of the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Procurement Committee. Michael used to play bass guitar, enjoys adventure and has as one his life goals to sail around the world before he is too old to try.

Betty Wood  bwood@weconnectcanada.org

Lead Strategist for Women Business Enterprises, WEConnect Canada, Toronto, Canada

As Lead Strategist for Women Business Enterprises, Betty is WEConnect Canada's primary contact for women business owners, and brings a wealth of knowledge to the team as an experienced commercial banker, trainer and award-winning global expert in the women's market. She is the founder of W Consulting Group, and has consulted extensively for the International Finance Corporation (IFC) Gender Entrepreneurship Market (GEM) and the World Bank Group based in Washington, D.C. Much of her work has entailed advisory services and training for commercial banks in developing countries. Well known in the women's market both nationally and globally, Betty is a founder and Treasurer for the Global Banking Alliance for Women (www.gbaforwomen.org). As former National Director of Women Entrepreneurs Market for RBC Royal Bank, her strategic skills led market share growth and customer satisfaction improvement to new heights. Betty shares her expertise widely by speaking at domestic and international forums. Betty enjoys a fast paced environment and traveling the globe. This has included parts of Africa where she once fit in an amazing safari between her consulting work assignments. The place she enjoys most is her cottage on the lake surrounded by trees and lots of visiting family.