A MODERN PROJECT BECOMES TRADITION IN ST PETERSBURG

St Petersburg’s International Economic Forum is an internationally renowned yearly event which is considered to be the Russian equivalent of Switzerland’s World Economic Forum. However, the city also hosts the annual Woman of the Year week, a unique platform for businesswomen aimed at promoting female entrepreneurship on an international level.

The Woman of the Year week, sponsored by St Petersburg’s municipal government and executive committees, addresses important challenges modern women face worldwide. The conference focuses on issues such as gender equality policies in the labour market, developing women’s movements, the inclusion of women in political and social life and promoting women in business. Woman of the Year week also serves as a vehicle for drawing potential investors’ attention to innovative projects developed both in and around St. Petersburg. Governor Matviyenko herself initially came up with the idea for the event and it was approved at a meeting with leaders of women’s social organizations in March, 2006. The concept was then developed to become an international women’s forum dedicated to addressing women’s issues in business. The “Novaya visota” Foundation, which sponsors social and cultural initiatives as well as developing social and charitable projects in Russia, takes the leading role in organising the forum every year. Project Manager Irina Smolina describes how Woman of the Year week has rapidly attracted interest on a global scale, “Representatives from over 30 foreign countries participate in the event, which includes Russian business women as well as members of both FCEM (World Association of Women Entrepreneurs) and Norden (The Official Association for Cooperation in Nordic Countries, www.norden.org).” The third annual forum was held in March, 2010 and the programme featured a wide variety of activities. These included the “Woman of the New Century” International Conference on Women's Entrepreneurship as well as an exhibition on women’s success in managing businesses, cultural and charitable projects, to name but a few. St Petersburg’s Woman of the Year week also rewards female contestants in two categories – “Woman of the Year” (out of 12 nominees) and “Business Woman” (out of 5 nominees). Contest winners are determined by an online voting system at www.woman1.ru and the site also posts election results.At the 2010 Woman of the Year week’s opening ceremony, Governor Matviyenko affirmed that, “Today’s women are becoming increasingly active in politics and business; they hold executive positions in powerful organisations and manage companies. The St Petersburg event’s participants clearly demonstrate that women often prove to be more successful, more goal-oriented, more determined and more responsible than men. Conferences, round table discussions and charity functions are part of the week’s activities, but the key event is the award ceremony for Business Woman and Woman of the Year. These awards are given to truly worthy and outstanding women who lead active lifestyles.” As Woman of the Year week is backed both by St Petersburg’s municipal authorities and the federal government, it has encouraged many Russian cities to hold similar forums. These events aim to consolidate efforts made by companies and organisations under diverse forms of ownership to improve women’s position in all spheres of life and acknowledge women’s outstanding achievements in a variety of fields. Woman of the Year week is now part of the St Petersburg government’s official yearly events calendar and the next one will be held in early March, 2011.