Empowering Women in Business & Beyond

Our Senior Associate Ioanna Samara at the Women in Business and Beyond Conference on Saturday 13 July 2024 – Carob Mill Restaurants Ltd.

See below what Ioanna Samara has to say about her experience:

I really enjoyed attending the all-day Women in Business and Beyond Conference” Business and Cultural event in Limassol, on the 13th of July, organised by Unity Growth.

It was a truly remarkable and educational experience. The aim of the event was to provide networking opportunities and empower businesswomen through enriching discussions and interactive workshops.

Keynotes I would like to share based on what I have learned from this event:

1. Women aiming to launch a start-up business should utilise appropriate tools and strategies. There are women who possess valuable, specialised knowledge and can help other women achieve their goals by sharing that knowledge.
2. Many powerful women managed to overcome obstacles and break barriers, paving the way for the rest of us and driving change in the business world. It is truly an inspirational experience to hear such personal stories first hand, and that was the part I enjoyed the most.
3. A very important issue working women have to deal with is how to successfully balance our professional and personal lives. It is hardly surprising, then, that there was a panel dedicated to this issue, with the title «Work-life harmony in the new work era for women». In this panel, four women shared their personal approaches on how to achieve this balance between their professional and private lives. One of the panellists, Dr Maria Solomou, who is also a good friend of mine, reminded us that it is very important to spend time with our loved ones because this human connection helps us achieve inner harmony on a professional level as well.

Personal thoughts after the event:

1. As I was driving home after this beautiful event, I was thinking about how lucky I was that my husband was with my eight-year-old son, giving me the opportunity to attend this joyful all – day event, expand my horizons and grow as a person.
2. At that night, I did what I always do almost every night for years. I may not insist that my son brushes his teeth every night, but I will share a good story from a children’s book with him before he goes to bed!
3. There is no doubt that our professional and personal lives are intertwined because WE TRULY ONLY HAVE ONE LIFE. It is very important for working women to spend a few hours exclusively for ourselves but most importantly, to remember to spend quality time with our children.For me, this means sharing with my child the experience of reading a good children’s story.