The London Enterprise Office

19th November 2008

Bola Olabisi, CEO and Founder, Global Women Inventors and Innovators Network working in partnership with London Metropolitan University; will join IBM and more than 75 countries around the world in launching the first ever Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW), November 17-23, 2008.  The brainchild of the Kauffman Foundation, Global Entrepreneurship Week is an international initiative designed to inspire, inform, mentor, connect and engage entrepreneurs and to encourage them to “unleash” their ideas and solutions on a global, connected marketplace.

Business owners, organizations, associations, academic institutions, corporations and government officials from Argentina to Zimbabwe are involved in planning thousands of speed networking events, innovation challenges, entrepreneurship film festivals, networking events, school-based activities, and local entrepreneurship summits.

Bola Olabisi will be a featured speaker for “Women Entrepreneurs Leading Innovation Globally,” a live webcast that IBM will host in support of GEW on November 19^th.  Moderated by Marilyn D. Johnson, Vice President, IBM Market Development, the presentation will include an international panel of women business leaders who will share insights, experiences, and best practices with women entrepreneurs around the world. “If there was ever a time for entrepreneurs to be inspired, it’s now,” Johnson explains. “So many of the barriers to global competition have been lifted and there is a worldwide hunger for innovation.”

The Global Women Inventors and Innovators Network (GWIIN) was founded by Olabisi in 1998 to increase the number of innovative women embracing enterprise. GWIIN works with governmental departments, leading industry experts, organizations, enterprises and educational departments to identify effective means of providing the support, assistance, tools, advice and information that can assist women in achieving significant growth in their businesses. Bola Olabisi has more than 18 years experience in community development, regeneration and the legal field, including several years working for the capacity building of local residents within diverse communities and specializing in the areas of youths and women. In addition, she is a trainer, and international motivational speaker and writer who shares her ideas, experiences and insights with people around the world. Bola Olabisi received her Majesty the Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh's invitation to Buckingham Palace to mark her contribution as a Pioneer to the Life of the Nation.

Other panelists on the webcasts will include: Chin-Ning Chu, bestselling author, The Art of War for Women and President, Asian Market Consultants, Inc.; Maria Contreras-Sweet, Chairwoman of the Board, PROMERICA Bank; Marsha Firestone, President & Founder, Women Presidents’ Organization; Sharon Hadary, Executive Director, Center for Women’s Business Research; Virginia P’an, Managing Partner & CEO, China Pacific Partners LLC & TransCapital Group LLC; Hiroko Tatebe, Founder and Executive Director, Global Organization for Leadership and Diversity, and Elizabeth Thornton, Chief Diversity Officer, Entrepreneurship Faculty, Babson College.

As a global sponsor of GEW, IBM is encouraging its 300,000 employees in 160 countries to take part in the initiative by hosting their own GEW activities or participating in scheduled events. In addition to the webcasts, the company has activities planned in Asia, Australia, Europe, Latin America, Canada and the United States.

For more information on hosting an event or supporting Global Entrepreneurship Week, visit www.unleashingideas.org