When Women Lead
What is The Global Links Initiative?
The Global Links Initiative is a public private partnership founded in 2011 by Crummer Graduate School of Business at Rollins College and the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Global Women’s Issues with corporate sponsorship. In 2020, the Rick and Susan Goings Foundation became the primary sponsor for the Global Links Initiative.
Purpose
Program Purpose
- Empower women through education & entrepreneurship
- Support a promising and dedicated female professor interested in developing female entrepreneurship
- Inspire a new generation of entrepreneurs in Latin America through a train-the-trainer model that reaches hundreds of university students
- Expand pedagogical and research proficiencies through mentoring provided by a leading academic institution in the United States
- Bring to life Crummer’s mission of developing global business leaders
Elements of The Global Links Initiative
Program Impact, Women in Business
To date, The Global Links Initiative has sponsored six scholars: one from Iraq, two from India, and three from Brazil. Each TGLI cycle starts with one scholar, but ends with over 2,000 individuals impacted, which illustrates the ripple effect of social change that the program inspires.
Across the globe, women’s economic contribution to societies is increasing rapidly. There is growing awareness that women’s potential as employees, entrepreneurs and consumers is good for business. According to the World Economic Forum (2021), women’s labor participation rate is an important channel for economic empowerment of women and for building diverse, inclusive, and innovative organizations. The World Economic Forum Global Gender Report (2022) shows an alarmingly low gender parity in the global labor participation rates of 62.9%, the lowest level since the data was first recorded in 2006. In rapidly developing economies like India and Brazil, the potential contribution to the economy is marked. Women save at higher rates and their success has a multiplying effect in their communities.
Meet The Global Links Initiative Scholars
Dr. Paola Mazzilli
Paola Mazzilli has been teaching Consumer Behavior and Bioethics to undergraduate students, among other courses, at ESPM for the last 10 years. At the same institution, together with other colleagues, she is responsible for the Consumer Insights Lab, in addition to being a member of the Human Rights Committee.
As a consultant, she has extensive professional experience in helping schools to adopt flexible curricula, developing projects for top national and international K-12 schools on Creativity, Marketing and Social Entrepreneurship.
Paola holds a PhD in Clinical Psychology, a PhD in Communication and Semiotics, both at the Pontifical Catholic University – PUC (São Paulo, Brazil), a master’s degree in communication and Consumer Studies at ESPM (São Paulo, Brazil), and two bachelor’s degrees, one in Marketing and Publicity at ESPM (São Paulo, Brazil) and another in Pedagogy at the University of São Paulo – USP (São Paulo, Brazil).
Marielza Cavallari
Marielza Cavallari holds a master’s and bachelor’s degrees in business administration from EAESP/FGV (São Paulo, Brazil).
She has extensive professional experience in Marketing in local and multinational consumer goods companies, such as Pirelli Tires and Kellogg Company in which she held several executive positions, from coordinator to international regional director, having worked in the markets of Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Venezuela, and Italy.
She currently teaches Marketing and Strategy at ESPM (São Paulo, Brazil) for undergraduate courses and teaches Integrated Marketing Communication to Executive Programs at Insper (São Paulo, Brazil). Moreover, she also coordinates a junior consultancy office in business internationalization at ESPM.
Dr. Denise Delboni
Dr. Denise Poiani Delboni has been selected as the 2019 Global Links Initiative Scholar! Dr. Delboni is a Professor of Labor Law, Compliance, and Labor and Employment Relations at Fundação Getúlio Vargas (FGV) and Escola Superior de Propaganda e Marketing (ESPM), in Brazil. Dr. Delboni also works as Coordinator of the Personnel Management and Labor Compliance Program at FGV Law School. She was a Coordinator and Professor at the 10,000 Women Program, in partnership with the Goldman Sachs Foundation, to qualify entrepreneurial women in Brazil.
Additional work experience includes corporate positions at Johnson & Johnson, Suzano Paper and Cellulose, and academic assignments in the USA, England, China, Israel, India and Chile. Dr. Delboni has a PhD and Master degree along with degrees in Law and Business Administration. She is the author of several published articles in national and international congresses, Labor Relations and Collective Bargaining in Brazil and in the European Union and Corporate Business Law.
Dr. Delboni’s accomplishments:
- Outreach to more than 700 individuals across Phases I and II
- Conducted 6 seminars at 5 universities introducing 500 students to social entrepreneurship and Global Links
- Trained 35 students as Global Links Volunteers
- Mentored 35 female entrepreneurs
Dr. Rumpa Chakraborty
2017 Global Links Initiative Scholar
Assistant Professor at the Shri Shikshayatan College in Kolkata, India
NGO Partners: Argho, Institute of Social Work (ISW), and Enterprise Development Institute (EDI)
Scholar Accomplishments:
- Attended Ashoka U and Sullivan Retreat conferences
- Partnered with 3 different NGOs to provide business mentorship to 30 female entrepreneurs
- Events attended by key representatives from U.S. Consulate General, including U.S. Consul General, Mr. Craig Hall
Dr. Sharmistha Banerjee
2015-2017 Global Links Initiative Scholar
Professor of Business Management at the University of Calcutta, India
Activity Partner: Bandhan Bank
Accomplishments:
- Fulbright scholar
- Spoke at Ashoka U Exchange about the importance of entrepreneurship in emerging economies
- Attended United Nations Women’s Empowerment Principles annual event
Dr. Amel Abed Mohammed-Ali
2012- 2014 Global Links Initiative Scholar
Head of Industrial Management Department Babylon University, Iraq
College of Administration & Economics
Activity Partner: Women for Women International
Accomplishments:
- Worked with 25 Iraqi students who mentored 75 women at Women for Women International centers in Baghdad and Karbala
- Met with policy makers such as U.S. Ambassadors Melanne Verveer and CatherineRussell
- Attended Clinton Global Initiative
- Attended Tupperware Jubilee
- Published articles in Huff Post and Stanford Social Innovation Review
- Developed career center upon returning to Babylon University