March 9, 2022 – Women’s Day Lunch in partnership with the French Chamber of Commerce

The 14th edition of our annual Women’s Day Lunch took place on Wednesday 9th Mach 2022, at Sofitel Legend the Grand Amsterdam.

For this special occasion, we welcomed more than 80 guests who were able to discuss, debate and exchange about women’s empowerment and equity in business.

In the sumptuous hotel that is the Sofitel Legend The Grand Amsterdam, this Lunch was the perfect opportunity for our guests to gather and network, while honoring this peculiar and far-reaching day.

We would like to warmly thank Emmy Stoel and the Grand for welcoming us again this year. We especially want to greet her professional and dedicated team that made this Lunch exceptional. Mrs. Stoel reminded us of the chance we had to be gathered in this historical and artistic place for celebrating such an unique occasion that is the International Women’s Day.

This year, we were honored to have Reina Flor Okori Makendegue as Keynote Speaker: a 4 times Olympian with over 20 years on the track representing France and Equatorial Guinea. Reina-Flor granted us a speech about her personal and professional life.

Starting competition at the age of 13 years, Reina-Flor’s life is not only a story of talent and dreams but also of hard work, passion and resilience. Reina-Flor’s words were earnestly touching and inspiring and truly embodied female leadership. She also gave us her personal vision of what sport is : fairness.

‘How do you go from being an outsider to becoming a leader ? 
First you have to be the best in your country. If you want to become an Olympian, you need to be the first, the best in what you do. Not second, not third as there can always be a discussion but first. Because, when you are the best, there is no discussion : that’s the rule! And I really love that in sport: you are the first, you participate’.