Jennifer Bessell, Chief Executive Officer with NLOWE, reflects on the organization's last 25 years of operations and what the future brings.
COVID-19—we are all sick of talking about it. And yet it continues to impact every aspect of our lives, both professionally and personally. Trying to determine what we can and should do, as well as when it is appropriate to act, has taken a great deal of real estate in our minds. It is exhausting and most of us are over it. To cope, I focus on what is to come. Better days are coming and I, for one, plan to be ready to celebrate with a whole heart.
We made the difficult decision to host our annual conference virtually again this year. It was a tough call. On the one hand, by April the landscape could be vastly different, with people feeling comfortable and safe to congregate in large numbers. On the other hand, we could be locked down again. I want to take this opportunity to thank the NLOWE membership for responding to our survey regarding the conference and sharing your opinion. Not having to make this decision in isolation was incredibly helpful.
We hope in the fall that we will be in a better place and able to host a one-day symposium. First, this will provide the much-needed networking opportunities we are all so hungry for. Second, it will allow for the synergies that only occur when people are in a room together, learning and sharing experiences with one another.
NLOWE is celebrating 25 years of loving the work we do, celebrating the businesswomen of Newfoundland and Labrador, and welcoming all the new opportunities to come. Even as we pause to look back, our momentum is clearly focused on the future!
This is how we know, with certainty, that better days are ahead. As we look back to all that we
have accomplished together, we are awed by all the successes a collective of smart, savvy women can accomplish. So when things open, again—look out! First, we will pause and celebrate. But then, we will once again take the world by storm because in Newfoundland and Labrador, Women Mean Business!
NLOWE’s 25th anniversary is happening in 2022:
299 months of helping women start, grow, and advance in business
1,303 weeks of providing one-on-one advisory services for women with a passion to succeed in business
9,125 days of encouraging networking and fostering connections among women in business, new and experienced alike
219,000 hours of listening to savvy businesswomen, determining how we can support you, then working hard to provide what you need
13,140,000 minutes of celebrating your wins with you, helping you scale any hurdles in your path, and sharing your enthusiasm for the next challenge on the horizon
Jennifer Bessell is the Chief Executive Officer at NLOWE. Jennifer is also the current Vice-Chair of the Women’s Enterprise Organizations of Canada (WEOC), a volunteer with Junior Achievement of NL, a board member with Women in Science and Engineering Newfoundland and Labrador (WISE-NL), and a member of the Women Presidents Organization (WPO). Jennifer is passionate about lifelong learning and helping others achieve success in their professional endeavours. She considers coaching and mentoring a responsibility of leadership. Jennifer is driven to help women and youth realize their potential and be successful in their journey as entrepreneurs.