Latest news with #womeninbusiness

A Special Mother's Day Interview on How Women Can Build Wealth

Associated Press

3 days ago

Business
Associated Press

A Special Mother's Day Interview on How Women Can Build Wealth

Can Women Really Have It All? Liz Faircloth Says Yes BOCA RATON, FL, UNITED STATES, May 28, 2025 / / -- the largest distressed property listing provider on the web, is sponsoring a series of video interviews with local area real estate experts across the country to discuss their housing markets and where opportunities lie in the foreclosure, pre-foreclosure, short sales, tax liens, bankruptcy homes and, other distressed asset types. Tim Jones, National Sales Manager for conducts in-depth conversations aimed at educating home buyers, investors, and resale specialists about market conditions in their specific areas. Tim speaks with Liz Faircloth, co-founder of to explore one of the most pressing questions for women today: Can you build financial freedom without sacrificing family life? This video is called 'How Women Can Build Wealth' and can be viewed on the website. The link to watch the video is here: By targeting distressed deals such as bank-owned homes and government foreclosures, pre foreclosure listings, and foreclosure auctions, offers information that can lead to significant savings. It provides the best real estate deals for savvy home buyers, often before they hit the market. And updates its nationwide database of foreclosure listings twice a day with information obtained directly from hundreds of corporate sellers and government agencies. While on the website, visitors can also subscribe to their helpful email alerts. Home buyers looking for unique opportunities in their local residential real estate market can benefit from a helpful series of videos available athttps:// and podcasts athttps:// PR Admin Blusea Holdings LLC +1 800-535-6945 email us here Visit us on social media: LinkedIn Instagram Facebook YouTube X Legal Disclaimer: EIN Presswire provides this news content 'as is' without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.

National Post

3 days ago

Automotive
National Post

Gatik's Brenda Mejia Honored Among 100 Leading Women in the North American Auto Industry

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — Gatik, the market leader in autonomous middle-mile logistics is proud to announce that the company's Head of Operations, Brenda Mejia, has been named among 100 Leading Women in the North American Auto Industry by Automotive News. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS Enjoy the latest local, national and international news. Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events. Unlimited online access to National Post. National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE ARTICLES Enjoy the latest local, national and international news. Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events. Unlimited online access to National Post. National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors This prestigious list of honorees was first initiated by Automotive News in 2000 and is only assembled every 5 years, recognizing the remarkable achievements of women reshaping the future of mobility and transportation. Honorees are chosen for their bold vision, problem-solving skills and ability to bring about lasting change in the sector. The list is composed of CEOs, Engineers, Managers and Founders — all strategic thinkers of the highest calibre who are reshaping the automotive industry during a period of radical transformation. Those included were chosen following a months-long nomination and judging process that attracted hundreds of entries from the United States, Canada and Mexico. 'Leading the Operations Team at Gatik is a tremendous privilege, and I'm extremely proud of our accomplishments since joining Gatik over eight years ago in 2017,' said Brenda Mejia, Gatik's Head of Operations. 'Being named by Automotive News among the 100 Leading Women in the North American Auto Industry is not only an incredible honor, but serves as validation for the industry-defining work we're undertaking at Gatik to establish a safer, more efficient and more sustainable supply chain for our customers.' A graduate of both Cornell College and San Francisco State University, Mejia is responsible for overseeing Gatik's entire operations landscape, from market expansion and customer satisfaction to operational efficiency and employee engagement. She is responsible for managing a diverse team of over 100 employees across North America, which includes overseeing the company's central Operations Team, as well as the daily tasks of Autonomous Vehicle Operators and Dispatchers, Remote Supervisors and Regional Managers. As Gatik's first-ever employee, Brenda has been integral to building the company from the ground up, and has played a foundational role in seeing Gatik become the first and only autonomous trucking company worldwide to operate driverless, middle-mile commercial deliveries in 2021, which was achieved with Walmart in Arkansas. Today, Gatik operates a fleet of over 100 autonomous trucks, proudly demonstrating an outstanding safety record and operational reliability for North America's largest grocers, retailers and eCommerce companies. 'Over the last 25 years, on six lists of Leading Women, Automotive News has honored 442 executives,' said Mary Beth Vander Schaaf, Automotive News senior director of editorial operations. 'Our selection committee made many difficult decisions – it gets tougher every time. The talented, powerful executives on this list are at the forefront of thousands of successful women in the auto industry.' Gatik AI Inc., the leader in autonomous middle-mile logistics, is revolutionizing B2B supply chains by enabling safe, consistent, high-frequency freight movement. Gatik's AI-Driven Autonomy is transforming short-haul logistics for Fortune 500 retailers, and in 2021 the company launched the world's first driverless commercial transportation service with Walmart. Gatik's medium-duty autonomous trucks are commercially deployed in multiple markets including Texas, Arkansas, Arizona, and Ontario. Gatik partners with industry leaders including Isuzu Motors, NVIDIA, Cummins, Ryder, and Goodyear. Founded in 2017 by veterans of the autonomous technology industry, the company has offices in Mountain View, Dallas-Fort Worth, Phoenix, Bentonville and Toronto. This press release contains forward-looking statements, including but not limited to, statements regarding future business strategies, plans, objectives, and anticipated performance. These forward-looking statements are based on the current expectations and beliefs of Gatik and are subject to various risks, uncertainties, and assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements. Factors that could impact these forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, changes in market conditions, economic factors, competitive dynamics, regulatory developments, and unforeseen operational challenges. Gatik undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by law. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this release.

Making capital work for African women: Closing the gender financing gap alongside the African Development Bank Group

Zawya

4 days ago

Business
Zawya

Making capital work for African women: Closing the gender financing gap alongside the African Development Bank Group

Busisiwe Mdletshe no longer sees herself as a small business owner. She is a capable, strategic chief executive. But she didn't always feel this way. Mdletshe currently spearheads an elite team of chartered accountants, tax experts, financial advisers, and business strategists as part of the financial services provider she founded and continues to scale: NetVest. But to create such a stable, thriving business, and to have the confidence to recognise her status as an executive, entrepreneur, and leader in South African finance, she acknowledges the need for continued investment – and not just financially. Naturally, the support of a targeted loan and a flexible overdraft facility has played a crucial role in supporting the business' working capital needs, ensuring operational stability during critical times. But more importantly, this financing gave her the freedom to pursue critical skills development training offered alongside the economic support. Graduating from the Fetola's Emerging Entrepreneurs Mentorship Programme and the International Executive Leadership Programme at the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management has equipped her with executive level skills that are redefining her business operations. Now the business is seeking larger clients, more complex projects, and becoming more competitive in an already competitive industry. Ultimately, Mdletshe's success story is a part of a global movement to close the gender financing gap. In 2023, the World Economic Forum (WEF) estimated that the global financing disparity for women-run small and medium enterprises (SMEs) was $1.7 trillion, despite the fact that at the time, an estimated 32% of all SMEs are run by women. Since 2006, WEF has released its Global Gender Gap Index, examining the current state of gender parity across 146 countries – with one of the key metrics being Economic Participation and Opportunity. As we await the 2025 edition, we rely on last year's finding, with WEF analysts noting the original gap (in terms of economic opportunity) has closed by 60.5% globally. Meanwhile, we have seen a closure of 68.1% in sub-Saharan Africa in the same category. While this is an impressive step forward, the statistics show this is only a 0.4% increase over the previous year in the surveyed African regions, which is why it's essential that financial institutions and governments continue to find new ways to bring capital to women-run businesses and keep up the momentum. But why is investing in women and their businesses so important? It's been repeatedly proven (and most recently reiterated by European Investment Bank) that closing the gender financing gap ultimately benefits everyone: triggering greater, more inclusive economic growth, more stable communities, and better governance. Each year, the African Development Bank (AfDB) annual meeting attracts fellow Development Finance Institutions (DFIs), central banks, private banks, academics, heads of state, and others in the finance sector to discuss ways to grow African economies and transform lives. This year, the theme is Making Africa's Capital Work Better for Africa's Development, with the goal to identify ways to enhance all forms of capital, human, natural, financial, and commercial. This well-rounded understanding of capital is essential to Absa's strategy in bolstering African SMEs. As we've learned from our client – like Busisiwe Mdletshe – it is essential that economic capital isn't the only priority. To enable SMEs, the businesses that are crucial to developing Africa's economic and social prowess, you need an equal focus on human capital – from skills development of the entrepreneur to offering advisory capabilities to maximise their business' returns. It is this holistic approach that brought us together in a landmark partnership with the AfDB, executing a transformative multibillion-rand financial package aimed at increasing funding for underserved segments across the continent – with a clear focus on the development of women lives and livelihoods. The first aspect of this package is a sustainability-linked Tier 2 loan to the value of R1.7 billion, complemented by a non-financial support package of R18 million specifically for capacity building and technical assistance for youth and women-run enterprises. With an initial aim to reach 6000 businesses in the next few years, we are well on our way to exceeding this number based on our current projections. Similarly, the AfDB partnership also saw the launch of a subscription of R1 billion into Absa's inaugural social (Tier 2) bond issuance, with proceeds earmarked for providing affordable housing loans to female homeowners. The initiative has shown strong early success, as our team has achieved 59% of the R2 billion affordable housing for women target, with 66.4% of our affordable housing loans issued in 2025 to date benefiting women. We hope that such a landmark project exemplifies how DFIs like the African Development Bank Group and private financial institutions can work together to bring about a shared goal. DFIs must reach the widest number of people, and private banks have the infrastructure, monitoring capabilities, and on-the-ground expertise to ensure the right individuals and businesses benefit. Our Kenya team is also working with another Pan-African DFI, the African Guarantee Fund, and financing platform Melanin Kapital, to provide hundreds of SMEs in the country with sustainability training, capacity building, mentor matchmaking, and networking activities alongside financing opportunities. This is all in a bid to prepare them to access further credit while growing their businesses sustainable. Such collaborations are at the core of our new pledge: Absa's Regional Operations plan to secure finance of $10 billion – approximately R180 billion – for women enterprises by 2035. But we're far from the only institution making strides to support African SMEs, such as the recently announced multinational partnership between Equity Group Holdings and the African Guarantee Fund. This $500 million framework aims to accelerate SME funding across East and Central Africa, with a focus on women and youth-led businesses. Meanwhile, the Bank of Industry in Nigeria and the AfDB announced late last year, a new $50 million financing agreement for women-led enterprises that offers financial and business advisory assistance. If projects like these can inspire other private institutions to join the cause, together we can close the financing gap. And if we can help enable more leaders like Busisiwe Mdletshe, everybody wins.

BGF pledges to invest £3bn in growth companies

Times

5 days ago

Business
Times

BGF pledges to invest £3bn in growth companies

Britain's most active equity investor has committed itself to investing more than £3 billion in growth companies over the next five years. BGF, a bank-owned investor in private businesses, said the pledge represented an increase in the amount of capital it invested over the previous five years of £700 million. The organisation, formerly known as the Business Growth Fund, said at least £300 million would go to businesses led by women. It is also understood to be in talks with the pension industry over how it could help to deploy capital that could arise from the so-called Mansion House reforms, which are intended to encourage more pension fund money into UK companies. The fund, which has 370 active businesses in its portfolio, was set up to expand the number and type of British companies taking on equity capital. It only acquires minority stakes of up to 40 per cent and, unlike traditional private equity, does not use debt to drive returns.

Holly Shae Design: Sunshine In Every Stitch

Fox News