FemForward
Advancement of women whilst building bridges.
Female leadership in a shared society is the future of the MENA region. It is this future that we are creating.
Due to the war, there is an even greater need now than ever for FemForward. We offer a platform that promotes shared society through providing women the support that they need professionally and personally during extremely difficult times.
About FemForward
Communities in the region often coexist with limited positive interaction, leading to social fragmentation, missed opportunities for collaboration, and reinforced stereotypes. We believe that women are the driving force in building bridges and a resilient shared society, which is critical to the future of the MENA region. Female leaders demonstrate the highest levels of transformational leadership styles such as taking initiative, driving for results, building relationships, collaboration, teamwork and connecting their groups to the outside world (Harvard Business Review); all crucial components in the development of shared society and peacebuilding. However, there exists a notable underrepresentation of female leadership in the MENA region, mirroring a broader global trend. Only 13% of all elected leaders of multilateral organizations have been women since 1945 (GWL Voices).
FemForward seeks to address these gaps by nurturing the next generation of female leaders in the MENA region, fostering unity and inclusion. Our programs—FemForward Leaders, FemForward MENA, and FemForward YoungLeaders—connect women across communities, advancing leadership and professional development as a bridge-building strategy both locally and internationally.
These initiatives equip participants with essential tools, networks, and mentorship. Graduates join an alumni network for ongoing support through networking events and peer assistance. Now more than ever, it is crucial to provide a safe space for women to grow together and receive the support they need.
FemForward Leaders
FemForward Leaders is a 3 ½ month program designed to build a diverse community of 25-30 professional women in Israel that advance together from junior positions into senior leadership, with a particular focus on the primary economic field of tech. The FemForward Leaders program, with a proven track record, provides the tools, network and tailored mentorship to enable participants to progress in their careers as they face obstacles on the path up to senior leadership and specifically as they attempt to take on their first managerial position. This career challenge is known as the “broken rung” - The phenomenon that the biggest obstacle women face on the path to senior leadership is at the first step up to manager. Due to the the gender disparity in early promotions, men end up holding 60 percent of manager-level positions in a typical company, while women occupy 40 percent. Since men significantly outnumber women, there are fewer women to promote to senior managers, and the number of women decreases at every subsequent level (McKinsey & Company, 2023).
The program consists of weekly workshops hosted by the biggest names in tech (Microsoft, Google, Taboola, etc;) led by female executives covering leadership development, career advancement and management skills. FemForward Leaders are expected to further grow the community by mentoring the future cohorts of junior participants in FemForward YoungLeaders.
Currently, the content of the program will be specifically tailored to help the participants both professionally and personally during the extremely challenging time of war. The next cohort will begin in Fall 2024.
Leading Partners: JFNA, Boustan Foundation, Cross River, America Hub Israel
Contact: Rachel Wagner Rosenzweig
Website: https://www.femforward.org/