Women entrepreneurs based in Lahore attended a corporate supply chain orientation hosted by Packages Limited in cooperation with the US-Pakistan Women’s Council (USPWC) this month.
This was the first of a series of events planned under a USPWC supply chain diversity initiative that aimed to help women-owned businesses’ access to sustainable markets by linking them with corporate procurement representatives, said a press release issued on Tuesday.
Women entrepreneurs attending the event included those who received training at the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) through the US embassy-supported Pakistan Women Entrepreneur Programme (PWEP) managed in partnership with American University, as well as women from the World Bank’s entrepreneurship training programme conducted in partnership with Enclude at Government College University.
USPWC member companies PepsiCo and Procter & Gamble joined locally-based companies Bulleshah Paper Mills, Dinnipon Inks and Packages Limited in presenting on how women entrepreneurs may enter corporate supply chains. For example, while women-owned businesses in fields such as promotion and advertising already do supply large corporations; women-run businesses of all sizes can provide printing services, janitorial services, canteen and food services, day care services, or innovative corporate gifts and stationery.
Procter &Gamble and PepsiCo briefed the women entrepreneurs on their procurement processes, and discuss adoptions such as seeking in-store and shop branding from women-managed advertising agencies. They also offered to help interested female suppliers to connect with relevant procurement teams in their companies.
