WTC Miami Hosts International Women's Day Luncheon

MIAMI (March 8) – U.S. policymakers should encourage small and mid-size businesses to take advantage of abundant opportunities in the global market rather than put up barriers to trade, according to Laura Lane, president, Global Public Affairs, UPS. 

"We need to make global trade more inclusive," said Lane in her keynote talk at the World Trade Center Miami's 15th annual International Women's Day Conference and Luncheon on March 8 at the Miami Airport Convention Center. "Since 95 percent of the world's consumers live outside our borders, we should educate and empower rural, minority- and women-owned businesses, rather than closing off markets."

Speaking to more than 500 attendees at the luncheon, Lane outlined UPS's "100,000 Women's Trade Initiative with SMEs Around the Globe." She noted that only one in five exporting companies worldwide is women-owned. "Advancing women's equality could add trillions of dollars to global GDP," she said.

Charlotte Gallogly, president of the World Trade Center Miami, welcomed attendees and noted the growth of International Women's Day celebrations around the world, and the progress of women in South Florida. "Fifteen years ago, you didn't see many women in the trade and logistics workforce," she said. "Today, we have hundreds of women here to celebrate our success."

After Lane's talk, Gallogly and leaders in Miami-Dade's international business community presented awards to the WTCM’s five 2018 International Women's Day honorees:

• Dina Amato, center director, Miami Field Office, U.S. Customs & Border Protection
• Sandra Bridgeman, CFO, Miami-Dade Aviation Department
• Donna Hrinak, president, Boeing Latin America
• Michelle Porter, senior port operations manager, Maersk Line 
• Alexandra Villoch, president and publisher, Miami Herald Media Company

Prior to the luncheon, the WTCM hosted a workshop on "How to Identify and Deal with Sexual Harassment in the Workforce."

Romaine Seguin, president, UPS Americas, and immediate past chair, WTCM, moderated the session, whose panelists were Chamley Conway, VP Human Resources, UPS International – Americas Region; Wendy Kallergis, president, Greater Miami & Beaches Hotel Association; and Michael Farrell, district director, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Miami District.

Since 1975, the annual International Women’s Day celebration by the United Nations serves to focus attention on the issues facing women around the world, and highlights their achievements. In 2004, the WTCM began to sponsor this annual event in order to recognize Florida women who have inspired others to make major accomplishments in international business. For more information, call 305-871-7910 or visit www.worldtrade.org.