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Women in Business club: empowerment of women

Anabela Morey, Leader of IE University’s Women in Business Club, tells us about her journey to success.

The Women in Business Club at IE University is now one of the biggest clubs on campus. It aims to promote, inform and support women with their professional career aspirations, providing them with the skills and resources they need to navigate male-dominated industries and reduce gender inequality in business.

Anabela Morey, a third-year Communication and Digital Media student, started her journey as a Communications Coordinator for the Women in Business Club. She then worked her way up to become the leader of the undergraduate chapter in Madrid. Additionally, Anabela has been a photographer and video editor for the IE University Student Government Communication Committee, a mentor at the IE University Mentorship Society, and a member of the women’s outdoor football team in Segovia.

While talking with Anabela, we got to learn more about her passion for gender equality and the empowerment of women. Here’s what she had to say.

Why did you decide to join the Women in Business Club?

Ever since a young age, when I lived in various Latin American countries, I came to the realization that males dominated several aspects of society and women suffered from several disadvantages.

The first time I experienced this was when I was living in Brazil and I wanted to play football, but I couldn’t find a team for girls. As I became older, this gender inequality appeared again and again, and I decided I wanted to do something about it.

At IE University, I soon became aware of the Women in Business Club and its purpose, and I applied as soon as I heard that the Master’s Team was looking to open a chapter for undergrads.

Joining the team as the communications coordinator, and now working as the leader of the undergraduate chapter in Madrid, has allowed me to fulfill my goal of doing anything and everything in my power to reduce gender inequality and empower the women around me. 

women-in-business

What events have you hosted so far?

After the launch of the undergraduate chapter last year in Segovia, we had the opportunity to host several events. Most notably, we hosted several dinners for our famous Dinner Series, each covering a specific industry, and invited successful women from those industries to meet and talk to our members.

For example, for the Women in Creative Industries dinner, we were lucky enough to host Iôna de Macêdo, former Senior VP of production in Europe for Sony.

We also hosted Judith Grimbergen, an interior stylist, photographer and artist, at our more informal closing event last semester. Expanding to Madrid and launching the undergraduate chapter here has opened up a lot of doors for us.      

How does it feel to be the Madrid undergraduate chapter leader? And do you have any project plans for the future?

It’s definitely been a challenge for me, but one that I’ve truly enjoyed. Although none of this would have been possible without the help of my amazing team of girls—each and every one of them has a crucial role in the making and running of the club.

Looking forward, we’re looking to expand our reach. It’s important to remember that the club isn’t limited to females—we want to increase our #MaleAllies, although the focus will always remain on empowering women.

During 2019, we had a membership growth of 96%, a total of 17 events, and a 94.4% satisfaction rate. In the upcoming year, I want the club to maintain its high profile, and one of the ways we aim to do so is with the Women in Leadership Conference on March 2. Students, alumni, faculty, and professionals from all over the world will have the opportunity to discuss some of the most important issues affecting women in business and the workplace.

We’ll also be joined by several speakers, including Laurence Fontinoy, CEO & Co-Founder of WOOM and former Director of Marketing at Google Spain and eBay Spain. 

What are your thoughts about the Club and IE University in general?

Women in Business Club provides a great opportunity for undergraduate students to be immersed in an environment of strong and empowered women, where their professional aspirations and gender equality are priorities.

On top of this, IE University supports the Club and encourages all of our work—without its help, none of this would be possible.

How has studying the Bachelor of Communication and Digital Media helped you develop your leadership skills?

Being a Bachelor Communication and Digital Media student has taught me many skills I use on a daily basis as the Madrid chapter leader, helping me apply what I’ve learned in class to the real world while also developing my communication skills. Without the skills I’ve picked up throughout my degree, I wouldn’t be where I am today, making change and creating meaningful opportunities for talented women.

As the communications coordinator, I had the chance to use different platforms to spread awareness, invite people to the club and increase its membership. This has not only improved my internal communication skills, but also my external communication skills, as I’ve had to work with a multi-campus team to promote the club, events and our purpose.

Being a part of the IE Women in Business Club allows me to support others and make a small impact on the world that we live in today.”

– Anabela Morey

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Gal Benzadon spent the first fourteen years of her life in Colombia before moving to São Paulo, Brazil. Then, at the age of sixteen, she moved to Madrid, Spain. Having grown up in several different countries and attended various international schools, Gal quickly learned to become flexible and to adapt to new surroundings, often outside her comfort zone. She speaks Spanish, English, Portuguese, Hebrew, and some French.

After graduating from the International College in Spain (ICS), she decided to take a gap year to volunteer, study, work, and take some courses. Her unique experiences during this time—along with those she gained through the many changes she went through in her early life—prepared her to start the next chapter of her educational career at IE University, which is where she says she feels most at home.

Gal is currently pursuing her passion as she works toward a bachelor’s degree in communication and digital media. It has been her lifelong dream to study marketing and advertising, so naturally she found IE University’s Bachelor in Communication and Digital Media to be the perfect fit for her long-term professional goals.

She appreciates the wide range of opportunities that IE University has to offer. During her time there, Gal has attended seminars, joined the Women in Business Club, and collaborated on new ideas and social media initiatives in the IEU Wellbeing Center. She also had the chance to work in social media and website creation during a summer internship at a startup in Tel Aviv.

Currently, Gal is completing a one-year internship with IE University’s Marketing Department, where she regularly gets to apply her academic knowledge to real-world situations, while improving her time-management and organization skills. This internship, she says, has been the cherry on top of her college experience.

On a personal note, Gal enjoys all that life in Madrid has to offer. In her spare time she likes to exercise, stroll the dynamic streets of the city, and spend time with family and friends. She loves traveling to new places, learning about other cultures and people, and discovering herself—all of which she has had the freedom to do during her time at IE University.

Not afraid of taking risks, Gal gives her all to every endeavor she takes on. She is open-minded, enthusiastic, and adapts easily to new situations. She says that studying communication and digital media at IE University has given her the tools to do what she loves, which makes this the best decision she could have made for both her personal and professional future.

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