wegate – Digital Leadership Institute

24 January 202328 January 2023

Women Entrepreneurs and the Digital Transition

As Policy Chair and Community Councilmember for the WEgate project promoting women-led entrepreneurship in Europe, DLI Director Cheryl Miller also leads the WEgate Thematic Group on Women Entrepreneurs and the Digital Transition (“Digital Transition TG”).

Over the course of 2022, the Digital Transition TG gathered to analyse and synthesise the impact of the digital transition on women entrepreneurs in Europe. Outcomes and recommendations from this work which address Ethics in AI, Gender and Cybersecurity, Tech-readiness of Women-led Startups, and the Gender Gap in Digital Skills, are captured in a policy brief published by the WEgate project on 22 January 2023.

Congratulations for this terrific outcome to WEgate Women Entrepreneurs and the Digital Transition Thematic Group members, Leïla Maidane, Isabel Bustos and Ms. Miller, under project leadership by Emilija Andonova and Gabriela Kostovska Bogoeska.

From the WEgate website:

One of the aims of WEgate is to increase the visibility of women entrepreneurs and to promote discussion on important topics for improving the conditions for women’s entrepreneurship development. To address critical areas of interest in women’s entrepreneurship development, dedicated WEgate Thematic groups (TGs) are formed as ad-hoc groups within the WEgate Community. The third WEgate TG is dedicated to Digital transition, analysing the challenges faced by women in the digital arena.

This policy brief summarizes the findings of the WEgate thematic group on women’s entrepreneurship policy. It highlights the key challenges and recommendations for policy-making in four areas: gender mainstreaming, evidence-based policy-making, finance and funding for women entrepreneurs, and stakeholders engagement in policy development. For each policy area, recommendations are being proposed, targeting policymakers at the European and national levels.

Download the WEgate Women Entrepreneurs and the Digital Transition Policy Brief (PDF) here.

21 November 202229 March 2023

DLI Update – Fall 2022

The DLI Board are actively involved in outreach activities with partners and stakeholders around the world that promote ESTEAM* leadership by girls and women. Find out more below about our outreach activities in Autumn 2022, including the G20 Ministerial Conference in Bali where EU Commissioner for Equality Helena Dalli and DLI Founder and Head of the EU W20 Delegation, Cheryl Miller, represented the European Union. For upcoming events by DLI and our partners please visit here, and have a look at our calendar.

*Entrepreneurship and Art powered by Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics

13-14 November 2022 – G20 Women20 Indonesia Post-Summit Event (Bali & Online): On 13-14 November 2022, Cheryl Miller Van Dÿck, DLI Founding Director, joined the G20 Women20 Indonesia Post-Summit Event, a G20 Leaders Summit Side Event, in her capacity as Co-head of the EU Delegation to the G20 Women20 engagement group.

24-25 August 2022 – G20 Ministerial Conference on Women’s Empowerment (Bali, Indonesia): On 24-25 August 2022 in Bali, Indonesia, Cheryl Miller Van Dÿck, DLI Founding Director, joined the G20 Ministerial Conference on Women’s Empowerment in her capacity as Co-head of the EU Delegation to the G20 Women20 engagement group, and as member of the EU G20 Ministerial Delegation led by European Commissioner for Equality Helena Dalli.

20 September – Digital Inclusion, Policy and Research Conference (Online): Online on 20 September 2022, Cheryl Miller Van Dÿck, DLI Founding Director, presented her forthcoming chapter on “Digital Equity and Women’s Economic Agency,” as part of the Gender and Digital Inequalities panel at the Digital Inclusion, Policy and Research Conference (DIPRC) hosted by the University of Liverpool, Digital Poverty Alliance, and UK Digital Leaders network.

14 October 2022 – W7 Germany Outreach Event “We are Here! We are loud, united against the backlash!” (Berlin, Germany): On 14 October 2022 in Berlin, Cheryl Miller Van Dÿck, DLI Founding Director, joined the W7 Germany outreach event “We are Here! We are loud, united against the backlash!” where G7 Gender Equality Ministers met to discuss how to achieve a more equitable G7. Cheryl joined the event as Head of the EU Delegation to the G20 Women20.

17-18 October 2022 – WEgate Summit (Brussels & Online): Cheryl Miller Van Dÿck, DLI Founding Director, joined the 17 October final event of the European WEgate project, the WEgate Summit, and contributed to a peer-learning session on “Reaching women’s economic independence through entrepreneurship and self-employment.” On 18 October, Cheryl also joined a European Institutions study mission with representatives of women entrepreneurship organisations from across Europe in order to collectively advocate for a strong European policy framework supporting women entrepreneurs.

To browse past activities with DLI and our partners, please click here. Be sure to also visit our calendar, sign up for the DLI Newsletter and follow us on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram in order to keep up with DLI events and activities!

4 January 202210 June 2022

DLI Update – Winter 2022

Happy 2022 to all our friends and collaborators!

The DLI Board are actively involved in outreach activities with partners and stakeholders around the world that promote ESTEAM* leadership by girls and women. Find out more below about our outreach activities in Winter 2021-22, including the 22 December 2021 launch of the the G20 Women20 2022 Indonesia Presidency, attended by DLI’s director. For upcoming events by DLI and our partners please visit here, and have a look at our calendar.

*Entrepreneurship and Art powered by Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics

15-17 November – SME Assembly 2021 (Portorož, Slovenia & Online): On 15-17 November 2021, Cheryl Miller Van Dÿck, DLI Founding Director, joined the SME Assembly 2021, hosted by the European Commission and taking place in Portorož, Slovenia and online, as part of the Slovenian Presidency of the EU Council.

17 November 2021 – “Solutions Through Inclusivity” Group of Nations Virtual Summit: Cheryl Miller Van Dÿck, DLI Founding Director, joined a fireside chat on Digital Equity to Build Forward Better as part of a 17 November event on Solutions Through Inclusivity–celebrating 25 years of Group of Nations global events, including G20, W20, B20 and APEC.

25-26 November – Fin2021 Porto, Portugal and Online): On 26 November 2021, Cheryl Miller Van Dÿck, DLI Founding Director, provided a keynote presentation on the subject of Techno World at the FIN2021 event taking place in Porto, Portugal and online. The event was supported by JEUNE, a pan-European organisation representing 1.6 million young entrepreneurs, for which Miller recently became Advisory Board member.

30 November – Udacity STEM Forward with Women: On 30 November 2021, Cheryl Miller Van Dÿck, DLI Founding Director, contributed to an online panel promoting success for women in STEM as part of the STEM Forward with Women event hosted online by Udacity.

2 December – Projexplorer Navigating the Future of Project Economy (online): On 2 December 2021, Cheryl Miller Van Dÿck, DLI Founding Director, joined a Projexplorer event on Navigating the Future of Project Economy with a keynote speech on the topic of Sexism in Tech: Unlearn What You Know.

6 December – WEgate Community Council Meeting (Online): Cheryl Miller Van Dÿck, DLI Founding Director, joined the third meeting of the WEgate Community Council, supporting women entrepreneurs in Europe and beyond, on 6 December online.

9 December – Path to the Digital Decade (Online): On 9 December, Cheryl Miller Van Dÿck, DLI Founding Director, provided a keynote address for an event of the Digital SkillUp project, on the topic of Path to the Digital Decade: Inclusive & Sustainable Upskilling for All, hosted by DIGITAL SME Alliance.

14 December – EIC Women Leadership Programme (Online): Cheryl Miller Van Dÿck, DLI Founding Director, provided a keynote presentation for the 14 December EIC Women Leadership Program Personal Leadership Brand session, on the subject of Remaining Authentic in the Face of Adversity.

21 December – Italy-Indonesia Women20 Handover: On 21 December, in the capacity of Head of EU Delegation to the G20 Women20, Cheryl Miller Van Dÿck, DLI Founding Director, joined the Italy-Indonesia Women20 Handover meeting.

22 December – Indonesia 2022 G20 Women20 Presidency Launch: In the new capacity of Co-head of EU Delegation to the G20 Women20, Cheryl Miller Van Dÿck, DLI Founding Director, joined the 22 December launch event of the Indonesia 2022 G20 Women20 and G20 Empower Presidency.

30 May 202124 August 2021

DLI Update – Spring 2021

The DLI Board are actively involved in outreach activities with partners and stakeholders around the world that promote ESTEAM* leadership by girls and women. Find out more below about our outreach activities in Spring 2021, including election of DLI Director, Cheryl Miller Van Dÿck as new WEP Chairwoman and President. For upcoming activities by DLI and its partners please visit here, and have a look at our calendar for events organised by DLI.

*Entrepreneurship and Art powered by Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics

12 April – WEgate Community Advisory Council (Online): On 12 April, Cheryl Miller Van Dÿck, DLI Founding Director, was invited to an online meeting of the Community Advisory Council for the WEgate project, in order to matters of advocacy, the campaign for Women’s Entrepreneurship Day, and other issues central to promoting women-led entrepreneurship in Europe and beyond.

29 April – WEP General Assembly (Online): DLI Founding Director, Cheryl Miller Van Dÿck, joined the annual General Assembly of the Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) as member of the WEP Board of Directors. At this meeting, Ms. Miller Van Dÿck was elected new WEP Chairwoman of the board.

7 May – EU Women20 Delegation Meeting (online): On 7 May, the EU Delegation of the Women20, women’s stakeholder engagement group to the G7/G20, gathered online for their monthly meetings in preparation of the 2021 G20 meetings in Italy. As Head of Delegation, Cheryl Miller Van Dÿck, DLI Founding Director, chaired this gathering of the 2021 EU delegation.

11 May – Italian G20 Women20 Heads of Delegation Meeting (Online): On 11 May, DLI Founding Director, Cheryl Miller Van Dÿck, joined a meeting of the Heads of Delegation for Women20 Italia 2021, the women’s stakeholder engagement group to the 2021 G20 meetings in Italy. Ms. Miller Van Dÿck participated in the meeting as Head of the EU W20 Delegation.

11 May – Delphi Economic Forum VI (Athens & Online): DLI Founding Director, Cheryl Miller Van Dÿck, joined a panel on the topic of “Female Entrepreneurship & the Financing Gap” at the Delphi Economic Forum VI, that took place in Athens and online 10-15 May 2021.

28 May – G20 Women20 Italy Plenary Meeting (Online): On 28 May, DLI Founding Director, Cheryl Miller Van Dÿck, joined a Plenary meeting of Women20 Italia 2021, the women’s stakeholder engagement group to the 2021 G20 meetings in Italy. Ms. Miller Van Dÿck participated in the meeting as Head of the EU W20 Delegation and Co-chair of the W20 Italy Digital Working Group.

Be sure to visit our Calendar and Outreach Activities page to keep up with DLI events and activities! You can also and sign up for the DLI Newsletter and follow us on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram!

1 April 202123 August 2021

DLI Update – Winter 2021

The DLI Board are actively involved in outreach activities with partners and stakeholders around the world that promote ESTEAM* leadership by girls and women. Find out more below about our outreach activities in Winter 2021, including launch of the 2021 EU Delegation to the G20 Women20 which took pace at end-January. For upcoming activities by DLI and its partners please visit here, and have a look at our calendar for events organised by DLI.

*Entrepreneurship and Art powered by Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics

27 January – EU Women20 Delegation Kickoff Meeting (Online): On 27 January, the EU Delegation of the Women20, women’s stakeholder engagement group to the G7/G20, kicked off online ahead of the 2021 G20 meetings in Italy. As new Head of Delegation, Cheryl Miller Van Dÿck, DLI Founding Director, chaired the inaugural gathering of the 2021 EU Women20 Delegation.

10 February – Digital Skills and Jobs Coalition Governing Board Meeting (Online): On 10 February, Cheryl Miller Van Dÿck, DLI Founding Director, joined the final meeting of the inaugural European Commission Digital Skills and Jobs Coalition governing board ahead of a call for new board members commencing in March. Ms. Miller Van Dÿck has served on the DSJC governing board through a critical stage in its development and growth, beginning with its inception in 2017.

22-23 February – Italy Women20 Kickoff (Rome & Online): On 22-23 February, DLI Founding Director, Cheryl Miller Van Dÿck, joined the kickoff meeting of W20 Italia 2021, the women’s stakeholder engagement group to the 2021 G20 meetings in Italy. Ms. Miller Van Dÿck participated in the meeting as Head of the EU W20 Delegation and as Co-Chair of the W20 Italia 2021 Digital Working Group.

4 March – WEP Board of Directors Meeting (Online): DLI Founding Director, Cheryl Miller Van Dÿck, joined the quarterly Board of Directors meeting of the Women Entrepreneurship Platform, which took place on 4 March online.

8 March – UN Observance of International Women’s Day (Online): On 8 March, Cheryl Miller Van Dÿck, DLI Founding Director, joined UN Women’s Observance of International Women’s Day 2021, aligned with the priority theme of the 65th session of the Commission on the Status of Women, on “Women in Leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world, on the way to the Generation Equality Forum,” which took place online.

9 March – WEgate Peer-Learning Workshop on Women’s Entrepreneurship (Online): On 9 March, the WEgate project organised its third online peer-learning workshop on the topic of “Women’s Entrepreneurship” with participation from DLI executive members Cheryl Miller Van Dÿck, Katja Legisa and Loredana Bucseneanu.

11 March – AWS Cloud Ambassador Meetup (Online): Cheryl Miller Van Dÿck, DLI Founding Director, joined the 11 March online meetup of AWS Cloud Ambassadors, in which role Ms. Miller Van Dÿck and her peers work to promote uptake of emerging and future technology skills among vulnerable communities, especially girls and women, around the world.

14-26 March – 65th Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (Online): From 14 to 26 March, UN Women organized the 65th Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women. Global civil society organizations also supported the session with a series of virtual events organized via NGO CSW and its partners.

15 March – Council of Europe “Digital Gender Gaps & Opportunities” Event (Online): As a side-event of the 65th Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women, the Council of Europe, National Council of German Women’s Oganizations, and their partners organized an online event addressing the subject of “Digital Gender Gaps and Opportunities.”

23 March – European Parliament “Policy Options for the Ethical Governance of Disruptive Technologies” (Online): On 23 March online, the European Parliament’s Panel for the Future of Science and Technology (STOA) organized an online event on the subject of “Policy Options for the Ethical Governance of Disruptive Technologies,” including with major EU-funded projects,SHERPA, SIENNA and PANELFIT, former to which DLI’s Founding Director, Cheryl Miller Van Dÿck, acts as an adviser.

26 March – Mommypreneurs Closing Gala 2021 (Online): On 26 March, Cheryl Miller Van Dÿck, DLI Founding Director, provided a keynote address to the graduates of the 2021 cohort of the Mommypreneurs, a project reaching 2300 women with entrepreneurship skills from across seven countries in Europe.

Be sure to visit our Calendar and Outreach Activities page to keep up with DLI events and activities! You can also and sign up for the DLI Newsletter and follow us on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram!

5 July 201915 October 2023

DLI Update – May-June 2019

The Digital Leadership Institute Board and Executive Team are actively involved in outreach activities with partners and stakeholders around the world that promote ESTEAM* leadership by girls and women. Find out more about our outreach activities of May and June 2019 below, and please visit our calendar for events organised by DLI.

*STEM powered by Entrepreneurship and Arts

10 May 2019 – Women in ICT Sharing Experiences (Brussels) : On 10 May, Ms. Katja Legisa, DLI inQube Director, joined the eighth edition of the Women in ICT Sharing Experiences Annual Networking event organised by the Centre for Balanced Leadership in Brussels.

15 May 2019 – EC Digital Skills and Jobs Coalition Governing Board Meeting (Brussels) : Ms. Che Van Dyck, DLI Founding Director, joined the seventh meeting of the Governing Board for the European Commission’s Digital Skills and Jobs Coalition, taking place in Brussels on 15 May.

21 May 2019 – STEM Fair (Los Angeles): On 21 May, Ms. Che Van Dyck, DLI Founding Director, contributed to organising a STEM Fair in Los Angeles County, in order to encourage young people, especially girls, to pursue studies and careers in these areas.

28 May 2019 – Computer Science Panel (Los Angeles) : Ms. Che Van Dyck, DLI Founding Director, joined a panel promoting Computer Science studies and careers for Los Angeles County high school students, especially young women, taking place on 28 May in Redondo Beach.

13 June 2019 – Digital Skills and Jobs Governing Board Meeting (Bucharest): On 13 June, Ms. Cheryl Miller, DLI Founder, joined the eighth meeting of the Governing Board of the Digital Skills and Jobs Coalition of Europe. The meeting took place in Bucharest as part of Digital Assembly 2019, hosted by the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Ms. Loredana Bucseneanu, DLI Director of Development, also joined the event as representative of Belgium to the joint meeting of the National Coalitions for Digital Skills and Jobs.

13 June 2019 – WEgate Stakeholder Meeting (Brussels): On 13 June July in Brussels, Ms. Katja Legisa, DLI Entrepreneurship Director, joined a stakeholder meeting for the WEgate platform, an initiative of the European Commission aimed at stimulating and supporting women-led entrepreneurship in Europe.

26-28 June 2019 – Mobile World Congress (Shanghai): Ms. Cheryl Miller, DLI Founder, joined the Mobile World Congress on 26-28 June in Shanghai as a guest of hosts GSMA, and participated in the Women4Tech Summit that took place on 27 June.

Be sure to visit our Calendar and Outreach Activities page, and sign up for the DLI Newsletter in order to keep up with DLI events and activities!