WIM Maldives, a chapter opened in 2017 by WIM Sri Lanka, celebrated its third annual WIM Professional & Career Women Awards, Maldives on the 15th of December 2021 at the Hotel Jen,  Male. 

The event was graced by the President of the Maldives, His Excellency Ibrahim Mohammed Solih and the First Lady, HE Fazna Ahmed. Cabinet Ministers, Acting High Commissioner to Sri Lanka in Maldives, Mr. D. Amanullah and several other Corporate Leaders graced the event.

The Professional and Career Women Awards, founded by Dr. R. Sulochana Segera in 2011 in Sri Lanka, were conceived to provide a platform for the pipeline of female talent in Sri Lanka and Asia. Through the Professional and Career Women Award programme, WIM has built a global brand and has taken Sri Lankan brands to the international arena. 

The WIM Maldivian Chapter, President Minha Faiz Rashaad said, “the Maldives has come a long way in achieving gender equality. Some key milestones include the Gender Equality Act, Domestic Violence Act, Prevention of Sexual Abuse and Harassment Act, and Sexual Offenses Act, which have paved the way for women to succeed in the Maldives.”

President Ibrahim Mohammed Solih said the administration’s Gender Equality Action Plan, part of its "National Resilience and Recovery Plan (NRR) 2020–2022," intends to ensure gender equality by increasing women’s ability to participate equally in all state and national-level engagements and promoting the economic empowerment of women. He made the remarks while addressing the Professional and Career Women Awards 2021 ceremony. First Lady Fazna Ahmed accompanied the President at the function held at Hotel Jen on Wednesday evening (15th).

The Woman of the Year award was presented to MAIMOONA ABOOBAKURU, Director General, Health Protection Agency, who were leading the COVID19 Pandemic emergency response services in Maldives. The Inspirational Woman of the Year was presented to the first female Taxi Driver in Male, Maldives, AMINATH WAHEEDA, of Loyal Taxi Services. The Trail Blazer Award was presented to  Farath Aibrahim, the only lady who operates heavy-load vehicles in the Maldives; Operator Gr-1 Maldives Port Limited. 

In the legal category, the main award was bestowed upon UZA Aisha Shujune Muhammad, Justice, Supreme Court. Justice Aisha Shujune Muhammad is one of the first two female Justices appointed to the Supreme Court in 2019. WIM Maldives for the first time introduced a Youth Award and a Chairperson Award. The Chairperson Award was presented to DR. MINAH FAIZ RASHAD, Co-Founder and President, Mission for Migrant Workers Maldives.

Kasturi Chelleraja, Group CEO, Hemas PLC and a panel Judge of WIM Maldives 2021, speaking on behalf of the Judges stated that, “this year the judging process was tougher than the previous years because during the lockdown women leadership was highlighted more in Maldives and yet receiving reference and confirmation was a long process, but on behalf of the Panel of Judges we are so happy that we found the best recipients to take the WIM Maldives brand forward.” 

This year’s panel of judges included, Dr. Mariyam Shakeela, CEO Simdi Group and the Honorary Consul of Belgium in the Maldives, Senior DIG Ajith Rohana, Sri Lanka Police, Ms. Mariyam Waheeda, Permanent Member of Maldives Scout and Guide Fellowship, Mr. Ahmed Afaal Managing Director, ADK Hospitals and Ms. Kasturi Chellaraja, Executive Director, Group CEO, HEMAS Group of Companies.

Dr. Sulochana Segera Founder and Chairperson of Women in Management said in her speech, “we all speak on Gender Equality but what we should remember is leadership or neither productivity has a gender. Maldives has progressed having 40% women in parliament while Sri Lanka is still struggling to achieve the allocated quota of 25% women in Local Government representation. This shows a country where men and women receive equal opportunity are able to grow their economy positively.” Participants and winners thanked Dr. Sulochana Segera for brining the WIM Awards to the Maldives, and for recognizing Maldivian female leadership.