Category: Leadership

Petra Volna

Famous Women Innovators You May Not Have Heard of
Famous Women
Petra Volna, PhD, writes about famous women

By Petra Volna, PhD

SEATTLE – June 25, 2013 

Kristiina Hiukka, the founder of Women in Innovation, likes to do a short quiz when meeting people: “Can you name a famous woman significant for her innovation?” Interestingly, she would add, most people come up with one famous woman over and over again: Marie Curie. As Jane Lee has most recently argued in her National Geographic article, this may be due to the past long-standing trend that women were not recognized for their discoveries and over time their work was assigned to their colleagues holding senior positions who were almost exclusively men. Or maybe their discoveries didn’t find their way to various textbooks as yet. I’m cautiously optimistic that this will happen, as women other than Marie Curie have been awarded the Nobel Prize and also thanks to outlets like WIN. Here are three women Continue reading Famous Women Innovators You May Not Have Heard of

WIN is a Pay It Forward Platform

SEATTLE – June 3, 2013

Who of the leaders of women in business“Who are you as a leader?” When I ask this question of business women, most of them describe the way they lead: “I’m the one who shows the way/ takes the calculated risks/ makes the final call/ inspires others to work toward the vision/ get the deal done.” And so on.  Sometimes they see themselves as “servants” – being in service to others in the organization so that they can perform to the best of their potential and participate in fulfilling the purpose of the company.

Often a leader sees herself as a teacher, coach or a mentor. These teacher-servant leaders have a bigger impact than they will ever know. When they deliver their wisdom with the humility and passion Continue reading WIN is a Pay It Forward Platform

Welcome to Women in Innovation!

Women in Innovation is a community for women with Big Ideas – ideas that transform the way we live and work.  What’s your Big Idea? What is your Big Vision? There is no shame in thinking big and boldly here. Women who gain support and success through our coaching, consulting and mentoring play big and pay it forward in the WIN community. WIN is a “Pay it Forward Platform”  – when one of us learns, everyone benefits.

Our growing global community connects online in the social media and in our events. Our signature event, Women in Innovation Summit convenes women from all around the world every other year – on  November 20th 2014 we gathered for Converge@Seattle Pacific Innovation Summit 2014 in partnership with PNWER, and sponsors like Alaska Airlines and Washington Business Alliance. Reports, photos and videos are  being added on the Converge website as they come available.

Innovation is more than an idea, though. We define it as “a great idea put into practical use, shared, scaled and sustained to transform the ways we live and work“. Do you share your creative, life enhancing ideas? Are you putting them into use and implementing them? Are you actively collaborating to scale your ideas? Are you a dreamer or an innovator?

We coordinate events and workshops, moderate conversations and provide consulting and coaching on topics related to women and innovation. With our mentoring, coaching, connections and guidance women who dare to dream big get the support they need to succeed. Inquire how we can help you: contact@womenininnovation.org.

We hope you got the sense of the spirit of WINS 2012 via this video – it’s about women in business “convening – connecting – creating”. Through convening to the summit we created amazing personal and professional connections that resulted in many exciting ideas and lasting collaborations. Don’t let your fears stop you from your bold dreams.  This is your time! Watch the video and share the spirit! Continue reading Welcome to Women in Innovation!