Princess Sumaya addresses sixth Global Thinkers Forum Awards for Excellence in London

AMMAN — HRH Princess Sumaya, president of the Royal Scientific Society, was a special guest and closing speaker at the sixth Global Thinkers Forum (GTF) Awards for Excellence, which were held at the Royal Automobile Club in London on December 6. 

Princess Sumaya joined HE President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the first elected female head of state in Africa (Republic of Liberia) and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Kate Winslet, Academy Award winning actress, the Rt. Hon. Tobias Ellwood, minister for defence, Baroness Sandip Verma and other dignitaries from around the world, to honour eight outstanding women who were recognised for their contributions to entrepreneurship, business, women’s empowerment, global thinking, leadership, positive change, African female leadership and lifetime achievement. 

The GTF Awards for Excellence are presented to exceptional individuals who have displayed integrity, accountability and positive change across their nominated category and proven themselves to be innovative, accomplished and socially responsible thought leaders, according to a statement from Princess Sumaya.

The theme of this year’s awards was “100 Years: Women of Passion and Purpose”, in recognition of the centenary of the successful suffragette campaign to gain votes for women in the UK, the statement said. 

Princess Sumaya, who sits on the Advisory Board of GTF, said, “The variety of experiences and accomplishments that we celebrate through GTF remind us that, when given the opportunity, women in the most challenging situations have proven themselves, again and again, to be innovative and creative, resourceful and driven.”

The Princess added that gatherings such as the GTF Awards for Excellence help to build confidence, to celebrate success and to devise better strategies to achieve incredible outcomes for women and, ultimately, for society as a whole.

The Princess was also awarded with a statuette of Athena in recognition of her services to women’s leadership and empowerment. The award celebrates GTF’s Athena40 programme, the first ever global ranking of the top 40 most powerful female minds, according to the statement.

Launched by UNESCO in Paris in March, the award acknowledges the work of the 40 most dynamic and resilient female thought leaders, columnists, commentators and activists across all industries and from all over the world. 

GTF was founded in 2012 and its mission focuses on fostering accountability in leadership, promoting women’s empowerment and creating opportunities for young people’s professional development. GTF is also an organisation that promotes public-private sector partnerships, collaboration and stakeholder engagement.