Event to Recognize Women Who "Put the POW! in POWer"
March 25, 2015 at the Metropolitan Club from 11:00 a.m. to 1:45 p.m.

Chicago, Ill., January 12, 2015 – Vicki Escarra, Global CEO of Opportunity International, has been named one of 10 women honored with a Womenetics 2014 POW! Award.

Since joining Opportunity International two years ago, Escarra has restructured and rebranded the organization and unified global operations to serve more than 5 million clients in 22 developing countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Europe. Opportunity International is a global nonprofit that provides loans, savings programs, insurance and other financial services to help people break the cycle of poverty, transform their lives and strengthen their families and communities. 

The organization also maintains an agriculture program to help small holder farmers increase the quality and yield of their crops, and an educational program that provides loans to improve and expand schools and help families pay school fees. Opportunity International's goal is to help clients create 20 million jobs by 2020 to impact 100 million lives in some of the world's poorest areas.

"I'm honored to be among this year's recipients of POW! Award," Escarra said. "It's especially gratifying because this award calls attention to the increasing role women are playing in the business and philanthropic communities and encourages young women to aspire to leadership positions." 

Since 2009, Womenetics has presented the POW! Awards to recognize extraordinary female leaders who have attained a high level of transformative success in business, academia or a nonprofit, and are change agents in the community, respected for significant contributions locally and globally.

“POW! Awards recipients are dynamos,” said Elisabeth Marchant, founder and CEO of Womenetics. “They exude confidence, spark innovation and bring the ‘POW!’ factor to everything they do.”

Prior to joining Opportunity International, Escarra was CEO of Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger relief organization. Among other achievements, she led the organization through an extensive reorganization and rebranding which increased donations 300 percent and doubled the number of people the organization serves. Prior to Feeding America, Escarra spent nearly 30 years at Delta Air Lines where she rose to chief marketing officer. As one of the highest-ranking women in the aviation industry at the time, she oversaw $15 billion in revenue and led a workforce of 52,000.

“Vicki is truly an inspiration to women around the world, both in her professional accomplishments and also in her leadership at Opportunity International,” says Carly Fiorina, Chair of the Opportunity International Global Board. “Approximately 90 percent of Opportunity International’s clients are women because we know that women spend 90 percent of their income to support their families and communities. When you invest in women, you change the world.”

The Chicago POW! Awards luncheon takes place on March 25, 2015 at The Metropolitan Club from 11:00 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. The public is invited to network with and support these women of action and purpose by attending the event. Tickets are available now at www.womenetics.com. 

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About Womenetics

Womenetics provides B2B services that increase access, development and retention of the best female professional talent.  Striving to accelerate women’s career success, Womenetics brings ambitious women together with dynamic leaders; deliver impactful training content and inspiring conferences; and provides avenues for female development—clear solutions to reframe entrenched ideas and reduce gender disparities in the workplace.

About Opportunity International
Opportunity International is a global non-profit organization that helps people in developing nations work their way out of poverty, strengthen their families and improve their communities. Founded in 1971, the organization has provided more than $8.5 billion in loans, savings programs, insurance, and other financial services and training to more than 12 million clients in 22 countries across Africa, Asia, Latin America and Europe. Clients use the resources to expand businesses, provide for their families and create jobs in their communities. The U.S. headquarters of Opportunity International are in Oak Brook, Ill., with other key offices in Australia, Canada, Germany, Hong Kong, Singapore, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. The organization proudly employs more than 17,500 people around the world. Discover more at opportunity.org.

Media Contacts

Tom McPheron | Director, Communications, Opportunity International | 630.242.4115 | [email protected]
Jana Sloan | Event and Promotions Manager, Womenetics | 404-816-7224 | [email protected]