“WE talk about women empowerment but really, it’s about bringing it to life,” Essity Australasia (Fiji) Ltd consumer sales and marketing manager Radhika Nair said at the eve of the Women Invigorating the Nation Convention 2025 (WIN 2025).
“It’s about inclusivity. It’s empowering that segment of our community to be included and have a voice at the table, and I think that is something that we’re very excited about.”
A regular sponsor of the annual convention over the last three years, Essity (used to be known as Aselio Care Fiji), considers itself perfectly aligned to WIN’s philosophy on women empowerment.
“I’m glad that they are going to cover inclusivity, which is a major area of concern in the progress of women in this country,” Ms Nair said.
Indeed the theme for WIN 2025, “Championing Inclusivity and Blazing New Trails for the Future”, will be moving mountains long after the two-day event, which gets underway in Suva today, has ended.
As the organisers had explained during the official launch of the event last week, most of what’s discussed during the convention will help in the formulation of their strategic plans and inform their advocacy work, whether they are lobbying for national policies changes from the perspective of empowerment of women in business or if they are making submissions to the national budget.
This is why companies and organisations that have become regular supporters of the event since it began four years ago are willing to return each year, proud to have been part of those changes.
For Essity, that support comes naturally.
“Essity is very centred around women,” Ms Nair said.
“Our products actually resonate with women in this country.
“One of our main brands is the Libra brand. We believe that women should be given all opportunities to come forward and to be part of decision making. And that too at a national level as well.
“And our whole purpose of supporting this convention is to encourage more women to take part.
“Even at our workplace, empowerment is at our ethos.
“We encourage especially our women employees to make sure they bring forward their ideas, bring forward innovation because as they say, when you empower women, you empower the nation.
“And I think that is at the core of what Essity believes and that’s why we have been strongly supporting the WIN Convention through our brand Libra and TORK, which is also about hygiene.
“Hygiene is very important in the wellbeing and functioning of a good community and society, so TORK is at the forefront of ensuring that we are supporting hygiene and wellbeing as well.
“So I think for Essity, it’s a proud moment to have this opportunity to support conventions like the WIN Convention and we will continue to do this in the future.”
WIN 2025, an event organised annually by the Women Entrepreneurs Business Council (WEBC), the seventh council of nine under the Fiji Commerce and Employers Federation (FCEF), is being sponsored and supported by the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Protection, British High Commission Suva, The Embassy of France, The Fiji Times, Grand Pacific Hotel Suva, Boss Communication, Essity Australasia, Extra Supermarket, Vision Investment Ltd, Vodafone Fijii, Telecom Fiji, New Zealand High Commission, Value City (SP) Pte Ltd Fiji, Women’s Fund Fiji, Pleass Beverages, Star Printery Pte Ltd and The Good Company.
NOTE: This article was first published in the print edition of the Fiji Times dated MARCH 28, 2025.
