Created in honour of the life and work of the founder of Erasmus Centre for Women and Organisations (ECWO), Prof. Dianne Bevelander, the prize is now in its third year. The previous winners are Karen de Sousa Pesse (2023), Senior Executive at Salesforce, and Geke Rosier (2022), founder of RightBrains.
The prize is open to individuals located anywhere in the world who have made an impact with regards to the following criteria:
- A substantial contribution to strengthening the advancement of women in their organisation or in society during 2023
- A role model who inspires women to advance their careers and create change.
- An individual who has demonstrated a tangible effort to create systemic change in their organisation and/or society, for the benefit of gender equality.
“I believe that we should all do what we can to make the world a better place, but I feel like we have taken quite a few steps backwards in recent times, which requires us to really play our role,” says de Sousa Pesse. You can read more about the inspirational journey of our 2023 winner in this recently published interview.
“We are thrilled to be presenting this important prize for the third year in 2024,” comments ECWO’s Executive Director, Prof. Hanneke Takkenberg.
“It is particularly meaningful because this year we are celebrating ECWO’s 10th anniversary and will be honouring the exceptional work that Dianne did in furthering gender equality in organisations and the impact she had on the leadership journeys of individual women. It is also a year in which we are expanding out of ECWO’s founding mission to one that is centred on creating inclusive organisations for everyone. Against this background, we are really looking forward to seeing who is nominated this year.”
The Dianne Bevelander Award honours the life and work of ECWO’s founder who died in August 2021. It is part of the Dianne Bevelander Fund which aims to both empower women and highlight and honour those who have made a significant contribution to the advancement of women.
Adjudicated by a jury headed by Prof. Takkenberg, the winner receives a € 1,500 grant to be used for a project that amplifies gender equality, in an area of society of their choosing. The 2024 winner will be announced on June 17th in honour of Prof. Bevelander’s birthday and the prize will be handed over during ECWO’s annual conference which this year will take place in October.
Please note that nominations close at midnight (CET) on May 15th 2024.
You can find the form for your nomination here.
