Vegan Women’s Leadership Network: A New Global Ethical Community For Plant-Based Female Leaders

A new membership platform, The Vegan Women’s Leadership Network, will be launching in the next months to create a global ethical leadership community for vegan and plant-based women. It will be launched by Katrina Fox, an Australia-based journalist and founder of Vegan Business Media, and a well known presence in the vegan media world. The announcement comes during the Covid-19 pandemic, which has highlighted the need for a systemwide shift towards ethical leadership that values people, animals and the planet. 

Starting with an online membership platform that will launch this June, the Vegan Women’s Leadership Network will offer live webinars and interviews with plant-based female leaders across all industries, from corporations and businesses to NGOs, politics, fitness and health. There will also be virtual networking events, online training courses and curated resources that are designed to help vegan women become leaders across a wide range of fields.

In a statement, Fox said that the current coronavirus pandemic has heightened the need for such a platform, in order to bring about more “smart, capable, passionate, compassionate, self-developed, empowered females to rise up and lead the way”.

“None of us could have foreseen the impact the current coronavirus crisis is having on people, business owners, workers and our economies. I know some people may think now is not the right time to launch something like this, especially with such uncertainty, but I feel it’s is the perfect time to do it, because now, more than ever, we need ethical leaders who aren’t afraid to challenge the status quo and create an equitable world for all,” she added. 

Given the global health situation, live in-person events and mentorship programmes will likely take place once the pandemic has come to an end. The network is currently open for founding members to join and build the platform before its official launch in June.  

Many are taking the pandemic as a global wake-up call and an opportunity to reshuffle the current system into one that is more sustainable, healthier and in harmony with nature and animals. Renowned fashion and design trend-spotter Li Edelkoort, for instance, believes that the global pandemic will eventually enable humanity to reset its values for the benefit of people and the planet. 

Her views were echoed by 85-year-old respected anthropologist, animal activist and primatologist Jane Goodall, who recently posted a video message urging the world to reflect on their relationship with wild animals. While voicing her sadness about the ongoing tragedy, she emphasised that we must change our way of living if we are to prevent future disease crises. 

June 2020 Update: This article was updated to reflect that the Plant Powered Women’s Network has changed its name to Vegan Women’s Leadership Network.

Lead image courtesy of Huff Post.