“Global Prize for Women Entrepreneurs”
The “Global Prize for Women Entrepreneurs”, which is organised by BNP Paribas Wealth Management in partnership with FCEM, singles out the exceptional achievement of a woman entrepreneur in terms of economic performance, positive impact on society, innovation and personal commitment to promote entrepreneurship.
An award that honours an entrepreneur who is recognised for her career, commitment and involvement in the entrepreneurial world. The projects of 22 candidates from 11 countries were meticulously studied by a jury composed of leading women from Europe, Asia-Pacific and the US.
On November 21, 2017, Sofia Merlo, Co-CEO of BNP Paribas Wealth Management selected from a pool of international candidates Dr. Laura Melis, an Italian healthcare entrepreneur, as the first recipient of the ‘BNP Paribas Global Prize for Women Entrepreneurs’. Dr. Laura Melis was nominated for her exceptional achievements in combining economic performance, positive impact on society, innovation and promotion of entrepreneurship in the medical industry.
Dr Laura Melis
Dr Laura Melis graduated in medicine and specialized in physical medicine and rehabilitation. She contributes regularly to scientific research and is often invited to speak at medical conventions on physical medicine, rehabilitation, orthopaedics, traumatology and reconstructive cosmetic surgery. Since 1997, she has been managing a healthcare group, which now includes 12 subsidiaries, 130 employees and more than 300 professional collaborators.
“In my entrepreneurial vision, my goal is to provide the appropriate assistance and quality of life to the greatest number of patients. We achieve this objective through new care models that combine sustainability, effectiveness and quality,” explained Dr. Laura Melis, laureate of the prize, at the award ceremony held during the 65th Annual Congress of FCEM in Rome. “I’m very honoured to receive this award which encourages me and my teams to build further on the ambition that we all share.”
BNP Paribas Wealth Management
“At BNP Paribas Wealth Management, we support business creation by understanding, serving and celebrating entrepreneurs through various international programmes and reports, such as the Global Entrepreneur Report or the Women Entrepreneur Programme at Stanford,” added Sofia Merlo, Co-CEO of BNP Paribas Wealth Management. “We wanted to go one step further to celebrate women entrepreneurs at an international level. The ‘BNP Paribas Global Prize for Women Entrepreneurs’ was therefore created to highlight the role women entrepreneurs play for future generations, to inspire future entrepreneurship and to promote women in the entrepreneurial space.”