Laura Gori and Way2Global at Women in Business award finals

Rome, 4 September — As part of its 10th anniversary celebrations, in January 2020 the DonnainAffari.it media outlet launched the Donna in Affari 2020 (Women in Business 2020) awards to identify the entrepreneur of the year.

In the contest – open to all Italian businesswomen and legal representatives of majority-female companies – our very own Laura Gori, the CEO and founder of our translation agency, was awarded the joint-highest score alongside three other finalists, all of whom came together in Rome on 3 September for this important event.

The Women in Business awards are designed to recognize female participation, creativity, technological innovation and environmental and social sustainability. These are all key values for our company – and it was these values that Laura wanted to use as the foundations for the Way2Global business model. The result? A majority-female certified Benefit Corporation that sees tech as the key driver behind innovation and social impact.

“As soon as I read about the details and goals of the contest, I knew I had to take part. It shines a light on and promotes gender equality and the unique nature of female-led businesses as a way of inspiring new generations of women to think big, to have crazy dreams and to believe in their ability and in the power of coming together to change the world. It was a chance to share the story of how I created my company to reflect the Benefit Corporation model, with a spirit of service and a desire to inspire, and it was perfectly in sync with my world view and Way2Global’s mission.”
Laura Gori

Sure enough, the values taken into account by the contest feel like they were made to measure for our company.

80% of the workforce at Way2Global is female, yet we ensure no reverse discrimination. Our inclusive vision of what a Benefit Corporation should be goes hand in hand with our female leadership model, which relies on the typically female values of resilience, flexibility, innovation, empathy, courage and care.

Our approach to business is rooted in innovation and summed up in our slogan “Beyond borders for a better world.” We want to overcome linguistic and cultural boundaries by translating and enhancing the way companies communicate in target market languages, in the spirit of the UN Resolution that has declared translation as a lever of sustainability because of its ability to bring people together.

According to our vision, technology and digitization are key elements when it comes to establishing a new business model, an innovative approach to industry and a fresh work ethos. IT accounts for roughly 80% of the language industry, so for us it was natural that we bought into the philosophy of evolution, working every day to create cutting-edge technological solutions that empower human talent and take the translation industry into the future.

Environmental and social sustainability are integral to our identity as a certified Benefit Corporation with two aims, profit and social impact, both of which are enshrined in our statute. We consider it an honor and a privilege to be a part of an international community of companies operating to the highest standards of sustainability.

And last but not least, ensuring that all our employees, be they male or female, mothers or fathers, have a proper work/life balance is a core principle of our business culture. As our statute states, our overall business aim is the happiness of everyone who works at our company, which is why we’ve brought in all the time-saving services requested by our people to make their lives that little bit easier: home-delivered laundry, fitness courses in our company gym and flexible smart working as a key part of our organizational model. And every year, we renew the supplementary agreement which sets out and protects these employee advantages and benefits.

“This is the type of company I wanted to create and always believed in. No longer am I in charge of a profit-making machine, like my previous company was, but I’m much prouder and more satisfied. I feel like the custodian of a small, passionate start-up built on strong values and great people – an organization aiming to change the world for the better. It’s given me a new lease on life, as a woman and as an entrepreneur.”
Laura Gori

The Donna in Affari 10th anniversary celebration event in Rome began with a welcome message from Mayor of Rome Virginia Raggi, while other participants included:

Elena Bonetti, Minister for Equal Opportunity and Families
Francesca Bagni Cipriani, National Equality Advisor
Senator Patty L’Abbate, who donated a copy of her latest book “Una nuova economia ecologica” [A new ecological economy] to all finalists

Tiziana Ciprini MP, a signatory on the legislation on equal pay between men and women
Francesca Puglisi, Undersecretary for Labor and Social Policy
Ester Rotoli, head of the central prevention unit at INAIL
Silvia Mattoni, head of communications at CNR
Maurizio Mosca, from the Department of Equal Opportunity (Prime Minister’s Office)
Anna Maria Crispino, president of Impresa Donna Confesercenti
Valeria Giaccari, president of the Committee for the Promotion of Female Entrepreneurship

Rita Assogna, honorary president of ITWIIN (Italian Association of Female Inventors and Innovators), co-founder of Selena and a UN representative for IFBPW (International Federation of Business and Professional Women) in Vienna
The event was presented by anchorwoman, presenter and journalist Paola Zanoni.