Fanny Hugé, a final year student in the Grande Ecole Program, is the winner of the Jane M. Klausman "Women in Business" Award from Zonta International
An International Prize to Fight Man-Woman Inequalities in Business
Jane M. Klausman’s “Women in Business” program at Zonta International was created in 1998 to encourage women to pursue a career and positions of responsibility in business. The program seeks to strengthen the voice of women in business by detecting High Potentials and encouraging them to pave the way for real changes for gender equality in the business world.
Sensitive to the fight against gender stereotypes, Fanny Hugé, a final year student of the Grande Ecole Program, was able to stand out thanks to an innovative educational project and thus won the international Zonta award a few days ago in Bulgaria. . She is also the second laureate from Montpellier Business School in 3 years. Benjamin Ferran, Head of Diversity and CSR at Montpellier Business School, said: “the prize takes into account not only the candidates’ studies but also the coherence of their professional project. “
The fight against stereotypes, internationalisation and IT: the three bases of Fanny’s project
To be a contender for the prize, each candidate must develop a personal project representing his / her values. In that regard, Fanny said: “I wanted to build my project around women’s self-censorship. According to Global Study, children enter gender stereotypes as young as ten years old. Explaining to children the dangers of these preconceptions can make a difference.
Fanny then chose to build her project based on the two strong pillars that marked her career: internationalisation and information technologies. “For more than a year, I have been studying alternately at Microsoft. When I applied, one of the recruitment steps was to choose one of the current products and develop a new use for it. The idea was then to use their free video conferencing tool and introduce it into classrooms around the world to create relationships between students around the Globe. This would allow the children to discuss their cultural differences and those who have to travel kilometres before reaching their school to take distance courses. The goal is to build trust, cultivate openness and reduce gender stereotypes. “
“We can make a difference if we believe in a cause and get involved without restrictions”
After winning the award, Fanny continues to refine her career plan and future commitments. “I had the opportunity to meet many women who are actively fighting for women’s rights today. To all the students who would consider participating in this Prize but who think they have no chance, I would like to tell them that nothing is impossible and that they have nothing to lose. You have to learn to trust yourself. We can make a difference if we believe in a cause and if we get involved without counting,” Fanny concludes.