MIES (Switzerland) - FIBA Regional Office Europe is hosting its second webinar for Women in Leadership (WiLEAD) from March 9 to 11, as part of the TIME-OUT 2.0 project. The webinar is taking place in conjunction with International Women's Day on March 8.

Co-funded by the European Union's Erasmus+ Sport program, the TIME-OUT 2.0 project aims to promote education in and through sport by developing skills that athletes and National Federations will utilize in their future careers away from the court, and also incorporates the SWISH program.  

WiLEAD has been designed to identify, educate, motivate and develop the next generation of female leaders in management and administration, whilst also increasing gender diversity by creating new pathways and support networks. Meanwhile, the mission for the SWISH program is to focus on the importance of being compliant with integrity policies and successfully understand FIBA's regulations.

This week's WiLEAD webinar, which has 31 female participants selected by 28 European National Federations, focuses on providing further opportunities for talented and motivated women working in their federation to further develop their careers and work together to increase the growth and visibility of the women's game across Europe and the world.

The program includes two 3-day webinars with leading female speakers from the world of sport, business and politics delivering impactful keynote speeches to the selected participants, and sharing their individual experiences and pathway to the top of their careers.

On Tuesday, March 9, Australian journalist and presenter of ABC NewsRadio, Tracy Holmes, spoke about the subject of "Women in Media, TV and Communications" and on March 10, Karen Doubilet, the Executive Director of PeacePlayers International, will serve as a keynote speaker on the topic of "Corporate Social Responsibility through Basketball", while on the subject of "Women in Other Sports", UEFA's Chief of Women's Football, Nadine Kessler, will serve as the keynote speaker.

The involvement of Kessler, a former German national team football star honored as FIFA World Player of the Year at the 2014 FIFA Ballon d'Or, is another example of the strong relationship shared by FIBA and UEFA. Last month UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin was welcomed to FIBA headquarters to discuss various topics around team sports and international club competitions with FIBA Secretary General Andreas Zagklis. 

Kessler's address will be followed by a panel discussion to be hosted by former Finnish basketball star and a TIME-OUT graduate, Tiina Sten. Taking part in the panel discussion, which will center on women in leadership roles and equality, will be Veronika Muehlhofer (CEO, Swiss Rugby Union), Maja Poljak, (Events Coordinator, CEV), Elisabeth Egnell, (Development Director, Swedish Skiing Association) and Carlota Castrejana, (SG, Royal Spanish Athletics Federation).

 For more information on the WiLEAD and SWISH programs, click here.

 FIBA