When females are educated and earn money through formal employment, families flourish. When women are represented across all levels of a busi­ness, then that business has superior productivity an financial performance. Westpac Fiji chief executive officer, Kip Hanna made this remarks during the bank’s International Women’s Day celebration and 2019 Westpac Women and Girls Education Grants in Suva yesterday.

“And when women are represented equally across an entire society, then economies and countries thrive.

“At Westpac, we have proven that having a diverse leadership group means that you make better decisions and create a company where both men and women feel welcome and supported.

Mr Hanna said the event forms part of what was once International Women’s day but has now grown into a week-long celebration of the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women.”

“Westpac’s sustainability commitments to Fiji are based around education, empowering women and financial inclusion.”

Mr Hanna also launched the 2019 Westpac Women and Girls Education Grants and invited women and girls to apply.

“I believe education is the key when we are talking about reaching a balanced society. It’s the silver bullet. We want to keep girls in school longer and encour­age women to further their studies or to return to study.

“We hope that by giving nine female students a financial boost each year through a contribution to their schooling, we give them a better chance to reach their full potential. The grant competition is open to all Fiji females resi­dents and to take part they simply need to provide a response to the following essay question ‘How can we build a balanced Fiji?’ This is a great initiative and would really appreciate your support in promoting the grant through your networks.”

There will be three scholarships available for each categories from primary school, secondary school and tertiary students. Scholarship entries closes on May 31.