CEO of Wikimedia Maryana Iskander

Womanity - Women in Unity

This week on Womanity-Women in Unity, Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to Maryana Iskander the Chief Executive Officer of the Wikimedia Foundation, the global nonprofit that supports Wikipedia. Previously she spent a decade as the CEO of Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator, a social enterprise building African solutions to tackle the global crisis of youth unemployment. Prior to that she served as Chief Operating Officer of Planned Parenthood Federation of America and as the Advisor to the President of Rice University. She shares some of the underlying philosophies that have driven her career, such as the idea of breaking down barriers in society and for people to have the ability to choose and make decisions for themselves. This helps achieve scale. In our discussion about Wikipedia, it is one of the most visited websites on the internet, with over 15 billion visits each month, “The last best place on the Internet”. Ms Iskander explains how Wikipedia works and describes some of the volunteer groups such as the Bashkir wikigrandmothers. We discuss how intrinsic drivers fuel success, especially self-confidence. Ms Iskander notes when women have genuine and deep confidence and are masters of their own destiny, they can do anything. Self-belief is the engine that enables women to move forward. In commemoration of International Women’s Day, Ms Iskander reminds us to acknowledge the women we know in our own lives, who inspire and motivate us and tell them. Happy International Women’s Day. Tune in for more…