President’s Welcome

“Welcome to our global community.

Whether you are a member, chapter leader, partner or discovering us for the first time, I am delighted you are here. OWIT is more than a global network — it is a platform for connection, capability and commercial growth for women leaders and professionals engaged in international trade.

International trade is not neutral. It either opens doors — or leaves them closed. OWIT exists to ensure those doors open wider for women across markets, sectors and regions.

Global trade is being reshaped in real time. Supply chains are recalibrating, digital platforms are intensifying competition, sustainability standards are tightening and capital is becoming more selective. Amid these shifts, women continue to face systemic barriers within trade and financial infrastructures. Access to capital remains uneven. Procurement systems often favour established networks. Trade finance products are rarely designed with women-led businesses in mind. Informal gatekeeping, regulatory complexity and underrepresentation in decision-making spaces continue to slow progress. Capability is not the issue. Infrastructure often is.

Our role as OWIT International is therefore both practical and strategic: to strengthen the commercial capability, connectivity and credibility of women in international trade, while contributing to the conversations that shape access, finance and market structures.

OWIT operates as a global ecosystem of chapters working across industries — from professional services and finance to manufacturing, technology and logistics. Across our chapters, women are negotiating contracts, leading trade missions, shaping procurement conversations, advising institutions and scaling cross-border businesses. Internationally, our responsibility is to create alignment so that local success translates into global influence.

Our global footprint is our strength. While each chapter responds to its own context, we remain aligned around shared priorities that guide our thinking, programming, partnerships and positioning.

Over this term, we will strengthen OWIT’s voice, deepen strategic partnerships and ensure we are a more connected, more strategic and financially resilient organisation — focused on measurable outcomes.

Women are not waiting to be included in global trade. They are building, exporting, negotiating and innovating. When women participate fully in international trade, growth is more competitive, more innovative and more sustainable. This defines our work.

I invite you to join us in shaping a stronger, fairer and more commercially robust global trading environment for women everywhere.

With Warm Regards,
Noreen Burroughes Cesareo MBE
President, Organization of Women in International Trade (OWIT)

OWIT’s Background

OWIT was established in 1989 and is a global association for women in international trade and business. Our 2,000-plus members impact hundreds of millions of dollars in trade and business transactions annually. OWIT’s focus is on adding value to our corporate, mid-sized, small business and individual members around the world. OWIT serves as the unifying body of a network of chapters spanning the globe in the Americas, Western Europe, and Africa. OWIT also supports a “Virtual Chapter” for individuals involved in international trade and business who do not have access to a local OWIT chapter where they reside or work. Membership in a local or the Virtual Chapter gives automatic access to the OWIT International network.

OWIT’s Mission

The primary mission of OWIT is to support the advancement of women in international trade and business. To successfully accomplish this mission, we welcome men (that support the advancement of women in international trade) and women from around the world. We facilitate relationship-building through our growing network of members, provide educational and professional development programs, and partner with organizations that share our mission. Please explore this website, where you can learn about our story and our program offerings. We encourage you to join us and volunteer!

OWIT Chapters

Did you know we have OWIT chapters in:

Arkansas – Brussels – Charleston – Dominican Republic – Lake Geneva – Los Angeles – Mexico City – Monterrey – Nairobi – New Jersey – New York City – Nigeria – Northern California – Orange County – Ottawa – Peru – South Florida – St. Louis – Tampa Bay – Toronto – United Kingdom – Virtual – Washington DC – Zimbabwe

How to Join OWIT

You can become a member of OWIT by joining an existing local chapter, our virtual chapter, or by starting your own chapter. To learn more, please explore the “join us” tab on the website.

Volunteer with OWIT

OWIT International needs you! We have 9 amazing committees that seek volunteers. If you are interested (or want help deciding which is the right committee for you), please contact OWIT President, Hulya Kurt at president@owit.org or the committee chairs directly below.

Chapter Development: Are you interested in helping grow the OWIT network around the world? If so, this is the committee for you, contact vp-chapterdevelopment@owit.org to assist!
Chapter Support: Are you interested in helping OWIT chapters learn the benefits of the OWIT network? If so, this is the committee for you, contact VP-ChapterSupport@owit.org to assist!
Conference: Are you interested in helping with OWIT’s conference to ensure it is a success, with amazing speakers from all over the world, and all members of OWIT around the world attend? If so, this is the committee for you, contact vp-conference@owit.org to assist!
Marketing: Are you interested in helping with OWIT’s newsletters and press releases? If so, this is the committee for you, contact VP-Marketing@owit.org to assist!
Partnership: Are you interested in working with OWIT’s premier partners to increase the profile of OWIT around the world? If so, this is the committee for you, contact VP-Partnerships@owit.org to assist!
Programming: Are you interested in helping with OWIT’s webinars? If so, this is the committee for you, contact vp-programs@owit.org to assist!
Social Media: Are you interested in helping with keeping OWIT’s social media active and up to date? If so, this is the committee for you, contact vp-it@owit.org to assist!
Sponsorship: Are you interested in helping raise funds for this much-deserved organization via our small business sponsorship, corporate sponsorship, webinar sponsorship, and conference sponsorship? If so, this is the committee for you, contact vp-sponsorship@owit.org to assist!
Virtual: Are you interested in helping ensure OWIT’s virtual members who don’t have a chapter near them feel included within the OWIT network? If so, this is the committee for you, contact admin@owit.org to assist!

About OWIT’s President

Noreen Burroughes Cesareo MBE is President of OWIT International for the 2026–2028 term, having previously served as Executive Vice President of the organisation and as Founding President of OWIT UK.

A strategist by background, she is Founder and Principal of Market Accents, a UK-based advisory firm specialising in international trade, growth strategy and market expansion. Over three decades, she has worked across financial and professional services, digital and technology sectors, logistics, hospitality and international development — supporting institutions, governments and growth-stage businesses to strengthen market positioning and commercial performance.

Her work spans inclusive trade policy, gender-smart finance and export readiness, including collaboration with multilateral institutions, financial bodies and trade organisations. She is particularly focused on bridging enterprise capability with access to finance, procurement systems and global market opportunity.

In 2025, she was awarded an MBE in His Majesty The King’s Birthday Honours for services to Women in International Trade and Entrepreneurship.

As President of OWIT International, she brings a commercially grounded, globally connected and outcomes-focused approach — committed to strengthening the organisation’s strategic coherence, partnerships and measurable impact across its worldwide chapters.