Women entrepreneurs, particularly at the grassroots level, are getting a platform to showcase products and reach customers as Sonia Noel relaunches the Love Revolution and Women In Business Expo.

Noel, a fashion designer and entrepreneur, unveiled the initiatives at the Pegasus Hotel on Friday as she marked 30 years of work spanning fashion, entrepreneurship, creativity and community service. Both were first launched a decade ago.

She said the aim goes beyond encouraging women to start businesses.

"We don't want to just encourage them to launch businesses. We want to provide that platform and know how for them to stay in business and scale their businesses…And that is what the Women in Business Expo is about. For them to rise, for them, to strive for them, to create that change in the world," Noel said.

Foreign Affairs Ministry Diaspora Affairs Unit Head Rosalinda Rasul said the expo also helps women develop their skills. Many have extraordinary abilities but need such platforms to gain visibility and build businesses, she said.

Rasul said Noel's work over three decades shows the same commitment.

"When you look at her work over the past three decades, you realise that it is not just about passive words being tossed around," she said.

Women's Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Josephine Tapp said such platforms must do more than help women earn money.

"Economic empowerment is not just about helping women to make money. It's really about giving women greater control over their choices, their futures and their lives," she said.

Collaboration is equally important, said Noel's mentor, businessman Stanley Ming.
"The secret about building businesses is to find partners that share the same and commitment as you do," he said.

Sonia Noel speaks at the launch
Sonia Noel speaks at the launch