Champions of Change: Our International Women’s Day event highlighting remarkable achievements

In honor of International Women’s Day, Global Impact hosted a virtual event that celebrated the remarkable achievements of women as agents of change. The event featured speakers from three renowned charities — CARE, UNICEF USA, and Plan International USA — who shared inspiring stories of women making a difference around the world. Hear their stories and see their impact in the recording of event. It’s great for a quick break when you need to add something fun and positive into your day!

We also honored three exceptional women — Alicia Procello, Kristine Kosek, and Annie-Rose Chow — as Champions of Change for their outstanding leadership and commitment to making a positive impact in their workplaces and beyond. These women live out Global Impact’s mission of inspiring greater giving and have a far-reaching impact that inspires others to become changemakers in their own workplaces.

Alicia Procello

We named Alicia Procello as a Champion of Change for her remarkable contributions to corporate social responsibility and community investment over her 25-year career. Currently serving as vice president of corporate social responsibility and president of the Avery Dennison Foundation at Avery Dennison Corporation, Alicia manages life-changing, multimillion-dollar grant programs worldwide.

Her commitment extends beyond her professional life, as she volunteers for Public Health Advocates and Volunteers of America Los Angeles. Alicia’s involvement with the African American Board Leadership Institute and her past role as a Board Member of Southern California Grantmakers also showcase her dedication to community engagement.

Under her leadership, in partnership with Global Impact’s Employee Assistance Program offerings, the Avery Dennison Foundation has successfully launched a Crisis Fund to provide crucial support to employees and communities in need. This program grew out of their incredibly successful COVID fund that provided support to nearly 4,300 employees in 30 countries from 2020-2023. Just this year, through their new crisis fund, Avery Dennison Foundation supported 475 employees who were impacted by devasting flooding in China.

Beyond caring for their employees, the organization has made significant grants to two Global Impact charity partners, Action Against Hunger and Islamic Relief USA, prioritizing and trusting them to use the grant dollars where needed most and where they could make the biggest impact. Alicia is truly a Champion of Change, inspiring others to care for one another and support communities in times of need.

Annie-Rose Chow

Annie-Rose Chow was honored as a Champion of Change for her exceptional journey and contributions to the hospitality industry. Annie-Rose has 15 years with Four Seasons under her belt, starting her career as an intern at Four Seasons Hotel Sydney, then going on to Four Seasons Hotel Silicon Valley, and Four Seasons Resort Maui. Her commitment to learning and development brought her to her current role at Four Seasons Maui, where she now excels in people and culture, shaping the company’s most valuable asset — its people.

Annie-Rose’s leadership was particularly evident this past year when she fearlessly guided the Four Seasons Maui team through the tragedy of the Maui wildfires. She partnered with Global Impact to utilize the Four Seasons Golden Rule Relief Fund to give support to her affected colleagues. Her dedication to ensuring all employees were aware of and could access the fund underscores her commitment to the well-being of her team.

Her efforts, alongside the leadership team, provided crucial support to employees through assistance grants, mental health counseling, and other critical aid. Annie-Rose’s story is a testament to resilience, empathy, and inspiring leadership, making her a true Champion of Change.

Learn how you can launch an employee assistance program at your workplace so you can support your colleagues in their time of need just like Annie-Rose!

Kristine Kosek

Kristine Kosek, community relations manager at C.H. Robinson, was our final Champion of Change. In her role, Kristine leads Robinson Cares, C.H. Robinson’s employee engagement program driving progress on social impact within an ESG strategy. She also oversees $4 million in grantmaking through the C.H. Robinson Foundation to organizations making a meaningful difference. Kristine’s previous experience includes strategic positions in philanthropy and social impact at Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies, Otto Bremer Trust, and Best Buy.

Beyond her professional achievements, Kristine is deeply involved in the Northeast Minneapolis arts and music community, and she serves on the Board of East Side Neighborhood Services. Her commitment to making a positive impact on people, communities, industries, and the planet through charitable donations and program support is truly inspiring.

Global Impact also collaborated with Kristine for a special event that featured their Latinx employee resource group, highlighted our End Hunger Fund, and hosted charity speakers, which made a huge impact on C.H. Robinson employees and the charities involved. Kristine’s leadership, particularly highlighted by spearheading engaging and impactful employee engagement opportunities, showcases her commitment to creating lasting change and inspiring others to make a positive impact on their communities.

Check out how you can offer effortless employee engagement with events and see examples of events similar to C.H. Robinson’s.

The event was a powerful reminder of the incredible potential of women to drive positive change and participants had a chance to reflect on this themselves. Everyone in the audience was asked to think of a woman in their life who had made an impact on them. Together, we created this collection of names as a representation of empowered women around the world.

To cap off our celebration of International Women’s Day, we issued a call to action to support the Women & Girls Fund, directly benefiting our charities’ impactful work.

We are so grateful for everyone’s generosity and support of this lovely event! You can view a recording of the event here to hear directly from our speakers.

Want to host something like this at your company? We can help. Contact us to learn more about our custom solutions for your workplace.