Speakers, inspiring change…
Women Powerhouse Hour
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DAY 1
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Women Powerhouse Hour 〰️ DAY 1 〰️
Miriam Mona Mukalazi, VIDC
Keynotes - Day 1
Responsible of the Africa Policy Programme at the Vienna Institute for International Dialogue and Cooperation (VIDC)
Miriam Mona Mukalazi holds a PhD in Political Science with a specialisation in the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda of the African Union and the European Union. She leads the Africa Policy Programme at the Vienna Institute for International Dialogue and Cooperation (VIDC), where her work focuses on Africa–Europe relations, particularly in the areas of peace and security.
Previously, she was a Max Weber Postdoctoral Fellow at the European University Institute in Florence and conducted research at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., as well as at the Institute for Peace and Security Studies in Addis Ababa. Miriam M. Mukalazi began her career at UN Women Germany, and worked as a consultant for the Centre for Feminist Foreign Policy, the World Bank, Heinrich-Böll Foundation, Friedrich-Ebert Foundation, and the European Commission.
As an expert on feminist security policies, she has been invited to the Foreign Affairs Committee of the German Bundestag. Miriam has published commentaries in outlets such as Foreign Policy, Die Presse, Der Standard, WDR, ZEIT Campus or Deutschlandfunk. She has received stipends from the Charlemagne Prize Academy, the Bertelsmann Foundation, DIE ZEIT, and the FutureLab Europe to name a few.
Margaret Akullo, MENTOR
Women Powerhouse Hour - Day 1
Motto: Leads with empathy. Inspires change.
Margaret Akullo is a Ugandan diasporan woman whose global career reflects the spirit of resilience and renewal at the heart of EmpowerHer 2026. With more than 30 years of experience in international development, criminal justice reform, and leadership mentoring, she has supported institutions and individuals to design solutions that create meaningful, lasting change.
A criminologist by training, Margaret served in leadership roles with the London(UK) Metropolitan Police Service, a leading African NGO in the UK and within the United Nations (Thailand, Austria, Ethiopia), where she led transformative programmes across more than 20 countries. Her work strengthened responses to human trafficking, child exploitation, migrant smuggling, and broader criminal justice challenges - always grounded in empathy, gender equality, and the conviction that diverse voices are essential to progress.
Beyond her global leadership work, Margaret is also the author of the Leadership Reflections Series on LinkedIn, Medium, and Instagram. Through these writings, she shares thoughtful, cross-cultural insights shaped by lived experience, African heritage, and a belief that leadership is both personal and collective. Her reflections encourage emerging leaders to embrace authenticity, cultural humility, connection, and courage as they navigate their own leadership journeys — echoing the relational, community-rooted leadership she models.
Today, Margaret is an independent mentor, supporting emerging leaders as they navigate complex challenges and build the confidence to lead with integrity. She is the creator of the Mindset-to-Output Mentorship Programme, a structured pathway that helps young leaders turn ideas into high-quality, purpose-driven deliverables. Her philosophy is simple: leadership is a mindset and a practice — and when we strengthen the mind, we transform the world around us.
At EmpowerHer 2026, Margaret joins the Women Powerhouse Hours session as one of three dynamic speakers. With a warm, relatable presence and a career shaped by courage and service, she embodies the journey from resilience to renaissance. Her message inspires women and allies to rise, reclaim their power, and lead change rooted in empathy, clarity, and conviction.
Lynette Penkner, FOUNDER
Women Powerhouse Hour - Day 1
Founder | Regenerative Food & Farming Advocate | Sustainable Travel & Hospitality Entrepreneur | Climate & Impact Venture Builder
Lynette is a multi-passionate entrepreneur building across climate tech, regenerative systems, and resilient travel to create solutions that actually move the needle.
Across her ventures, one theme is consistent: she helps people and places thrive by aligning nature, local communities, and business innovation. What sets her apart? She builds businesses the same way she builds teams with purpose, heart, and decisive action. She’s created high-performing teams from scratch and grown businesses in hard-to-crack and virgin markets. As a multi-passionate entrepreneur, She is driven by one mission: to create opportunities, fuel growth, and champion initiatives that leave a lasting impact.
Her experience spans entrepreneurship, finance, business development, recruitment, climate action, and advocacy equipping me with both strategic vision and a bias for action. From breaking into new markets to navigating complex business landscapes, she’s learned that resilience, adaptability, and strategy are advantages. She thrives on turning ambitious ideas into tangible realities, always leading with creativity and pragmatism.
Wemimo, ARTIST
Women Powerhouse Hour - Day 1
Performing | Recording | Visual Artist, Singer / Songwritter
Wemimo is a multidisciplinary artist with Yoruba and Viennese heritage, raised internationally, whose work bridges music, performance, and cultural storytelling.
Trained in musical theatre, she brings extensive experience as a dancer, model, and actress, with her live performances centered on Afro-House (Wemi Blue) and intimate acoustic guitar sets (Wemimo Acoustics), while her musical project and releases span genres from film music, to funk to hip-hop (Almost Famous).
She founded her company offering vocal coaching, music event packages and commissioned art, forming her second professional pillar
Panel discussion
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DAY 2
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Panel discussion 〰️ DAY 2 〰️
Photo: Tespa
Miriam Imarhiagbe
Co-founder of and Attorney-at-law at nova*legal
Miriam is co-founder of and attorney-at-law at nova*legal. She is advising small and medium-sized enterprises on corporate and commercial law matters, with a particular focus on tech companies and entrepreneurs with international backgrounds.
She supports founders and business owners in structuring their companies, navigating regulatory requirements, and managing legal risk in complex and evolving markets. Her work is defined by a practical, business-oriented approach: Miriam translates legal complexity into clear, workable solutions that align with her clients’ strategic and commercial goals. She is particularly committed to supporting her clients’ growth, working closely with them as a trusted advisor and sparring partner across all stages of development.
Alongside her legal practice, Miriam regularly hosts workshops and trainings for business professionals, sharing practical insights drawn directly from her advisory work.
Motunrayo Olaogun
Career and life coach | Sales and Business Manager at Prada
Motunrayo Olaogun is a career and life coach shaped by contrast — and strengthened by transition. Her profound entrepreneurship journey began when she founded Ayo Van Elmar, an African luxury brand she built and led for 12 years across Europe and Africa. In 2020, she chose to deepen her leadership lens with an Executive MBA at HEC Paris, stepping into a new chapter with the same boldness that first sparked her brand.
However, Motunrayo’s story doesn’t follow the usual script. While many moved from corporate life into entrepreneurship, she did the reverse. She intentionally transitioned from founder to corporate leader. It was not a retreat from ambition, but an evolution of it: a deliberate shift into strategic reinvention. A real-time example of moving from resilience to renaissance, embracing disruption, accepting the discomfort of being “new” again, and meeting each challenge with openness, humility, and grit.
Her resilience was forged early. As a teenager, she relocated from the vibrant rhythm of Lagos to the quiet precision of Vienna, a cultural pivot that demanded adaptation, emotional agility, and a new way of belonging. That early experience became a foundation: the ability to reset, reframe, and rebuild, not once, but repeatedly.
Today, as a Sales and Business Manager at Prada, Motunrayo continues to lead with performance and purpose. Alongside her corporate role, she coaches leaders and executives across diverse backgrounds, helping them uncover hidden potential, expand their capacity, and translate challenges into clarity and momentum. For her, leadership is not just about rising — it’s about returning to yourself with more intention, and helping others do the same.
Lisa Maria Stier
Founder of Social media marketing agency “Boomup Agentur”
Lisa is what she lovingly calls a “disaster expert”—by education and by experience. With a degree in geography, she started out studying natural disasters, only to later navigate some very human ones herself. After leading an ambitious entertainment restaurant in Vienna that ultimately failed, she rebuilt her life and career from the ground up.
Today, she’s the founder of a social media marketing agency and a passionate advocate for resilience, creativity, and authentic leadership. Lisa believes that life is far too short to make all the mistakes yourself, so she generously shares the lessons she learned about money, law, trust, and starting over.
To her, letting go at the right moment isn’t giving up—it’s creating space for something new. With humor, warmth, and a refreshingly honest perspective, she inspires others—especially women in leadership—to explore themselves, embrace change, and discover the world with curiosity and courage.
Atelier
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DAY 2
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Atelier 〰️ DAY 2 〰️
Christina & Bistra
EmpowerHer Atelier: “Danger of the single narratives” - Day 2
Deputy director and President of Civic Initiatives Austria
Christina Forster is the deputy director of Civic Initiatives Austria. Her professional background is in communication, with a strong focus on inclusion and the design of events and initiatives that address social cohesion and belonging. Personally, she has long been drawn to international communities and has been curious about why integration remains such a complex challenge at the systemic and societal level. Having lived abroad in three different countries for over ten years by choice, she gained first-hand insight into the realities of integration from the perspective of being “the other”, an experience that deeply shaped her work. Since returning to Vienna, she has been committed to contributing to integration efforts and to actively challenging the danger of the single narrative.
Bistra Kumbaroska is the President of Civic Initiatives Austria, where she works international communities based in Austria to bring change and inclusion in everyday ife. With a rich background spanning Europe, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Southeast Asia, Bistra’s work has been shaped by deep engagement with diverse communities and a commitment to understanding how power, belonging, and story intersect. Her practice centers on resisting reductive ideas that flatten human experience, making the “danger of the single narrative” not only an intellectual concern but a lived one: a call to nurture multiplicity, listening, and empathetic connection in a fragmented world.
Wellbeing Workshop Sessions
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DAY 2
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Wellbeing Workshop Sessions 〰️ DAY 2 〰️
Enzo & Laïla, Lab'Oratoire
“Healing & Empowerment Through Theatre“ - Day 2
Enzo Visca is a French playwright, actor, and stage director. He is the Founder and President of Lab'Oratoire, a performance art association dedicated to theatre and film production in Vienna. He trained at the Acting Studio in Lyon under Joëlle Sevilla, and has performed a wide range of classical and contemporary roles. Based in Vienna since 2023, he wrote, directed and acted in his first play, Si tu tendais la main, first presented in workshop form in April 2024 and later produced at TheaterArche in February 2025. He subsequently joined the stage adaptation of Robert Musil's The Man Without Qualities (Der Mann ohne Eigenschaften), produced and directed by Jakub Kavin, at TheaterArche.
Laïla Dine is a French-Moroccan stage actress who has worked for many years on Parisian stages. She trained within a professional theatre troupe and has extensive experience in preparing students for entrance examinations to drama schools, developing a strong specialisation in actor training. Her work focuses on acting methods, with a rigorous approach to stage embodiment, dramaturgical construction, and interpretation. Her repertoire spans classical tragedy and contemporary creation. Most recently, she co-directed and performed in Si tu tends la main at TheaterArche.
Lab'Oratoire is a French-speaking/International creative Lab' that develops bold, raw, and collective theatre and short film projects. Through in-depth acting training and shared artistic practice, the Lab' fosters meaningful stage and screen creations rooted in experimentation, collaboration, and artistic rigour. Founded in 2025, Lab'Oratoire is a Vienna-based association dedicated to exploring oratory, performance, and audiovisual creation as tools for expression, reflection, and storytelling. The Lab' offers a space where theatre, speech, text, the body, and image are actively explored and shaped through practice. While based in Vienna, Lab'Oratoire is outward-looking, engaging with contemporary artistic movements beyond local borders. Its activities span from stage productions, short film projects to visual research and script writing, all driven by a commitment to innovation, inclusivity, and collective creation.
Ravali, Yoga Teacher
“Renaissance Yoga: Flow into Renewal“ - Day 2
Hi, I’m Ravali. I grew up in a small village in South India, where yoga was not something we “practised” , it was simply part of daily life, woven into breath, prayer, food, and rhythm.
Over time, through my own journey of unlearning and remembering, I began to understand the depth and complexity of this tradition. Time spent learning with monks and teachers in the Himalayas continues to shape how I share yoga today not as a collection of techniques, but as a practice of presence, care, and coming home to oneself.
I am a yoga practitioner and teacher with a background in Peace and Conflict Studies, and I hold a Master’s degree focused on decolonial approaches to yoga. My master’s thesis, Decolonizing Yoga: Honouring the Roots of Yoga through Autoethnographic Inquiry into Appropriation and Resistance, explores yoga as a living tradition shaped by history, power, and responsibility, and reflects on my own experience navigating Western yoga spaces as a South Indian woman.
My teaching is slow, grounding, and rooted in authenticity. I care deeply about creating spaces where people feel safe to soften, rest, question, listen and be held, spaces that honour both the personal and the collective dimensions of practice.
Marie Spaemann, Singer/Songwriter | Holistic breathing Coach
“Breathing for Resilience“ - Day 2
The musical journey of cellist and singer/songwriter Marie Spaemann is shaped by an active and varied concert schedule as well as a fascination and curiosity for the diversity of the creative process and contemplative approaches to music making.
She performs regularly both in chamber music ensembles as well as a soloist in the accompaniment of numerous orchestras (including the North German Philharmonic, the Zagreb Philharmonic, the Croatian Chamber Orchestra, and most recently the Beethoven Orchestra Bonn 2023). In addition to her classical career, Marie Spaemann is a singer-songwriter and uses her cello in tango nuevo and soul/jazz in a variety of ways. Both her solo project and her duo with accordionist Christian Bakanic take her to various stages at international festivals; including the “Tiroler Festspiele Erl”, the “Mecklenburg-Vorpommern” and “Schleßwig-Holstein Festival”, “Heidelberger Frühling”, the “Cellobiennale Amsterdam”, “Puplinge Calssique”, the South Korean festival “Classic Garden” and “ Konzerthaus International” in New York. Between 2018 and 2021, Marie toured the arenas of Europe as a soloist in the film music production “The World of Hans Zimmer”. In addition to her performances, Marie Spaemann accompanies female musicians and performers in her work as a holistic breathing coach and “creative companion”.
Otalia, Founder of Sawashea Greengold
“Beauty in Resilience: Self-Care as Empowerment“ - Day 2
SaWaShea – The Green Gold for your Wellbeing was founded by Otalia Sacko and is a social enterprise selling handmade shea butter, produced by the women cooperative Wobeh. The idea for SaWaShea took-off, when the founder traveled to the northern region of her home country of Cote D’Ivoire to network with five cooperatives producing shea butter.
SaWaShea’s work focuses on several issues; including education about the many uses of the shea tree, as well as sustainability. “Shea is a slow product, and it should remain so”. Ultimately, the women in Cote D’Ivoire should have the opportunity to market and sell their product themselves.
The long-term vision of SaWaShea is holistic; it should not “only” be about the product and consumption, but rather about the promotion of general well-being. Shea butter, or shea, can be seen as the link to a range of topics related to well-being. SaWaShea regularly holds online talk events entitled “The Well-Being Talk”, where people can learn about different uses for shea butter, for example for their hair, massages or relaxation.