Women in Negotiations – A Tool for Self-Advocacy

Catherine Smith is Chair of the Professional Women’s Network (under the Chamber) and has been an active board member of the Chamber for more than 4 years. She has lived in Myanmar for more than 7 years, where she has established several successful startups, in business services and tourism, acted as advisor on market entry to overseas companies, and consulted to foreign and local businesses on tourism, marketing, property and consumer services.

Catherine is currently running her own business – Pragma Ventures – which is focused on reviving sericulture in Myanmar. Pragma works with, and trains farmers in Chin State to support mulberry planting for silk production, and then develops hand-woven product for local sale and export.

Catherine is passionate about female empowerment in her business - Pragma runs regular training programs with farmers and weavers to encourage farming communities to amplify the voice of women in daily life, and elevate them to leadership roles.

Venera Kusari has more than 10 years of experience working as a researcher, trainer, and manager of international projects in peacebuilding and human rights within international organizations and academia.

She currently serves as Executive Director at the American University of Yangon.

She is an experienced facilitator-trainer and has led numerous workshops with stakeholders on topics including as ‘Conflict Resolution and Cooperation in the Workplace, Women and Negotiations’.

She holds a graduate degree in Negotiation and Conflict Resolution from Columbia University, where she was also awarded the Fellowship in Communication Theory (in conjunction with the CMM Institute - Coordinated Management of Meaning).

Venera is originally from Kosovo and has lived and worked internationally in the US, Norway, Colombia, and Myanmar. She is committed and passionate about influencing positive change through her work in personal and social development. She believes that social change starts by creating spaces that promote constructive communication and equality-based practices within organized units such as workplaces, families, communities, and political institutions.