Entrepreneur and former luxury pets company PetsPyjamas CEO Gracia Amico told Cypriot businesswomen this week that “every woman should have the confidence, strength and independence to follow her dream career path.”
Speaking at the #IncredibleWomen event hosted by the professional women’s organisation AIPFE Cyprus-Women of Europe, Amico shared some of her own experiences in achieving corporate success.
“You have to work hard to reach the top, but eventually, it all gets easier,” said Amico highlighting the importance of work-life balance and focusing on our health and wellbeing.
“As women, I think we have certain attributes that are incredibly useful in business. Our stamina is impressive. Our intuition, 360-degree view, eloquence, compassion, drive, cultural understanding and ability to listen on top of the usual business requirements are all attributes that can make a good leader great.”
In her speech on ‘Successful Women in Business’, she said professional women should “be brave and have the confidence it takes to pursue your goals,” to “commit to your plan and stay passionate about it,” to be “the very best you can be”.
“Excellence prevails and gets noticed,” that “networking is an incredibly important tool” and concluded that “in this fast-paced world, stay curious and keep learning.”
Launched in 2017, #IncredibleWomen is one of AIPFE’s most thriving female empowerment series which aims to inspire, motivate, connect and mobilise women and men alike to pursue their dreams and ambitions.
The series highlights women from all walks of life engaged in astounding ventures that empower, teach resilience, business acumen and taking a leap of faith.
Amico, whose experience includes working for global multi-channel retailers and entrepreneurial pure players, was part of the first wave of e-commerce start-ups back in 2000, securing venture capital investment for her own dotcom company.
Most recently, she held the position of CEO at PetsPyjamas, is a mentor to senior e-commerce executives and an ambassador in the Retail Week Be Inspired Campaign for young female entrepreneurs.
Amongst collecting a multitude of industry awards Amico was in 2015 and 2016 recognised as one of the top 50 most powerful people in online retail with her entry in the top 50 Retail Week Power List.
In 2018, she was granted the Equality Impact Award, which is awarded to an honorary group of women in the tech industry.
