Empowering women through innovation and technology, SLT-MOBITEL, celebrated International Women’s Day 2023 (IWD) recently, with an event to showcase distinguished Sri Lankan women who have achieved substantially in their careers while positively contributing to the nation’s economy and communities. The SLT-MOBITEL IWD event is part of a series of activities organised by SLT-MOBITEL this year, as the brand embarks on a journey to ensure the internet offers an equal, accessible, and safe platform for everyone. ’SmartHERNation’ is an initiative to narrow the digital divide between men and women in Sri Lanka, to empower HER, and in turn enable HER to contribute towards a digitally enabled, smarter nation. The IWD event which took place at One Galle Face - Ocean Avenue Atrium, hosted Prabodhanie Kumari Wanigasundara, Chief Operating Officer, DOK Solutions Lanka (Pvt) Ltd, a professional marketer, operations specialist and Senior Visiting Lecturer, T. L. A. Lasanthi Chathurika, a young enthusiastic Licensed Aircraft Engineer with more than a decade of hands-on experience in live Airbus aircraft, and who also holds the honour of being the first female licensed aircraft maintenance engineer, Luna Peech, an accomplished individual in the financial and accounting sector who is now recognised for her social media and gaming expertise and having achieved the highest number of followers in the Apex Legend Community in Sri Lanka and Dr Natalie Cooke, Chairperson and Medical Director of Nature’s Healing Ceylon (NHC) an Integrative Medical Facility which treats Diabetes, Kidney Failure, Cancer, Neurogenerative Disease, Autism etc. and specialises in minimizing chemical-based drugs and optimizing patient health. These eminent personalities addressed the gathering and discussed their career journeys and the challenges they have faced along the way. They also addressed how they have overcome the issues of gender disparity, discrimination and stereotyping in their line of work and importantly what actions taken to successfully break the norms, while emphasizing the importance of digital literacy and technological innovations that enable gender equity. The event also included a lively and thought-provoking question and answer session. Rohan Fernando, Chairman, of SLT Group graced the occasion including senior SLT-MOBITEL personnel and invitees. Tokens of appreciation were presented to the panelists. The event showcased the brand’s commitment to the cause and strengthened the narrative of bringing to life the dream of a digitally enabled SmartHERNation.