Femmes Chefs d'Entreprises Mondiales - FCEM

What Femmes Chefs d'Entreprises Mondiales - FCEM does

Femmes Chefs d'Entreprises Mondiales (FCEM) is a French nonprofit association founded in 1945 by Yvonne Edmond Foinant, operating as a global federation of national women entrepreneurs associations across 120+ countries and five continents. It serves two primary customer segments: (1) national associations of women business leaders, which affiliate with FCEM to access cross-border collaboration, advocacy, and best-practice exchange, and (2) individual women entrepreneurs who join through their national association and gain access to networking, mentorship, awards, and competitions. FCEM is the only non-governmental organization with consultative status at the United Nations and the Council of Europe, and maintains representation at the EU, UNCTAD, UNIDO, UNDP, OECD, and ILO, giving it a distinctive advocacy position.

The organization's core technology stack is modest: FCEMSPACE is a templated member web page platform available in French, English, and Spanish; the FCEM Business Community is a HumHub-based social platform supporting member discussion by country, topic, and region; and the public website is WordPress-based. Programming is delivered through annual World Congresses (73rd scheduled for Prague in October 2026), a new FCEM European Summit launching in London in June 2026, multilingual Masterclass programs, the World Business Creation Competition, FCEM Awards including the Prix Yvonne Edmond Foinant, and a Spotify-distributed podcast. Sponsorship partnerships with BNP Paribas and Sixt, plus a technology partnership with Whiteready s.r.l. (Italy), support the operational backbone.

FCEM operates as a membership-based nonprofit financed primarily through annual membership fees set at the national association level and paid by national associations and individual members. Pricing is not publicly disclosed. The federated distribution model — where national associations are the exclusive channel for membership — is the core go-to-market mechanism, complemented by regional commissioners who recruit new countries. The organization is governed by a Worldwide President (Marie Christine Oghly since November 2017) and a Bureau Mondial, with a lean staff of 9 employees based in Paris and Charenton-le-Pont, France. No public revenue figures are disclosed.

Name

Femmes Chefs d'Entreprises Mondiales - FCEM

Legal name

ASSOCIATION LES FEMMES CHEFS D'ENTREPRISES MONDIALES (FCEM)

Website

https://fcem.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1945

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

FCEM is a French nonprofit founded in 1945 that operates a global federation of national women entrepreneurs associations across 120+ countries, serving women business owners through networking, advocacy, education, and annual congresses while holding consultative status at the United Nations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Business Association / Women Entrepreneurship Network

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Business Associations (81391), Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Multilateral Diplomacy & International Representation (UN, Regional Bodies) (BPAIAIAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Technical Committees, Working Groups & Expert Panels (BPADANAB)

Keywords

• Women business network
• Professional association membership
• Entrepreneurship advocacy
• Global business community
• Women leadership development

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership fees: FCEM generates revenue through annual membership fees paid by national associations and individual women entrepreneurs affiliated through those national bodies. Membership fees fund the organization's operations, events, and programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

FCEM is a global nonprofit association that connects women business leaders through a network of 120+ national associations across five continents, representing approximately 5 million women-owned businesses. Its core offerings include the FCEMSPACE member web page platform, the FCEM Business Community, multilingual Masterclass programs, an annual World Congress, FCEM Awards, and the World Business Creation Competition. The organization also provides advocacy and consultative representation at the United Nations, Council of Europe, EU, OECD, ILO, and other international bodies.

Product overview

FCEM (Femmes Chefs d'Entreprises Mondiales) is a global network association for women business leaders founded in 1945 in France. The organization offers a portfolio of interconnected services including FCEMSPACE for member web page creation, the FCEM Business Community powered by HumHub for networking, Masterclass educational programs in multiple languages, annual World Congress events, FCEM Awards recognizing entrepreneurial achievement, and the World Business Creation Competition. The network spans over 120 countries with approximately five million member businesses, and maintains consultative status with the United Nations and representation at the European Union, Council of Europe, UNIDO, UNDP, OECD, and ILO.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• FCEMSPACE: A sub-platform allowing FCEM members to create their own web pages and showcase their businesses

Products and services

• FCEMSPACE A digital platform enabling FCEM members to create and customize their own professional web pages with templates for company logo, presentation, features, about us, social media icons, and contact information. Multilingual support (French, English, Spanish).
• FCEM Business Community A member community platform powered by HumHub enabling networking, content sharing, calendar management, and collaboration among women entrepreneurs worldwide, with spaces organized by country, topic, and region.
• Masterclass Programs Educational professional development programs available in French, English, Spanish, and Italian for FCEM members, supporting entrepreneurship skills and business leadership.
• World Congress Annual international congress events bringing together women business leaders from around the world for networking, knowledge sharing, and collaboration. The 73rd World FCEM Congress is scheduled for Prague, Czech Republic, 4-9 October 2026.
• FCEM Awards Annual awards recognizing achievements of women entrepreneurs and member associations, including the Prix Yvonne Edmond Foinant, Association of the Year, Social Award, Woman & Industry Award, Art & Creation Award, Innovation Award, and Endurance Award.
• World Business Creation Competition Global competition promoting entrepreneurship by recognizing and supporting innovative business creation ideas from women entrepreneurs worldwide.
• ČMAPM Podcast Podcast series available on Spotify featuring discussions on entrepreneurship, business leadership, and women's economic empowerment.

Quantifiable outcome

• 5 million women-owned businesses represented globally across 120+ countries on 5 continents
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• CMAPM (Czech Republic)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 October 2026CMAPM, the Czech national member association of FCEM, is hosting the 73rd World FCEM Congress in Prague, Czech Republic, from 4-9 October 2026. This is a flagship annual event for FCEM, bringing together women business leaders from around the world.
• AIDDA & KAGIDER MoUcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 June 2020Italian AIDDA (Associazione Italiana Donne Dirigenti Imprenditrici) and Turkish KAGIDER (Association of Turkish Businesswomen) signed a Memorandum of Understanding on 8 June 2020 during a joint digital meeting. The MoU formalizes cooperation and intensified dialogue between the two associations. FCEM President Marie Christine Oghly participated in the virtual signing.
• Whiteready s.r.l.coreTechnology or IntegrationWhiteready s.r.l. (Italy) provides website implementation and hosting services for FCEM. They also provide hosting for the FCEM European Summit event page. Registered office: via Gianfrancesco Re 3 – 10146 Torino (Italy).
• BNP ParibasminorOthersBNP Paribas is listed as a sponsor or partner on the FCEM website footer.
• SixtminorOthersSixt is listed as a sponsor or partner on the FCEM website footer.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Female Founders Fund (F3): Venture fund and community supporting women-founded companies, with strong global visibility. Emerging player peer because it competes for the same women's-business-network mindshare via a venture-backed model rather than a federation model.
• Women in Tech Global: Global organization supporting women in technology through networking, awards, and conferences. Emerging player peer because it intersects with FCEM on women-business-leader visibility and international awards programming, though concentrated in a specific vertical.
• Women's Entrepreneurship Day Organization (WEDO): Global advocacy organization running an annual Women's Entrepreneurship Day observed at the UN and in 144 countries. Emerging player peer because it competes for the same multilateral-advocacy positioning and global 'women in business' brand real estate.

Direct peers

• WEConnect International: Global NGO that connects women-owned businesses to corporate supply chains and international markets. Direct peer because it operates an internationally federated model for women entrepreneurs and holds multilateral institutional access comparable to FCEM's UN advocacy footprint.
• FCE France (Femmes Chefs d'Entreprises): French national member association of FCEM (e.g., Nathalie Candelot cited as an FCE France member). Direct peer given identical mission, identical audience (women business owners), and structural affiliate relationship with FCEM.
• NAWBO (National Association of Women Business Owners): US national member association of FCEM (awarded FCEM Association of the Year 2016). Direct peer because it serves the same women business-owner constituency through a national-association model with networking, advocacy, and awards.
• Cherie Blair Foundation for Women: International foundation focused on women entrepreneurs in emerging markets, with programs in mentorship, enterprise development, and policy advocacy. Direct peer given comparable global reach, multilateral engagement, and women-entrepreneurship focus.

Broad incumbents

• International Women's Forum (IWF): Global membership organization of women leaders across business, government, and the arts, with affiliated national chapters. Broad incumbent peer operating a federated, multi-stakeholder leadership model that overlaps FCEM's national-association structure but with a wider mandate beyond business ownership.
• Vital Voices Global Partnership: Global non-profit investing in women leaders across business, politics, and civil society, with strong UN and US State Department ties. Broad incumbent peer given overlapping mission, comparable institutional access, and similar women's-economic-empowerment programming.

Others

• Enterprise Development Holdings / European Trade Association for Business Angels (similar national chambers): European business-angel and SME-support federations with comparable national-affiliate structures. OTHERS peer because while not women-focused, they operate the same federated national-association / EU-advocacy model that FCEM depends on.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubetube.whiteready.com/c/fcemchannel/videos
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fce-monde

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Femmes Chefs d'Entreprises Mondiales - FCEM