International Women's Group

What International Women's Group does

The International Women's Group (IWG) is a Kuwait-based non-profit social organization founded in 1989 by Mrs. Hanneke Veling, wife of the Dutch Ambassador to Kuwait. IWG operates as a membership-based community serving women of all nationalities living in Kuwait — primarily wives of ambassadors, Lady Ambassadors, diplomatic female staff, and wives of diplomats accredited to the State of Kuwait, alongside local Kuwaiti women. The organization runs a recurring program of monthly social meetings (held the first Sunday of each month at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Farwaniya), cultural day celebrations hosted in collaboration with embassies, organized excursions to cultural landmarks and institutions, and an annual seasonal dinner.

IWG's product surface is not technology-based. The organization operates a website (iwgk.org.kw) and Facebook/Instagram accounts (@iwg.kuwait) for event promotion and member communication, but it has no mobile application, no API, no proprietary software product, and no AI/ML capability. Its core "products" are community experiences: cultural exchange events, monthly gatherings, excursion programs, and annual celebrations. Underlying infrastructure is essentially the executive board (President, Vice Presidents, Treasurer, and coordinators) plus venue and venue-partner relationships.

IWG generates revenue almost entirely through annual membership dues from active and honorary members, supplemented by per-meeting guest fees set at KD 15. New active membership requires sponsorship by an existing member and attendance at three meetings in the year preceding the application, making member acquisition strictly referral-driven. The organization is governed by an Executive Board led by a President who historically rotates annually (typically the wife of an incoming ambassador), with Sheikha Hanouf Al Sabah serving as Honorary President. No equity funding, parent company, or commercial ownership is present; IWG is a private non-profit.

Name

International Women's Group

Legal name

International Women's Group

Website

https://iwgk.org.kw

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

International Women's Group (IWG) is a Kuwait-based non-profit social organization founded in 1989 that serves women of all nationalities — primarily from the diplomatic community — through monthly meetings, cultural events, excursions, and an annual membership program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Women's Social and Cultural Community Organization

NAICS

Other Similar Organizations (except Business, Professional, Labor, and Political Organizations) (813990)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Culture, Education & Heritage Intergovernmental Organizations (BPADAAAL)

Keywords

• Women's social group
• Cultural exchange events
• Diplomatic community networking
• Cultural excursions program
• Membership community organization

Headquarters

HQ city

Al Yarmuk

HQ country

Kuwait

HQ region

Middle East

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: IWG generates revenue through membership fees and guest fees for monthly meetings and events. Active members pay dues, while non-members can attend as guests for KD 15 per meeting.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

International Women's Group (IWG) operates a membership-based social organization in Kuwait that connects women of all nationalities—primarily wives and female members of the diplomatic community living in Kuwait—through monthly social meetings, embassy-partnered cultural exchange events, and organized excursions to Kuwaiti cultural landmarks. The organization sells annual memberships (Active and Honorary) and charges a per-meeting guest fee (KD 15) to non-members, delivering its offering through in-person gatherings at Crowne Plaza Hotel Kuwait.

Product overview

International Women's Group (IWG) is a non-profit social organization (not a technology company) that provides a membership-based platform for women of all nationalities living in Kuwait to connect through friendship and cultural exchange. The organization operates several core programs: cultural exchange events hosted with embassies, monthly social meetings, excursions to cultural and industrial sites, and annual celebrations. There are no technology products, APIs, or AI capabilities offered.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• IWG Annual Membership (Active and Honorary) Annual subscription membership to the International Women's Group, providing access to monthly meetings, cultural day celebrations, excursions, and networking events; Active members must be sponsored by a current member and attend three meetings in the preceding year, while Honorary members are invited without the sponsorship requirement.
• Guest Meeting Attendance Pay-as-you-go access for non-members to attend IWG monthly meetings and events at a fee of KD 15 per meeting, with members normally permitted to invite up to two guests with prior notification.
• Cultural Exchange Events Program A recurring program of embassy-coordinated cultural day celebrations for IWG members, featuring national traditions, cuisine, traditional performances, and heritage presentations from countries including Georgia, Mongolia, Korea, Jordan, Indonesia, Turkey, Bulgaria, Lebanon, UAE, and Morocco.
• Monthly Social Meetings Regular monthly gatherings for IWG members held on the first Sunday of each month at 9:30 AM, typically at Crowne Plaza Hotel Kuwait in Farwaniya, featuring presentations, performances, and networking opportunities.
• Excursions Program An organized visits program for IWG members to cultural and institutional landmarks across Kuwait, including Sheikh Abdullah Salem Cultural Center, Tareq Rajab Museum, Kuwait Oil Company, Kuwait Airways, and Al-Shaheed Park.
• Annual Seasonal Dinner An end-of-season dinner event for IWG members featuring international dance performances from participating embassies and cultural presentations.

Quantifiable outcome

• 35+ years of continuous operation since 1989

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Al-Shaheed ParkcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 October 2024IWG regularly collaborates with Al-Shaheed Park for educational tours and breast cancer awareness activities. The park, managed by the Amiri Diwan, is the largest green roof project in the Arab world.
• Boulevard ParkminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 October 2024Hosted breast cancer awareness walkathon at Boulevard Park, demonstrating community health engagement.
• Sheikh Abdullah Salem Cultural CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 January 2024IWG members regularly visit the Sheikh Abdullah Salem Cultural Center for educational tours covering ecosystems, transport, robotics, human body, Islamic sciences, and space museums.
• HORECA KuwaitcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 January 2024IWG participates annually in HORECA Kuwait, the country's premier food and hospitality exhibition, attending the 12th edition in January 2024 and 13th edition in January 2025.
• Kuwait College of Science and Technology (KCST)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 January 2023KCST hosted IWG members for a friendly visit to the university campus, fostering educational connections.
• Dar Al-Shifa HospitalminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 October 2022Partnered with Dar Al-Shifa Hospital for health screenings and breast cancer awareness during park visit events.
• Crowne Plaza Hotel KuwaitcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary venue partner for monthly meetings and major events, located in Farwaniya. The hotel provides ongoing support for IWG activities and events.
• Al-Shaheed Park ManagementcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing partnership for educational tours of the park's museums including Martyrs' Monument, Memorial Museum, Habitat Museum, and Constitution Monument.
• Symphony's Ladies ClubminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIWG members visited Symphony's Ladies Club upon invitation for social and networking activities.

Scale indicators2 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Regional players

• Kuwait Society of Engineers - Women's Committee: A Kuwait-based professional women's committee within a national engineering society. Adjacent comparator as a Kuwait-focused women's professional/community organization with networking events, though narrower in scope than IWG's cross-nationality mission.
• British Ladies Network Abu Dhabi: A UAE-based social and networking club for British and Commonwealth women. Comparable to IWG as a parallel international expatriate women's social organization operating in another Gulf market rather than in Kuwait directly.

Direct peers

• American Women's Association of Abu Dhabi: A Gulf-based membership organization for expatriate and diplomatic women in Abu Dhabi. Directly comparable as a national chapter of the same expatriate women's social-club model operating in another Gulf diplomatic hub.
• British Ladies' Society of Kuwait: A Kuwait-based social club for British and Commonwealth expatriate women. Closely comparable to IWG in mission (community building, cultural events, monthly meetings) and target audience (expatriate diplomatic wives) within the same Kuwait market.
• American Women's Association of Bahrain: An expatriate women's social and charitable organization in Bahrain. Directly comparable to IWG in audience (expatriate/diplomatic women), membership structure, and cultural event programming within another Gulf state.
• American Women's Club of Dubai and the Emirates: Expatriate women's social organization in the UAE. Directly comparable in mission, membership structure, and event programming for diplomatic and professional expatriate women in another Gulf state.
• American Women's Club of Kuwait: A Kuwait-based membership social organization serving American expatriate and diplomatic women. Most directly comparable to IWG as a parallel expatriate women's community in the same city with similar events, sponsorships, and embassy-network dynamics.
• International Women's Club of Riyadh: A Saudi Arabia-based international women's organization serving expatriate and diplomatic women. Replicates IWG's international women's social-club model in a neighboring Gulf country with a comparable diplomatic footprint.
• International Women's Club of Doha: A Doha-based international women's social and cultural organization serving diplomatic and expatriate women. Closely mirrors IWG's international, multi-nationality membership model in another Gulf capital with a significant diplomatic community.

Broad incumbents

• Federation of American Women's Clubs Overseas (FAWCO): An umbrella federation of American women's clubs operating across many countries. Comparable as a broader organizer and network of expatriate women's social clubs of which national chapters (and IWG's parallel international model) are constituent members.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/iwg.kuwait
• Instagraminstagram.com/iwg.kuwait

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

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 International Women's Group