Two-time Grammy Award-winning singer and entrepreneur Melanie Fiona will headline the WeLead Women’s Leadership Conference 2026 in Guyana as keynote speaker when the event takes place in Georgetown on June 27.

The conference, themed “Guyana to the World: Women Building Global Bridges,” will bring together women leaders from business, government, media, entrepreneurship and the creative industries as Guyana marks 60 years of independence.

Organisers said the event reflects Guyana’s growing global profile and the increasing role women are playing in shaping the country’s economic and cultural transformation.

Fiona, who is of Guyanese heritage, said participating in the conference holds personal significance.

“Being part of this moment in Guyana with the WeLead Association feels deeply personal and profoundly purposeful for me,” she said.

“There’s something powerful about returning to the country where my mother was born and witnessing today’s women not just participating in growth, but leading it, shaping it, and redefining influence on their own terms.”

The singer added that women globally are increasingly “reclaiming authorship over their narratives” and said she was honoured to support women in Guyana.

The conference will also feature several regional and international leaders, including Schure Media Group founder Yvette Noel-Schure, Guyana’s Minister of Human Services and Social Security Vindhya Persaud, Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Kathy Smith, Mel&N Media Group founder Melissa Noel, Sol Guyana Country Manager Deborah Edward and ShaSha Designs founder Keisha Edwards.

Panel discussions and networking sessions will focus on the role women are playing in Guyana’s expanding economy and emerging industries.

Organisers expect entrepreneurs, corporate leaders, policymakers, students and emerging professionals from across the Caribbean and the diaspora to attend the event.

The conference forms part of the wider work of the WeLead Association, which supports women entrepreneurs in Guyana through training and development initiatives, including partnerships with the US Embassy in Guyana under the Academy for Women Entrepreneurs programme.

“WeLead 2026 is more than a conference; it is a room we are intentionally building for women who are ready to lead, grow, connect, and be seen,” said WeLead Association founder and president Abbigale Loncke-Watson.