Soroptimist International GBI

President

Carwen Wynne Howells

Carwen became a Soroptimist in 1984 when she was invited to join SI Haverfordwest and District. Havefordwest is the county town of Pembrokeshire in South West Wales. A pharmacist, Carwen has spent the major part of her professional life working within the National Health Service. She joined the Senior Civil Service when she was appointed the Chief Pharmacist for Wales and is currently the Chief Pharmaceutical Adviser to the Welsh Assembly Government.

Carwen enjoys the theatre, music and travel. She suffers from acute bouts of “islomania” which can be treated successfully by frequent trips to sunny islands, particularly those in Greece. Linguistically challenged, her attempts to learn Greek have been a constant source of amusement to family and friends for several years.

Carwen’s theme “Horizons Sing/Gorwelion yn Canu” is taken from the inscription on the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff Bay “In these Stones Horizons Sing”.  For “stones” read foundations or principles, “Horizons” - future directions, “sing” - celebration of success.  She says that for her it represents a positive image on the future whilst building on the successes of the past and is particularly appropriate as 2009 will be a landmark year for the Federation.

She is looking forward to welcoming members to Cardiff in October 2009 when SIGBI will celebrate 75 years as a Federation.

She says “I’m wanting members to take the opportunity this year to generate the ‘O’ factor, to transmit the Optimism within Soroptimism and its work.  This is a wonderful organisation that can really make a difference to the lives of women and girls worldwide.”