WORLD WOMAN CLUB Establishes the International Women’s Leadership Award in Honour of Its First President
Some leaders leave behind titles and achievements. Others leave behind an entire culture — a system of values, relationships and principles that continues to influence people long after their lifetime. Dr Lidiya Golubenko belonged to the second category. A renowned scholar, Doctor of Sciences, Head of the Department of Romance and Germanic Philology at Odesa I. I. Mechnikov National University, politician, public figure and the First President of the International Club of Successful Women — WORLD WOMAN CLUB, she combined academic excellence with public leadership and made a significant contribution to the development of women’s professional communities in Ukraine and internationally.
Her life was cut short in 2022, yet the influence of her work has not disappeared. On the contrary, it has continued to develop through the people, institutions and communities she helped to shape. Dr Golubenko’s legacy is remembered not only through her academic contribution and years of service to higher education, but also through the distinctive philosophy of women’s leadership she represented: leadership based on intellect, dignity, responsibility, loyalty, mutual respect and the ability to create opportunities for others. For the women who worked alongside her, these principles were not abstract ideals. They became the foundation of a new culture of relationships between successful women — one in which cooperation could replace rivalry and professional achievement could coexist with ethics, solidarity and genuine human respect.
A Foundation Built on Solidary and Ethical Networking
A particularly important part of this legacy is connected with WORLD WOMAN CLUB, where Dr Golubenko served as its First President. Together with the Club’s founder, Dr Olga Azarova, she helped build an international women’s community designed to go far beyond conventional networking. The purpose was not simply to gather successful women at conferences or formal meetings, but to create lasting professional relationships between women in business, science, education, medicine, government, culture and international cooperation.
Business networking is a socioeconomic business activity by which businesspeople and entrepreneurs meet to form business relationships and to recognize, create, or act upon business opportunities.
Over time, these principles became an important part of the Club’s philosophy and its understanding of women’s leadership. The community grew around the idea that a successful woman should not only achieve personally, but should also be capable of strengthening the women around her, creating new partnerships, sharing experience and building an ethical environment in which the success of one woman becomes an inspiration rather than a threat to another.
The Inception of the International Women’s Leadership Award
In 2026, WORLD WOMAN CLUB, under the leadership of its founder Dr Olga Azarova, established the International Women’s Leadership Award dedicated to Dr Lidiya Golubenko, honouring the Club’s First President and preserving her contribution to the development of women’s networking communities in Ukraine and across the world. The award was created to recognise women whose professional achievements are combined with strong personal values, social responsibility, ethical leadership and a genuine contribution to the prosperity and development of their communities.
In this way, the award is not simply a memorial distinction. It is designed as a mechanism for carrying Dr Golubenko’s leadership philosophy forward and identifying those women whose own lives demonstrate similar strength of character and commitment to others.
First Presentation at Davos 2026
The first major presentation of this prestigious distinction in 2026 took place in Davos, an international meeting point for global leaders, entrepreneurs, innovators and decision-makers. The honour of presenting the award established in her mother's name fell to her daughter, Dr Natalia Golubenko, who reverently upholds her mother's legacy and continues her traditions.
The award was presented to Tetiana Moskalenko, Director of Maternity Hospital No. 10 in Odesa, recognising her strong professional leadership, responsibility and contribution to healthcare. Her work represents a form of leadership that is particularly important: leadership expressed not through public visibility alone, but through responsibility for people, institutions and the quality of service provided to society. In honouring Tetiana Moskalenko, WORLD WOMAN CLUB demonstrated that the values associated with Dr Golubenko remain relevant across different professions and generations — from science and education to medicine, public service and social leadership.
Leadership is both a research area and a practical skill encompassing the ability of an individual, group, or organisation to lead, influence, or guide other individuals, teams, or entire organisations.
The symbolism of this transition is powerful. One outstanding woman leader is remembered through the recognition of another. A legacy therefore becomes something more than history: it becomes a living standard against which new leadership can be recognised. The award bearing Dr Golubenko’s name creates a bridge between generations of women who may work in entirely different fields but share the same essential principles — professionalism, courage, responsibility, ethical conduct and the ability to contribute to the progress of society.
A Modern Metric for Enduring Impact
This approach also reflects a broader understanding of leadership itself. Modern societies often measure influence through position, wealth, visibility or institutional power. Yet the example of Dr Lidiya Golubenko suggests another measure: what remains after the leader is gone. Do people continue the projects she began? Do institutions preserve the culture she helped to create? Do younger leaders adopt the values she demonstrated? Do professional relationships formed under her influence continue generating cooperation and new opportunities?
In the case of Dr Golubenko, the answer is clearly visible through academic initiatives, the continuing work of WORLD WOMAN CLUB, the women who remember her as a mentor and leader, and now the international distinction created in her name.
Carrying the Legacy Forward
There is a profound difference between commemorating a person and continuing their work. Commemoration looks towards the past; legacy creates movement towards the future. The International Women’s Leadership Award dedicated to Dr Lidiya Golubenko represents precisely this transition. Each new laureate becomes not merely a recipient of an award, but part of a continuing story about what women’s leadership can and should represent. The distinction reminds the international community that leadership is not only the ability to achieve extraordinary results, but also the ability to create values, institutions and relationships strong enough to survive beyond one lifetime.
Dr Lidiya Golubenko passed away in 2022, but the community she helped to build continues to grow. Her name remains connected with scholarship, education, public life and the development of women’s international cooperation. Through the work of WORLD WOMAN CLUB, through the leadership of Dr Olga Azarova, Dr Natalia Golubenko, and Tetiana Moskalenko, who now carry this recognition forward, her legacy continues to acquire new meaning.
A great leader does not disappear when her life ends. She continues through the people she inspired, the values she established and the leaders who choose to carry those values into the future.
We think you might also like these articles:Global Education Forum 2026 held in Davos
Startup World Cup Championship 2026 Davos: WINNERS
Arvils Pekuless: Reimagining Education for the 21st Century by VisLatvijas Vidusskola, Latvia