THE first event held by a new group representing Cambodia’s businesswomen has taken place, attracting an audience of 75 female professionals to Phnom Penh’s Intercontinental Hotel on Friday. The networking and discussion session, organised by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), came just three days before Monday’s International Women’s Day. Organisers described it as the first opportunity for the Kingdom’s independent businesswomen, many of whom are members of a specialist “Cambodian Women in Business” group on social networking site Facebook, to meet one another. Among the issues discussed was the lack of business information, personal support and links to the marketplace available for new commercial start ups. Problems challenging social norms – for example, having a one-to-one meeting with a male client – were also discussed, the IFC told the Post in an email Monday. The possibility of starting a new business association for women was also a topic of conversation. The meeting was a precursor to a workshop to be held in partnership with the Ministry of Women’s Affairs later this month.