The People's Choice Award Finalists: Meet Maria Pastorelli

Maria is an #IAmRemarkable facilitator based in China, and a finalist in the People's Choice Award category for the #IAmRemarkable Awards 2025. These inspiring individuals have been nominated by #IAmRemarkable workshop participants for the impact they have made. Now it’s over to you explore their powerful stories and decide who will take home this year’s People’s Choice Award. The winner will be chosen by public vote and the winner will be announced on Awards Night!

Cast your vote here!

About Maria

'I am a dedicated executive and team coach, cross-cultural facilitator, and keynote speaker originally from Italy and based in Shanghai, China, for the past 15 years. My work focuses on helping international leaders and teams co-create new ways to work better together, especially in contexts where the intersection of culture, gender, and bias makes it more challenging to collaborate smoothly.

Fluent in Italian, English, and Chinese, I also passionately advocate for uplifting women by leading the Global Women Entrepreneurs Network community, supporting local initiatives like Mentor Walks Shanghai, and facilitating #IAmRemarkable workshops both in person and online since 2022.'

What does it mean to you to be selected for the People’s Choice Award?

I am surprised and honored to be included as a finalist for the People's Choice award. I have always been passionate about fairness and advocacy and it is rewarding to see my work being recognized at a global level.

I will take this is nomination as an opportunity to shine a brighter light on the impact that #IAmRemarkable has made so far, both on my life and the life of others and to highlight the even deeper change that this initiative can create going forward.

Maria's nominators say:

‘Through her facilitation and community building Maria brings the spirit of #IAmRemarkable to life. She helps people see their value speak confidently about their achievements and support each other with kindness and strength'