Issue No. CCVII; April 24, 2013
SPECIAL EDITION: GLOBAL SUMMIT OF WOMEN 2013
SEE WHO’S COMING TO THE 2013 SUMMIT IN KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – JUNE 6-8, 2013
Women business, government and entrepreneurial leaders from around the globe are preparing to gather at the 2013 Global Summit of Women in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from June 6-8. Focusing on increasing women economic empowerment globally and ability to conduct business across borders, the Summit will bring together 1,000 delegates from across the globe. Here is a peek at some of the leaders you could meet at the 2013 Summit:
Ministerial Roundtable:
Thirty women government ministers are planning to attend the Ministerial Roundtable, which precedes the Summit opening on June 6th to share best practices of governments working with business on programs that improve the lives of women and girls. Leading the first-ever French delegation of businesswomen to the Summit is rising political star Minister of Women’s Rights Najat Valloud-Belkacem, who is also the official Spokesperson for the French government since May 16, 2012. Supportive of a more inclusive European Union, she was appointed Vice President of the European Movement, a transnational think-tank that promotes European integration. Before becoming Minister, she served as Deputy Mayor of Lyon.
Three of the 30 women government ministers joining the 2013 Global Summit of Women: France’s Minister of Women’s Rights Najat Valloud-Belkacem, Rwanda’s Minister of Gender Equality and Family Promotion Oda Gasinzigwa, and U.S. Undersecretary of State for Public Affairs and Public Diplomacy Tara Sonenshine
Joining the French Minister is her counterpart from Rwanda, Oda Gasinzigwa, Minister of Gender Equality and Family Promotion. The only country in the world with a female-dominated Parliament, Rwanda has made great strides with women forming the backbone of economic recovery post-conflict genocide through the growth of women’s entrepreneurship. Recently appointed Minister, the Honorable Gasinzigwa was the former Chief Gender Monitoring Officer credited for promoting gender-based equality and leading Rwanda to its rank as one of the top countries in Africa for gender equality. As Minister, she continues her government’s focus on supporting women entrepreneurs to facilitate economic stability for all Rwandan citizens.
Representing the United States is Tara D. Sonenshine, Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, who came to her position with a distinguished career in communications and government. Before her current post, she served as Executive Vice President of the United States Institute for Peace and was a strategic communications advisor to many international organizations, including the International Crisis Group, CARE, and the International Women’s Media Foundation. During her media career, she produced news programs for network television and is the recipient of ten EMMY Awards among other journalistic recognition.
CEO Forum:
The 2012 CEO Forum at the Summit in Athens, Greece
This year’s CEO Forum brings together women leading major businesses who will discuss “Matching Skills for the New Economy” recognizing that to succeed in the 21st century marketplace requires honing different skill sets. Leading IBM Thailand is Parnsiree Amatayakul, who has worked with the Thai government and organizations to help them understand how technology can solve the increasingly challenging and complex problems they face. An example of the work of IBM Thailand is the development of smarter roadmaps for Bangkok and Chiang Mai, and leveraging IBM technology and expertise in education to build the That “workforce of the future”. In 2007, she initiated the “Becoming the Ultimate Woman” campaign to better prepare female staff for leadership positions. The project was well-recognized and later replicated in other countries across the ASEAN region.
Coming from Germany is Susanne Luick-Nijboer, the former head of Milupa Germany, a division of Danone and who has recently been promoted to a regional post as Vice President for Central Europe and Near East for Baby Nutrition of Danone. Prior to these roles, she held executive positions with Unilever. In this session, she will provide insight from the retail food industry.
Representing financial services on this panel is Ka Shi Lau, CEO and Managing Director, Bank Consortium Trust Company of Hong Kong, a major provider of retirement plans and pension fund services in Hong Kong. She possesses extensive banking and finance experience in both Hong Kong and New York in investment banking, project finance, global investment, risk management and compliance, and banking and securities operations. The first woman to receive a Director of the Year Award in the “Private Companies, Executive Director” category from the Hong Kong Institute of Directors, she was also named “Professional of the Year” in the Women of Influence Awards 2010 jointly organized by the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong and the South China Morning Post.
Debate on Quotas, Targets
Bloomberg News Executive Editor Susan Goldberg (left) will moderate a debate on the pros and cons of quotas for women corporate board directors. Ana Maria Llopis (center), Board Director of Societe Generale and Dia Corp., and Angelina Kwan (right), COO and Executive Director of ReOrient Group, are two of the participants.
Many countries are adopting quotas as a strategy for accelerating women’s access to corporate board seats, yet opposition to this strategy continues. In this Summit session, women directors will discuss this initiative, its pros and cons led by Bloomberg News Executive Editor Susan Goldberg. On the pro side is Ana Maria Llopis, Board Director of Societe Generale, France’s third largest bank, and Chair of the Board of Dia Corporation in Spain. Dr. Llopis founded Global Ideas4All S.L. in 2008 and serves as Chief Executive Officer and Chair. She is a seasoned corporate director, who has served on the boards of ABN Amro, Reckitt Benckiser, and British American Tobacco, among others. She founded Openbank in Spain and served as its CEO from 1993 to 2000. Lastly, she is a Member of the Good Governance Working Group for Spanish-listed companies in the Madrid Stock Exchange.
On the anti-quota side is Hong Kong-based Angelina Kwan, the COO and Executive Director of ReOrient Group, responsible for all aspects of its businesses and future ventures. She was also the former CEO of Madison House Securities Ltd. An accountant by profession, she previously held the position of COO of Cantor Fitzgerald for the Asia Pacific region. These experiences have made her a sought-after candidate board service.
Youth Forum
Amanda Nasim of Tutti Fruitti and Winnie Chiu of Dorsett Hospitality International will present in the Summit’s Youth Forum.
To showcase the business leadership of young women from different parts of the world, the Summit program includes a session for young business students from local universities. It is intended to feature role models who can demonstrate the possibilities of future careers through their own professional experiences.
From the U.K. comes Amanda Nasim, Founder and Director of Tutti Fruitti UK. Originally from Malaysia, Ms. Nasim was only 19 years old and in her final year at York University in the UK when she successfully pitched her proposal to the founder of the frozen yogurt retail chain to obtain the master license to distribute and operate Tutti Fruitti Frozen Yogurt across the UK. She since raised RM6 million capital as initial investment and owns the largest outlet of the chain in Convent Garden in central London, the first Tutti Fruitti store to open in Europe. Ms. Nasim is currently planning to open additional outlets in London and to expand the business to Scotland and Ireland.
From Hong Kong, Winnie Chiu, President and Executive Director of Dorsett Hospitality International, runs a chain of hotels. She was appointed as Executive Director in 2010 and President in 2011. She joined Far East Consortium International Limited in 2005 and was instrumental in the IPO of Dorsett Hospitality International, which was listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in 2010. The Group currently operates 25 hotels in Asia and the UK. Under her leadership, Dorsett Hospitality International was accorded “the Best Small Cap Company Award 2012” by Asiamoney. She previously worked at Credit Suisse and has been a director of Malaysia Land Properties Sdn. Bhd. since 2003 and non-executive director of Land & General since 2008.
Pitching to Investors
Every entrepreneur fears making the pitch to investors. This session provides practical lessons on what works and what doesn’t. Here are two of the investors who will be sharing their tips and experience in listening to entrepreneurs seeking additional funding.
Datuk Jamelah Jamaluddin of Malaysia has served as CEO of the Kuwait Finance House (Malaysia) Bhd, the largest Islamic bank in Malaysia with a capitalization of USD640 million. She holds the distinction of being the first woman to head a KFH bank as CEO, representing a significant breakthrough within the KFH Group and the Islamic banking industry. Upon taking over as CEO, she was tasked with resolving the bank’s serious mortgage issues following a series of bad loan decisions by the past administration, and succeeded in turning the bank around to the black by 2012.
With more than 18 years of Venture Capital and Private Equity experience, Dr. Mariana Bozesan is currently responsible for more than 20 portfolio companies. Her know-how includes investing in IT, bio-tech, medical devices, and clean-tech. A serial entrepreneur turned investor, she was the co-founder of two technology start-ups, a health-care portal and two investment companies. Moreover, she has 26 years of high-tech experience based in Silicon Valley, Paris, and Munich. Through her leading-edge experience in Integral Investing, Dr. Bozesan has become an international authority on integral metrics in investing.
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