H.E. Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh (Vice President of Vietnam), H.E. Laimdota Straujuma (Former Prime Minister of Latvia), and Summit President Irene Natividad listen to Former President of Kosovo Atifete Jahjaga during the Opening Ceremony.
Ministers Gather at Summit
More Photos from Summit Opening Day
Summit President Irene Natividad and Warsaw Mayor Gronkiewicz-Waltz Discuss the Future of Cities
Lewiatan Founder and President Henryka Bochniarz with Deputy Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki share tips for “Doing Business with Poland”
The 2016 Global Summit of Women Opens with Market Open at Warsaw Stock Exchange
“Women: Building an Inclusive Economy
in the Digital Age”
You are invited to join 1,000 women leaders
in business and government from
around the globe at the leading forum for women.
Meet Some of the Leaders Participating in the 2016 Summit
Honorary Patron of 2016 Global Summit of Women Agata Kornhauser-Duda First Lady of Poland
Government
H.E. Beata Szydło
Prime Minister, Poland
H.E. Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh
Vice President, Vietnam
H.E. LaimdotaStraujuma
Former Prime Minister, Latvia
H.E. AtifeteJahjaga
Former President, Kosovo
Hon. Mateusz Morawiecki
Deputy Prime Minister & Min. for Development, Poland
Hon. Hijran Huseynova
Chairperson of State Committee on Women, Children, and Family, Azerbaijan
Hon. Marie Thérèse Abena Ondoa neé Obama
Minister of Women's Empowerment and the Family, Cameroon
Hon. MonaOmar
Deputy Minister, VP of National Council of Women Egypt
Hon. Laurence Rossignol
Minister of Family, Children, and Women’s Rights, France
Hon. ElkeFerner
State Secretary for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth, Germany
Hon. Gulshara Abdykalikova
Secretary of State, Kazakhstan
Hon. JuliaDuncan-Castle
Minister of Gender, Children & Social Protection, Liberia
Hon. LydiaMutsch
Minister for Equal Opportunities, Luxembourg
Hon. Dato’Rohani Karim
Minister of Women, Family, and Community Development, Malaysia
Hon. BassimaHakkaoui
Minister of Solidarity, Women, Family, and Social Development, Morocco
Hon. MarcelaHuaita
Minister for Women and Vulnerable Populations, Peru
Hon. WojciechKaczmarczyk
Plenipotentiary for Civil Society and Equal Treatment, Poland
Hon. Dr. CarolinaGomes Ferra
Secretary of State of Public Administration and Public Employment, Portugal
Hon. Elizabeth Thabethe
Deputy Minister of Small Business Development, South Africa
Hon. Baroness SandipVerma
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for International Development, UK
Hon. Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz
Mayor of Warsaw, Poland
Hon. MasakoMori
Former Minister for Gender Equality, Japan
Hon. PatriciaEspinosa Torres
Former Undersecretary of Labor, Mexico
Hon. DeliaDomingo-Albert
Former Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Philippines
Hon. Do Yoon Byun
Former Minister of Gender Equality, South Korea
CEOs
DominikaBettman
CFO, Siemens, Poland
ManfredBischoff
Chair of the Board, Daimler Germany
MariaBlase
President of HVAC and Transport Latin America, Ingersoll Rand, USA
HenrykaBochniarz
President, Polish Confederation of Employers Poland
KrystynaBoczkowska
CEO, Robert Bosch, Poland
MarthaBrooks
Board Director, Bombardier; Former President, Novelis Canada
CindyChenyan
CEO, Focus Media, China
SylviaCoutinho
CEO, UBS Brazil
MariaDolores Dancausa
CEO, Bankinter, Spain
Sabinedall'Omo
CEO of Siemens South Africa
DickEvans
Chair, Constellium; Former CEO, Rio Tinto Alcan, USA
Sandra Gott-Karlbauer
CEO, Urban Transport, Siemens, Germany
AnnaGudmundson
CEO, Fitbug, UK
MaanHontiveros
CEO, Air Asia Philippines
Luz MaríaJaramillo
CEO, Pavimentos Colombia S.A.S.
AnnaKaraszewska
CEO, Ingeus Sp. z.o.o., Poland
CassandraKelly
Chair and Co-Founder, Pottinger, Australia
MichelKhalaf
President, Europe, Middle East and Africa, Metlife, UAE
Sung JooKim
Chair, MCM Holdings AG, South Korea
NinaKowalewska-Motlik
CEO, New Communications, Poland
IdarKreutzer
Managing Director, Finance Norway
AniaKruk
CEO, Ania Kruk Jewelery, Poland
Ana MariaLlopis
Board Director, Societe Generale and Chair, Dia, Spain
OlgaMalinkiewicz
Founder & CEO, Saule Technologies, Poland
PaulaMarshall
CEO, The Bama Companies, USA
LynetteMayne
CEO, Work Wear World, Australia
JowitaMichalska
Managing Director, Foundation for Strategic Competence Development Poland
IreneNatividad
President Region EMIA (Europe, Middle East, India, Africa), Technip, Italy
NorikoNakamura
Founder and CEO, Poppins, Inc. Japan
SolangeOlszewska
CEO, Solaris Bus and Coach, Poland
WiolettaRosolowska
CEO, L'Oreal Poland
RanaSalhab
Board Director, Deloitte Middle East, UAE
Slawomir Sikora
CEO, Citi Handlowy, Poland
ZuzannaStanska
Founder, Moiseum, Poland
BeataStelmach
CEO, GE Poland & Baltic States
ElizabethTrallero
CEO, Congost Plastic, Spain
AlastairTeare
CEO, Deloitte Central Europe UK
MarcoVilla
President Region EMIA (Europe, Middle East, India, Africa), Technip, Italy
Gala Vilarrasa, President of Le Trefle Rouge, shares her hopes for the future at 2019 Summit. Click image for video. (In French)
Be Part of the 2020 Summit
What Summit Participants are Saying
"Thank you so much for this incredible opportunity. It was an honor to be a part of this inspiring conference and to work with esteemed colleagues in the field of Inclusion and Diversity was the 'icing on the cake.'"
-Esther Hernandez, Chief Diversity Officer, Sandia National Laboratories
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"The atmosphere, the energy, the quality of the interactions and the program were above expectations. Many new topics and high-level speakers."
-Stephanie Cardot, Co-Founder and President, ToDoToday
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"I felt as if we were all linked with such strength. It was not power, it was much deeper, as if a new era is coming. I felt new global energy ... taking care of each other, doing your best without expecting anything, and enough faith in our future to no longer fear it. It was encouraging to all of us."
-Beatrice Ferrant, CEO, Lefranc Ferrant
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"I never know who I will connect with, but with the Summit's unique camaraderie, whoever she is, she will offer her support as I will offer her mine."
-Tess Mateo, Managing Director, CXCatalysts
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2020 Summit Supported by:
In-Kind Sponsors
2020 Virtual Sponsors
Supported by:
In-Kind Sponsors
Media Partners
Summit President on Straight Talk with CNBC’s Bernie Lo
Interview with Irene Natividad on CNBC-e
2016 Speaker Highlights
Click photos to hear from leaders of the 2016 Global Summit of Women:
“The impact of this event will be far-reaching in Morocco and the Arab and Islamic worlds. As a Moroccan woman and as a member of the present Moroccan government, I felt delighted by the extent to which the Global Summit of Women allowed a variety of cultures to open up to each other, regardless of cultural differences and geographical borders.”
– Najima Thaythay Rhozali, Secretary of State for Literacy and Informal Education, Morocco
“I have attended many conferences and forums over the years and few have kept my interest sparked from start to finish as did this year’s Global Summit of Women in Marrakech. I was truly impressed by the talent, positions held, and capabilities of all the women participating both as presenters and as attendees. I met some wonderful people from across the globe — what an experience and a privilege.” – Damayanti Vasudevan, United States
“The Global Summit of Women 2003 provided an excellent opportunity for me to learn about national women’s machineries and to exchange ideas and information with committed partners and dynamic businesswomen from around the world.” The Honorable Jean Augustine, Secretary of State (Multiculturalism and Status of Women)
“I enjoyed this Summit very much. It was a great opportunity to meet all these prominent women. The idea I liked very much was the one-day workshop about empowerment of Arab women. We really need that forum and it was great to exchange ideas between Arab women.”
– Zeinab Safar, Egypt
“The networking was fabulous. Until the very last moment, we were still networking, and I found a prospective supplier in Bangladesh, just a few minutes before boarding the plane. I came back with many contacts and ideas. Before the closing of the summit, we were already talking about the next one.” – Evnur Taran, Canada
“The Summit was perfectly organized and professionally conducted. It is the best opportunity for networking with like-minded women in business. One cannot get a better platform for meeting women leaders and entrepreneurs from so many countries. It was the ideal forum for test marketing of my products and it was grand success.” – Farah Khan, India
“The (Summit) once again confirmed what I strongly believe: that the only geographical barriers that exist for our projects are those that we allow to exist.” -Donna Kelley, Spain
“What I found most valuable was meeting and networking with such high caliber, wonderful women. It was a chance to connect with women whom I would not otherwise have had the chance to meet, and to learn something about cultures and countries far removed from my own. A truly enlightening and mind-expanding experience.” -Elizabeth Scott, Hong Kong
“I certainly left Barcelona feeling empowered, renewed and ready to face new challenges and tackle them head-on. The powerful testimonies of fellow women, their achievement and zeal is alone worthwhile being there.”
-Inge K. Zaamwani, Namibia
I was very much inspired by the synergy of talents, capabilities, experience, dynamics, and initiatives represented in Barcelona.”
-Nela Milijic, Croatia
Summit Outcomes…
What the 2002 Summit Achieved:
* Raised $10,000 to be used as microenterprise loans by Afghan women seeking to reenter their country’s economy
*Created a Technology Committee to develop ways of continuing the sharing of best practices among Summit participants and other women entrepreneurs globally
* Released a report through its Corporate Women Directors International project on Spanish women corporate directors in Spain’s top 300 Companies to establish a national benchmark to measure progress.
*Agreed to develop a compendium of corporate best practices in creating equal opportunities for women.
More on this report
Summit President, Irene Natividad
Irene Natividad explains the Global Summit of Women
What Summit Participants Accomplished
“The greatest opportunity for our association was to participate in the creation of a confederation of Mediterranean women entrepreneurs’ associations.”
-Daneille Rousseau, President, Dirigeantes, France
Official Airline of the 2016 Global Summit of Women
2016 Partners
Lead Partner for the 2016 Global Summit of Women
More 2014 Summit Photos
President of Kosovo H.E. Atifete Jahjaga, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls, France Minister for Women Najat Vallaud-Belkacem, and First Lady of Malaysia Datin Rosmah Paduka Seri Mansor at the Summit's Press Briefing
Vice President of Vietnam H.E. Nguyen Thi Doan, France Minister for Women Najat Vallaud-Belkacem and Summit President Irene Natividad at the Summit's Press Briefing
Saxon Garden of Warsaw, oldest park in Warsaw opened in 1727
Chopin Monument in Łazienki Park
Maria Skłodowska-Curie Museum
Inside Politechnika Warszawska- Warsaw University of Technology
Golden Terraces Shopping Mall in Warsaw
Copper-Roof Palace of Warsaw
Carmelite Church, created 1761-83
Łazienki Palace
Wilanów Palace
Inside Wilanów Palace
University of Warsaw Library
Sapieha Palace
Warsaw at night
Global Summit of Women President Irene Natividad ringing opening bell at GPW-Warsaw Stock Exchange
Europe’s growth champion - Poland has more than doubled its GDP per capita since 1990, and was the only EU economy to sidestep the 2008-09 financial crisis and recession.
The leading economy in Central and Eastern Europe, Poland is a magnet for multinational companies both as a manufacturing and growing consumer base, as well as a gateway to emerging markets in the region.
A leading symbol of regional stability, this country has successfully transitioned to a vigorous democracy, while it continues to advance its political and economic profile on the international stage.
A country with an increasing number of women leaders from the Prime Minister to the Mayor of Warsaw to numerous government ministries and corporations, Poland’s influential women’s networks are making a mark on public policy through its innovative nation-wide Congress of Women.
Poland has a rich heritage based on a 1,000-year historical tradition while it embraces a thriving, vibrant modern culture.
"enjoyed learning and connecting with these great leaders from around the world. Yes, Switzerland it is .. Count me in!"
-Patama Chantaruck, General Manager of Worldwide Software Asset Management, Microsoft
"The entire experience of the Summit was outstanding and so inspiring. These few days had tremendous impact and will be with me personally and professionally for the rest of my life."
- Shannon Studstill, VP, Product Develop-ment, Sony Playstation
"The content is timely and value-added, the speakers are engaging, and the networking is exceptional! My colleagues used words like “life changing” and “inspiring” to describe their experiences."
- Kimberly Admire, Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer, SAIC
"Just a word: amazing! Great presentations, great professionals, great workshops. To see all these women gathered around a common theme, a common goal was really a strong motivation to continue.”"
-Isabelle Kuster, Senior Vice President for Operations and IT, McDonald's France and Southern Europe
“I never know who I will connect with, but with the Summit’s unique camaraderie, whoever she is, she will offer her support as I will offer her mine”
-Tess Mateo, Managing Director, CxCatalysts
“What an impressive event! The whole event was so well- thought through, and every day was so colorful and meaningful -- From presenters, to the topic of discussion which was so relevant, and all the events.”
Congratulations on a successful Summit. I was impressed with the energy and excitement of the 1000 participants who came from different countries and walks of life! I know that it take a high level of dedication and perseverance to organize 17 successful Summits, which is an amazing achievement. – Shinae Chun, Director, Women’s Bureau, US Department of Labor
The organisation was perfect, the quality and diversity of all the attendees made it very rich and positive. Thank you for also letting everyone talk and express her own situationwhich vary a lot according to the origin, obvious, it is not the same to be a sales manager in IBM in Madrid and be stressed sometimes by the glass ceiling and to “struggle for life” in Congo, and we certainly need to hear about that as well. – Catherine Delaunay, IBM, Spain
This week in Berlin we came together from 95 different countries and united behind commonalities as women, businesspeople and world leaders…. I was reminded of how important it is to continue to reach out to one another. To continue to listen, learn, and exchange experiences across borders. – Gay Gaddis, President and CEO, T-3
The Global Summit of Women was truly amazing. Women leaders from business, politics and society exchanging views, connecting and working towards a better world: congratulations to you and your team for making this happen! – Mirella Visser, Supervisory Board, Royal Swets & Zeitlinger and CEO Centre for Inclusive Leadership