Committee 2021 Roundup: Women in Business
Extract from the British Chamber of Commerce Singapore Membership Directory 2021/22, available now to download
As a committee focusing on fostering gender equality and promote success for in women in workplaces, we continued to share data and insights in a virtual way in this year, in our continued efforts to deliver our mission.
The year kick-started with our annual International Women’s day flagship conference covering four virtual activities in seven days. In line with the UN Women Official theme of “Women in Leadership: Achieving an equal future in COVID-19 world”, the speakers shared insights on how the pandemic may have created opportunities, threats or changed perspectives for women across different industries. The event included a spotlight on women leaders in STEM where Tania Bryer (Broadcaster, CNBC) moderated the first session to reflect upon the pace of changes in this space with Larissa Tan (CEO, Vanda Electrics), Anna Green (Head of SMB Asia Pacific and Japan, Amazon), Dr Cindy Goh (Director, University of Glasgow Singapore) and Simon Middlebrough (CEO, Singapore Aero Engine Services), sharing insights of steps that can be taken to accelerate diversity.
The second session was moderated by Lewis Garrad (Career Business Leader, Mercer) and a panel of leaders, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox (CEO, 20-first), Michelle Shi-Verdaasdonk, (Global Manufacturing & Procurement Director, Dyson), Andrew Ashman (Head of APAC Loan Syndicate, Barclays) and Yi Sin Jason Moo (Branch Manager, Julius Baer) shared how they have chosen to challenge status quo to promote a more inclusive present and future. There was also special podcast episode on startups, featuring Liu JingJin (CEO & Founder, ZaZaZu) and Rachel Lim (Founder of Love, Bonito).
In the second half of the year, WIB collaborated with Financial & Fintech committee, to share insights on “Investing with Purpose” and also a podcast featuring “Women in STEM”. We wrapped up the year with a very important topic, “Closing the gender attrition gap”. Attract, develop and retain are three key aspects of driving gender diversity in the workforce. In this webinar, gender attrition statistics from Mercer were shared and a strong line up of speakers shared tangible steps that firms can take to retain female talent in the workplace and senior positions. It was unanimous that more can be done in this space and one of the takeaways is the importance of sponsorship in retaining female in senior positions, and how sponsors can drive the change by advocating for female talent in critical roles at the workplace.
In 2022, we will continue to drive awareness on these topics, leveraging on data where possible to drive the message home. Awareness, insights, followed by empowerment and opportunities remain key in championing diversity. Everyone has a part to play in driving societal mindset change and we would like to thank the leaders who participate in the events to help drive this agenda.
Watch the Committee's playlist of BritCham webinars on YouTube:
Listen to the Committee's playlist of BritCham Singapore Podcast episodes on Spotify: