Join AmCham Shanghai on Friday, March 2nd from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM for our 3rd Annual Women's Executive Network Conference: WeForShe: Beyond the Numbers at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel (111 Pudong Road South).
In the past, our focus was on the business case for greater diversity and on the drivers and challenges around improving gender diversity. This year we will be looking broader, beyond the data, at the softer side and the role that everyone can play in making a difference, both men and women—we'll be addressing unconscious bias, understanding mentoring vs. sponsoring, and how everyone can support women to advance at all levels.
Conference speakers include:
Gwendolyn Cardno, Deputy Consul General, U.S. Consulate General Shanghai
Cindy Yan Chan, Partner & Chief Strategy Officer, Focus Media Group
Kenneth Jarrett, President, AmCham Shanghai
Gebi Liang, Partner Director, Cloud + Enterprise, Microsoft
Sarah Kochling, Managing Principal, Blossom Innovation
Vikram Cardozo, Senior HR Director Greater China, GE
Linda Kiester, HR Director Greater China, 3M
Janet Mi, Director of Consulting, Aperian Global
Alice Wong, HR Director Greater China, EY
Michelle Yan, President, Crane China
Terry Endsor, Managing Director & Head of HR Asia Pacific, Citibank
Christine Lam, CEO, Citibank
Adele Bai, President, EF
Jacob Toren, CEO, EF
Jean Liu, Senior Vice President, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, EF
K. Lesli Ligorner, Partner, Morgan Lewis
Christie Mao, VP HR Greater China, Nike
Heather Smith, General Manager, Shanghai United Family Hospital
Grace Xiao, Senior Director of External Engagement, UCB
Shilpi Biswas, Vice President, AmCham Shanghai
Topics to be discussed: Inclusive Leadership: Moving Beyond Unconscious Bias As the world is rapidly changing, so too are our workplaces. To keep pace and address global change and its many challenges effectively, our mental habits, assumptions and paradigms also need to change. The human phenomenon of unconscious bias, or hidden beliefs – attitudes and biases beyond our regular perceptions of ourselves and others – underlie a great deal of our patterns of behavior around diversity. Organizations are realizing that a one-off training or trying to change thinking on an individual level is neither feasible nor sufficient to tackle this issue. So how can we move forward to build more truly inclusive, gender-intelligent workplaces?
HeForShe: Mentoring vs Sponsoring According to research from the Center for Talent Innovation (CTI), the clear majority of women (85%) and multicultural professionals (81%) need navigational support to advance in their careers but receive it less often than men. However, a 2010 Catalyst study reviewed that more women have mentors, yet 15% more men received promotions. Why? The findings indicate that having mentorship is important but not sufficient on it’s own; to advance, one must have a senior mentor in a position to provide sponsorship. So how does one best navigate and leverage mentorship and sponsorship?
Together We Can: Supporting Female Inclusion and Advancement at Every Stage A recent Women in Business study found that 90% of respondents (both men and women) think women have what it takes to succeed in business; 95% think that women are as ambitious as men; and 57% of corporate recruiters feel women are better job candidates than men. Yet, 70% of respondents believe men are better suited to succeed in "today's business climate." How can this be? What are some ways we can share, connect and encourage each other to advance towards equality at every stage?
At the same time, this signature event will offer afternoon workshops around a range of topics to support women and men of all levels to progress onward and upward:
Building a Powerful Executive Presence
So You Want to Give a TED Talk...
Managing Across Cultures: From China CEO Onwards
Resilience: Physical Vitality and Performance
Applying Executive Experience to a Non-Profit Board Role
Building Trust to Support Superior Collaboration
"Get to the Point" Influencing Stakeholders Through Concise Communication
From Awareness to Fulfillment: Shift Your Mindset and Actions to Achieve Unfulfilled Aspirations
This conference is organized with the support of AmCham Shanghai's Women's Executive Network (WEN). WEN supports senior female executive members with opportunities to connect with peers across industries and share relevant information through programming and informal networking events. WEN's mission is to provide senior female executive members with a platform to advance their leadership, career development and visibility to go the last mile—to the C-suite, the boardroom or beyond.