Globe Women Conference
Hanoi, Vietnam, 5-7 June 2008
Andrea Martins
Have you ever wondered what 1,000 women, from 72 economies, would talk about if they were gathered together in the same room? Well, at the recent Globe Women Summit, it certainly was not football, cars or plasma televisions, that's for sure.
I recently had the pleasure of attending the 18th anniversary Globe Women Summit in Hanoi, Vietnam. What a wonderful opportunity to listen to high-calibre speakers and to share knowledge and experience with so many participants from across the globe.
The topics discussed ranged from women's empowerment, micro-investing, workplace diversity, corporate social responsibility, the impact of success on women's health, breaking the cycle of trafficking and ending cervical cancer, to networking, female entrepreneurship, succeeding as a CEO, securing corporate contracts, doing business in Asia, protecting your brand, how to negotiate, and more.
Some of the most interesting snippets of the Summit for me were:
Aysha Budastour
Chairman & CEO, Kuwait Bruchner (General Contracting Company)
• This presenter showed photos of how one night, her multi-million-dollar excavation pit collapsed, destroying millions of dollars of her equipment and putting her project back 12 months and millions of dollars. Thankfully, it happened during the night, otherwise many of her team members on-site would have been killed in the collapse. She re-told her horror at hearing her devastating news, seeing the damage and then overcoming self-pity to focus on rebuilding her project and her company's reputation. A truly amazing woman.
• "The most important thing is to be passionate about your business. "
Ann Sherry
CEO Carnival Australia (A division of Carnival Corporation - the world's largest cruise ship operator)
• She is only one of two female CEOs in the cruise ship business, worldwide
• Eco-Tourism is the area attracting the premium tourist dollar these days
• "Women with power, have an obligation to change the world"
• "Believe you are the best. If you don't believe it, or one else will. "
• "Take risks. You cannot sit and be safe and hope that things will come to you. "
Xiaoyan Zhao
Senior Vice President & Director, Global Research & Consulting, Gfk Roper (USA)
(Gfk Roper conducts annual studies throughout the world, with 30,000 respondents per wave)
(Xiaoyan's has kindly provided her presentation in PDF format below)
• Eastern European women score the highest, in terms of the percentage wanting more money, versus more time.
• The percentage of women reporting the highest frequency of stress are in: 1. Australia; 2. Poland; 3. Japan; 4. Egypt; and 5. United Kingdom
• The least stressed women (self-identified) are in: 1. Indonesia; 2. China; 3. Czech Republic; 4. India; and 5. Taiwan.
• Television is the medium preferred most in Thailand. People in India read the most. Those in Argentina listen to radio the most. And people in Taiwan spend the most time on computers.
• Bargain hunting is greatest among Brazilians, Americans and South Africans. While Russian, Japanese and Polish consumers are least likely to look for or be satisfied by deals.
Dong Mingzhu
President, GREE Electric Appliances, China
• "I use my sincerity and my spirit to move people. Not food, drink, singing or golf. "
• "Be confident. Be passionate. "
Pacinta Juan
President, Figaro Coffee Company (The Philippines)
• Pacinta first told about all of her business projects that had failed (such as her gourmet restaurant that lacked gourmet chefs, and her coffee shop built next to a noisy music shop). She encouraged us to take risks, experiment, but then learn from our mistakes and move on. She came across as a very resilient and courageous woman.
• She invited anyone interested in ever setting up business in Manila, to contact her for advice.
Mary McDaniel
Vice President, Material & Corporate Sourcing, Fedex (USA)
• FedEx is the world's largest aircraft company, with 670 in its fleet.
• Mary makes procurement decisions for billions of dollars (yes, she's a powerful woman!)
• FedEx, and companies like FedEx, set diversity supplier goals, to try to spread the wealth around.
• Women-owned businesses are classed as a target diversity group.
• Contracts are awarded on: 1. competitive advantage; 2. good pricing; 3. good turnaround times; and 4. good service.
• Mary's advice to potential suppliers was to meet these four basic criteria, but also be creative. She, and others like her, are always looking for great ideas and great companies to work with.
Here is a flavour of some of the other great presenters from the recent Globe Women smorgasbord:
H.E. Mr Nguyen Tan Dung
Prime Minister of Vietnam
Hon. Mrs Truong My Hoa
Former Vice President, Vietnam
Hon. Luisa Diogo
Prime Minister, Mozambique
Hon. Dr. Jacqui Quinn Leandro
Minister of Labour, Public Administration & Empowerment, Antigua & Barbuda
Hon. Elizabeth Thabathe
Deputy Minister Department of Trade & Industry, South Africa
Hon. Patricia Espinosa Torres
Undersecretary of Labor, Ministry of Labor & Social Welfare, Mexico
Anna Escobedo Cabral
US Treasurer
Yukako Uchinaga
CEO, Berlitz International (Japan)
Ursula Schwarzenbart
Director, Global Diversity, Daimler (Germany)
Lynn Tan
Vice President & General Manager, McDonalds (China)
Juliana Oyegun
Director of Diversity, World Bank
Katharine Bostick
Senior Director, Legal & Corporate Affairs, Microsoft (USA)
In short, the quality of the presenters was excellent. I had to scan through eleven pages of impressive names from the conference program, just to provide the sample above - that's how many outstanding speakers were there. Full credit goes to the Summit organizers, who went all out to provide the best possible program for the conference - and succeeded.
Next year's Globe Women Summit will be in Chile. If you would like to subscribe to the Globe Women E-News, to keep up to date with their plans for Chile and/or become part of the Globe Women community, please Click Here
If you would like to read some of the 2008 presentations and/or see some official photos from the Summit, please Click Here
Warmest regards,
Andrea Martins
Director, ExpatWomen.com
Asian Women in the Global Economy:
Rising Opportunities and New Dynamics
Global Summit of Women
Hanoi, June 2008
Dr. Xiaoyan Zhao
Director, Global Research and Consulting, GfK Roper Public Affairs
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Gfk Roper Brochure
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