An Undeniable Link Between Women and Economic Growth

The World Bank says, in more than 135,000 companies in 139 countries, the participation rate in ownership for women is 33.7 percent (64.2 percent in China), that women have a majority share in just 14.6 percent of businesses, and that only 17.9 percent at top management levels are female (17.5 percent in China). The World Bank also says, in high-income countries, female labour force participation rates have grown from an average of 48.7 percent in 1990 to 52.7 percent last year. The Economist estimates that if men and women participated equally in paid work, GDP in many countries would increase between 5 percent to 34 percent in 2020.

Why is supporting women advancement in the workplace and in the marketplace an investment with guaranteed returns? What is the true economic value of women? What message would our panellists give to the future generation of women entrepreneurs?

Sponsor Video
- BNP Paribas

Moderator
- Martina Fuchs, Anchor, CNN Money Switzerland (Switzerland)

Panelists (in alphabetical order by surname)
- Nadine Baudot-Trajtenberg, Former Deputy Governor, Bank of Israel (Israel)
- Cindy Chow, Executive Director, Alibaba Hong Kong Entrepreneurs Fund (Hong Kong)
- Angie Lin, Co-founder and Chief Investment Officer, FinEx Asia (Hong Kong China)
- Liu Yu Tong (劉羽桐), Chairman, Gansu Yuanda Investment Group Ltd (China)
- Benedicte Monneron, Regional Head of Human Resources APAC, BNP Paribas (Hong Kong, China)
- Yan Lan (閻蘭), Vice Chairman of Investment Banking; Chairman and CEO of Greater China, Lazard Asia (Hong Kong) Limited (Hong Kong, China)

Create, Innovate, Transform

While grand works of art with a female muse touch the soul – think Leonardo Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa – female artists have been historically left out of the cannon. The UBS Art Market Report published in March found that as many as half of the top 25 pieces auctioned in the last year have a feminine theme, but only two works in the leading 100 were created by women artists. How can women be considered a muse and not a creator?

How have our panellists helped innovate not only arts and culture but also the businesses they run? How have those innovations helped transform the presentation, re-interpretation and preservation of art and cultural heritage in all its forms and manifestations? How have they blazed the paths to ensure women are at the top of the world’s leading arts institutions, ensuring more diverse voices are heard and seen on stage and screen, in the galleries and auction houses, as well as in the boardrooms? How have global corporate citizens empowered more women and supported women entrepreneurs to make greater creative contributions to culture and society at large?

Sponsor Video
- Cartier

Sponsor’s Remark
- Maya Lin, Regional High Jewelry Director, Cartier Asia (Hong Kong, China)

Moderator
- Alison M. Friedman, Artistic Director, Performing Arts, West Kowloon Cultural District Authority (Hong Kong, China)

Panel Keynote
- Maria Balshaw, Director, Tate Museum (United Kingdom)
- María Pagés, Founder, CCMP - María Pagés Choreographic Center (Spain)

Panelists (in alphabetical order by surname)
- Princess Alia Al-Senussi, VIP Representative, United Kingdom and Middle East, Art Basel (Libya)
- Elizabeth Wang (汪明荃), Chairman of the Chinese Artists Association of Hong Kong (Hong Kong, China)
- Patti Wong (黃林詩韻), Chairman, Sotheby’s Asia and Sotheby’s Diamonds (Hong Kong, China)

Breaking Barriers with Technology and Innovation

Technology is changing the future of the world. Breaking through in high tech requires unwavering perseverance and continuous innovation. The World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2018 reveals that women account for just 22 percent of the experts in areas such as artificial intelligence and machine learning. These two rapidly developing fields threaten to change traditional work forever and it is imperative for women to change the ratio. As technology continues to advance, the concept of social innovation has also gained global traction. As early as 2011, management guru Michael Porter presented the Shared Value Creation platform in the Harvard Business Review, the idea of creating economic benefits while addressing social difficulties. The combination of unique insights of women, their determination to improve social problems, and the use of technology is a force to be reckoned with.

How do our panellists create pathways around barriers with technology and innovation? Is technology a means to an end or an end in itself? Isn’t technology simply a tool that can generate positive or negative economic and/or social outcomes, depending on why it is developed and how it is applied? What advice do our panellists have for women who want to forge a career path in technology or social innovation?

Sponsor Video
- AMTD Foundation

Moderator
- Rachel Freeman, Director, Chief Strategy & Innovation Officer, AMTD International Inc. (Hong Kong China)

Panel Keynote
- Liu Shan (劉杉), Distinguished Scientist and General Manager, Tencent (China)

Panelists (in alphabetical order by surname)
- Juliana CN Chan (陳重娥), Professor of Medicine and Therapeutics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (Hong Kong China)
- Norma Chu (朱嘉盈), Founder DayDayCook (Hong Kong, China)
- Jin Ling (金玲), Vice Minister of Human Resources, XiaoMi Corporation (China)
- Chantal Khoueiry, Founder, Brides do Good and Chief Culture Officer, The Bicester Village Shopping Collection by Value Retail (United Kingdom)
- Sabrina Lin (林文怡), Vice-President for Institutional Advancement, HKUST (Hong Kong China)
- Dee Poon (潘楚穎), Managing Director, Brands and Distribution, Esquel Group (Hong Kong, China)
- Shirley Yeung (楊慕貞), Associate Vice President, UNESCO Hong Kong Association (Hong Kong, China)
- Hillary Yip (葉礽僖), Founder & CEO, MinorMynas (Hong Kong, China)
- Angelina Yuen -Tsang (阮曾媛琪), Former Vice President, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (Hong Kong, China)