The 3rd Annual Women in Leadership Forum Asia took place recently and was held under the patronage of the wife of Prime Minister of Malaysia, HE Datin Paduka Seri Rosmah Mansor. The two-day summit was held to discuss the them of women’s leadership and how to maximize economic opportunities for women across the region by providing the jobs needed to accelerate human development.
In her keynote, Datin Paduka Rosmah Mansor explained: speech by HE Datin Paduka Seri Rosmah Mansor, where she explained: “Although research has shown the benefits of increasing women in the workforce, employers still lag behind in capitalizing on this relatively untapped talent pool. Women are still vastly under represented in both developed and emerging economies, particularly in leadership roles in business, government, politcs and the social sphere.”
Throughout the day, emphasis was given on how diversity is no longer just a human resources initiative that promotes tolerance for differences in race, gender and religion. A study by McKinsey & Company entitled ‘Women Matter: An Asian Perspective,’ estimates that raising the participation rates of women in Malaysia increased the country’s GDP by over USD 1.9billion in 2012.
In association with Monster.com, five winners were awarded at the WIL Achievement Awards to celebrate and recognize Asia’s most successful business leaders. Datin Paduka Seri Rosmah Mansor presented trophies to the five winners, who were:
Leading Businesswoman of the Year
Shinta Widjaja Kamdani
Managing Director of Sintesa Group, Indonesia
Most Innovative Woman Entrepreneur of the Year
Winnie Loo
Founder and Chief Creative Director, A Cut Above Group of Salons & Academy, Malaysia
Leading Woman in Public Sector
Cecilia D Del Castillo
Executive Director, Negros Women for Tomorrow Foundation, Philippines
Male Champion of Change
Datuk Mohd Bakke Salleh
Group Chief Executive and President of Sime Darby Berhad, Malaysia
Most Women-Friendly Employer
Ernst & Young
Sophie Le Ray, founder of the global WIL Forum series and naseba CEO concluded: “Economic growth in the region has been remarkable, but there are still challenges such as creating jobs and empowering women to reach board level positions. Malaysia’s Vision 2020 includes increasing the number of Asian women in the workforce, confirming the government’s objective to achieve this. This vision is shared by the WIL forum, and over the past three years we have recognised that to empower women, nations must realise the competitive advantage they provide.”
