Empowering Women: CKGSB's 2024 Women in Leadership Forum Highlights Critical Role in Business

The 2024 Women in Leadership Forum, hosted by CKGSB, centralized on the themes of female empowerment in business and addressing gender disparities. Key figures highlighted the importance of gender equality for economic prosperity, the role of women in family businesses, and the potential of AI to enhance workplace equality.

On October 23, the Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business (CKGSB) hosted the 2024 Women in Leadership Forum, gathering leaders from the United Nations and over 500 business executives. The forum honed in on empowering women in succeeding family businesses and leading multinational companies.

Jin Pei, Vice-Chair of the Shanghai Women's Federation Association, highlighted women's growing influence across economic and social sectors. UN Resident Coordinator Siddharth Chatterjee, in a video address, pointed out that women hold a mere 19.7% of board seats and 5% of CEO positions. He called for urgent gender equality to foster economic stability. Liu Meng from the UN Global Compact echoed this, urging policy reforms to elevate women to leadership roles.

Dean Li Haitao of CKGSB underscored women's critical role in family enterprises, emphasizing their superior soft skills. A study by CKGSB's Zhang Xiaomeng showed increased resilience among women leaders post-COVID. She noted AI's potential to boost workplace gender equality. Prominent speakers included Lily Guan from Cargill China and Poh-Yian Ko from FedEx China.