50 years of independent Singapore and 100 years of International Women’s Day

Aug 27, 2024

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6 Mar 2015 | By Sian Brown, Chairperson, Women in Business Group

Sticky Floors, Board Shake-Ups, Dynamic Working and HeForShe were a few of the areas explored in the recent International Women’s Day event sponsored by Barclays, in collaboration with the Singapore British Chamber of Commerce. More than 120 professionals from 35 different organisations came together to celebrate the growth in opportunities for women in Singapore over the last 50 years, as well as to discuss what actions can be taken to accelerate the changes moving forward.

Ryan Bacher, Barclays Chief Operating Officer, Asia Pacific, opened the event by highlighting the importance of the Diversity agenda to Barclays and the global launch of the HeForShe campaign in partnership with the UN. Ali Moore, a journalist and broadcaster for BBC World News, then did a fantastic job at moderating the panel. She navigated the audience through the issues and perceptions out there today, then probed the panellists for their thoughts and experiences.

The esteemed speakers included Euleen Goh, Non-executive Chairman of Singapore International Federation; Mildred Tan, ASEAN Government and Public Sector Leader, Ernst & Young; Stevan Hoyle, President, Asia and Africa, Vodafone Global Enterprise; and Tanvi Gautam, Programme Director, Women and Leadership Programme, SMU ExD.

Some key highlights of the discussion include:

Glass Ceiling v Sticky Floor - which is holding women back?
HeForShe - what can men do to help women, and also what can women do to help women
Bridging the confidence gap so more women ask for opportunities rather than wait for them
Treat work as an activity, not a place - the office is not a pre-requisite; with today’s technology, flexible working has never been easier
Board representation - more fresh faces needed, both male and female
Change HR process and policy - many outdated for today’s environment

The panel closed with some wise words of advice of what each person could do to make a difference. Finally, panellists joined guests for lunch and networking.

Attendee feedback highlighted the success of the event:

“I thought this event was excellent. The panel was fantastic. Hearing their views on the topic from diverse perspectives was really good, and Ali did an amazing job moderating. The feedback I heard from around the room during lunch was only positive. Congrats to the BritCham team on a job well done!”

“This was a brilliantly organised event and well targeted. The panel debate was lively and relevant. I was left feeling inspired and proud of the Women in Business committee for organising this event!”