On March 15, the Women Empowerment Council (WEC) and the Finland Embassy co-hosted an Executive Leadership Roundtable, at China World Hotel Beijing, which generously served as our venue sponsor. In celebration of Women History’s Month and the importance of inclusivity, Empowering All to Be Inclusive Leaders, as the session was called, was attended by high-profile women leaders from the international community, including Ambassador of Finland to China Leena-Kaisa Mikkola, Ambassador of Uganda to China Oliver Wonekha and Ambassador of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago Analisa Low. In addition, women leaders from diverse communities from Albemarle, Beijing Universal Talent Group, bp, Caixin Media Group, ConocoPhillips, Embassy of Finland, FedEx, Finnish Chamber of Commerce, Knorr-Bremse, Nokia, Marja Kurki, Microsoft, Speech Ocean, Today Art Museum, UPM also gathered for a discussion full of ideas and insights.
Facilitated by Su Cheng Harris-Simpson, WEC Founder and President, and Poh-Yian Koh, WEC Co-Chair and VP of Operations at FedEx China, the roundtable discussion exchanged insights and ideas on how to cultivate inclusive leaders in any workplace environment, using a framework of six standout attributes of a truly inclusive leader – self-awareness, authenticity, empathy, transparency, accountability, and passion, according to the pioneering research WEC conducted with our DEI Report 2022.
Pioneering and groundbreaking leaders in their own right, the women leaders shared insightful personal stories of how they have individually become more inclusive leaders, the ups and downs in their journeys, and how they have grown in their leadership skills to maximize their impact throughout their careers as women in high-level positions. A theme that emerged throughout their sharing is the importance of nurturing a strong sense of self-awareness as leaders, so as to practice empathy, open communication, and agency in their leadership. Moreover, they also emphasized the value of trust as an indispensable aspect of building an inclusive workplace. From the individual acts of developing and leveraging personal relationships in navigating conflict resolution in the workplace to systematic cultures that prioritize psychological safety and collective contributions, these are among some of the best practices and policies that women leaders and their organizations have taken in building inclusive leadership.
Following the executive roundtable, Ambassador Leena-Kaisa Mikkola generously offered to host a warm reception open to the wider business and international communities to celebrate International Women’s Day at the wonderful space of her residence. During the event, Ambassador Mikkola and Su Cheng Harris-Simpson, encouraged everyone to reflect on their own journey to be a more inclusive leader and the importance of inclusive leadership in creating a more equitable and inclusive world.
Inclusive leaders are essential to business success and social impact. The good news? Anyone can become one by developing specific attributes and behaviors. If you are resilient and willing to embrace a challenge, then you can impact cultural transformation.
Wrapping up the event, it’s always inspiring to receive such amazing testimonials from our participants: “WEC events bring together people who are genuinely looking for ways to advance the development of women and close the gender gap. They are never short of insights and practical recommendations.”