On April 9th, Johnson & Johnson hosted a fantastic webinar showcasing how they support female employees at different career stages and external community partnerships. As a Women Empowerment Council Member, Johnson & Johnson is part of a network of MNCs who are deeply committed to advancing gender equality through women empowerment in businesses and the wider community in China.
The webinar kicked off with Su Cheng Harris-Simpson (Founder of SCHSAsia and the Women Empowerment Council) introducing some of the council’s key objectives to help establish a healthy pipeline of women, provide women access to professional development opportunities, create a supportive work environment for women, grow the number of women leaders, and encourage executive leaders to make real change.
Helen Liu (VP, Medical China Supply Chain) was the first J&J speaker; she welcomed the 345 professionals attending the webinar and highlighted her honor to lead the Women Leadership & Inclusion Employee Resource Group (ERG) for J&J Enterprise China. She proceeded to give a brief introduction to J&J’s heritage of 130 years of caring, rooted in the philosophy that “good health is the foundation of a vibrant life, thriving communities, and forward progress”. J&J’s mission is to “keep people well at every age and every stage of life” as “the world’s largest and most broadly based healthcare company committed to using their reach and size for good”.
She went on to explain the 12 volunteer-based, employee-led ERGs as “helping to connect and engage employees company-wide to develop their potential, build relationships, and drive an inclusive culture”, ultimately driving better business outcomes.
We also heard from a range of J&J speakers including Daisy Chen (BUHR Leader for Janssen R&D), Vivian Zhang (Vice President, Market Access and Government Affairs, Janssen China), Dan Wang (Head, Johnson & Johnson Innovation Asia Pacific ), Liping Wang (Country Manager , JJSV China), April Han New (Business Development Manager Wound Closure JJMC ), and Jocelyn Wang (Associate Director J&J Medical China Supply Chai CSS ). Here are key takeaways from this exceptional panel of speakers:
“Johnson & Johnson champions women and gives them the tools and resources to succeed. We respect each woman talent as a whole person; they are the anchors of the family, leaders of our business, and drivers of innovation.” – Daisy Chen
“To pursue a successful career you need to have a clear, long-term vision and a very clear, short-term objective and balance the two. As a female leader I would encourage all young women and girls to speak up and fight for what you want.” – Vivian Zhang
“I’m very fortunate to be inspired by so many exceptional women leaders at Johnson & Johnson…They have no big difference with male leaders, but some characteristics really stand out. First, they are caring with a great capacity for empathy; second, they are persevering and persistent with a strong winning spirit; finally, they are thoughtful about decision-making and listen to all stakeholders. These leadership qualities served us well to get through the challenges of the pandemic.” – Liping Wang
“Women are more sensitive to change in the external environment and therefore we can quickly capture the key features, advantages, and trends in different stages of development. Also, women are prone to be more collaborative and open to change. In recent years, women are playing an increasingly important role in the innovation ecosystem from university researchers, start-up CEOs & partners, to leaders of venture capital funds and consulting companies…We are heartened to see female leaders getting more adept at leveraging their strengths and braving through difficult challenges in search of the next breakthrough innovation for patient and consumer” – Dan Wang
Thank you Johnson & Johnson for an incredibly informative and enriching webinar!