What would life in Korea as an expat woman be? Her Excellency, Matilda Swilla Masuka, the ambassador of Tanzania, mentioned the impact of helping others in her welcome remarks at the Women’s Leadership Summit & Gala that was held on April 19th, 2019 at George Mason University Korea. The event was hosted by the Expat Professional and Business Women’s Network (EPBWN), George Mason University Korea, Global Green April Festival (GGAF) and Incheon Free Economic Zone (IFEZ), encouraging women to participate in a social dialogue about building confidence and experiences in Korea. The event program had four different panel sessions, followed by a gala.
The first session was moderated under the theme of “the importance of building strong social networks for expat women”. Robin Carney, president of Seoul International Women’s Association (SIWA) have mentioned that it is a big challenge for expat women because they used to be professionals before but unable to get a position to work, due to visa and other circumstances. Victoria Botvin (J.D., academic at the University of Utah) talked about the struggles and stereotypes she faced during her transition of previously building litigation experiences in Washington DC, creating a new identity through marriage. She advised fellow expat women to not be afraid of reaching out, and to “find, keep and use connections”.
The second session, Professional and Personal Strategies for Women’s Leadership, was all about empowerment. Yvonne Prempeh-Ferguson (CEO of Cambridge Consultancy Services) emphasized how education is conducive to growth and sets clear targets that the modern workplace can embrace change, honest and transparency. Anne Choe, advisor for SIWA, mentioned that the group dynamics and culture of women supporting each other at work will be the key to success in women’s leadership. For establishing such working culture, Global Start-Up Campus Coach and Mentor Neet Virmani remarked on the need for an increase inco-sparing spaces in Korea, like Female Quotient (FQ Lounge) in the US.
On the third session for the “Role of International Organizations in Supporting People, Planet and Prosperity”, an active dialogue for climate change was brought up on the table. Senior Officer of Global Green Growth Institute Annick Nzambimana pointed out that climate change is also a social issue and there needs to be a lot of girls to go into the field and find ways to adapt and mitigate. “When it comes to energy, transport, water- all these impact and interventions are important, even in vulnerable societies.”
The last session discussed “The Advancement of Women and Gender Equality in Politics and Diplomacy”. As an answer to ways and efforts towards gender equality, the speakers agreed that spotlighting women’s voice to be heard in many institutions as possible was imperative.
Her Excellency Sripriya Ranganathan, India Ambassador to the Republic of Korea, ended the summit with by a saying,
“I am a wife or mother, but at the same time, I am also me, contributing in my own rights”, highlighting the purpose of the Women’s Leadership Summit & Gala.
Written by Hyunseon Kim | Staff Writer
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