BEIJING, Oct. 25, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- On October 23, Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business (CKGSB) hosted its anticipated 2024 Women in Leadership Forum, bringing together leaders from the United Nations and over 500 business executives. The forum focused on two critical themes: empowering women in succeeding family businesses and leading organizations and multinational companies.

Jin Pei, the Vice-Chair of the Shanghai Women's Federation Association, expressed, "We're delighted to see women making their mark across various fields of economic and social development." UN Resident Coordinator in China Siddharth Chatterjee delivered a video address, where he emphasized the ongoing gender disparities in management, citing that "Women only hold 19.7% of board seats, 6.7% of board chairs, 5% of CEOs and 15.7% of CFO positions." He urged that achieving gender equality is "an essential and urgent necessity" for economic prosperity and stability. Meanwhile, in a keynote speech, Liu Meng, Head of China at the UN Global Compact, emphasized that achieving gender equality requires comprehensive policy reforms. "Research consistently shows that women in leadership boost productivity and collaboration," Meng stated, urging organizations to invest in removing barriers.

Li Haitao, Dean and Dean's Distinguished Chair Professor of Finance at CKGSB, underscored the critical role women play in family enterprises. "The role of women is crucial for family businesses to navigate cycles and achieve lasting success," said Dean Haitao. "The long-term development of a business relies on a commitment to long-termism and altruism, and women often possess superior soft skills needed for leadership, such as communication, decision-making, and long-term strategy."

Zhang Xiaomeng, CKGSB's Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior, drew upon the findings from of her extended study between 2020-2024, which reveals that, since the COVID-19 pandemic, the resilience of both genders in the workplace has increased dramatically, but has increased more substantially among women [in leadership roles]. She also shared findings from a recent report on the impact of AI across genders, concluding that "Generative AI is likely to be a technological force that can help increase gender equality in the workplace."

Other speakers included Cargill China's President Lily Guan, FedEx's China President Poh-Yian Ko, and the Consul of Science and Tech at the British-Consulate General in Shanghai Charlotte Smart.

Since its inception in 2013, the Women in Leadership Forum has been a cornerstone of CKGSB's mission to foster next-generation female leadership, impacting over 2 million participants globally.