‘Women must have growth mindset to achieve leadership positions’

The 10th International Women Leaders’ Summit was held in Karachi on Tuesday, bringing leaders from across the globe to reflect on their stories of success and inspire others to take the lead. New World Concepts, led by Yasmin Hyder, has been organising the summit in Karachi since 2012, according to a press release.

The premier annual conference series has hosted 180 speakers from 45 countries and over 3,500 delegates in the previous 11 conferences. Yasmin highlighted that this conference was a culmination of a decade of achievements in women leadership and empowerment.

The theme for the conference was ‘Building Growth Mindsets’, with the aim to encourage and enable positive change in difficult times, and empower the next generation of women leaders and female human capital.

This is the only conference that is developed, organised and executed by women — and has been running for over a decade — and is attended by female small business owners and female graduate students as well.

“We believe the objectives to support women economic empowerment, promote civic engagement and capacity development are what drives this premier conference in Pakistan.”

Consul General of Turkey Cemal Sanju highlighted the warm relations between businesswomen of both countries, and the opportunities for further growth and collaboration.

He introduced the keynote speaker, Dr Beril Ozlem Leylek, CEO of Mesoest Chair of the Board, GAGIKAD, Turkiye, who highlighted women’s empowerment in Turkey, and the importance of promoting inclusiveness of women in the workforce. She emphasised that women must have growth mindset to achieve leadership positions.

Umar Ahsan Khan, Managing Director & CEO of Dawlance, highlighted the importance of gender initiatives for a more enabling work environment for women. He also stressed on the positive impact of these initiatives on an organisation’s bottom line.

Maheen Rehman talked about the first-ever gender bond. She expressed pride in this initiative, emphasising its commitment to empowering women, building resilience, and creating a historic impact on the community.

Tania Aidrus, Co-founder & CEO of DGLOBAL, shared her life experiences. With a focus on resilience and achievements, she aimed to inspire women, fostering belief in their potential and empowering them on their paths to success.

Her Excellency Andrea Wicke, Ambassador of Austria to Pakistan, shared valuable insights on career transitions. Her insights provided valuable guidance, contributing to the broader conversation on empowering women globally.

His Excellency George Steiner, Ambassador of Switzerland to Pakistan, shared some thoughts on gender equality. It added an interesting dimension to the discussion, offering valuable insights for everyone present.

Dr Akbar Zaidi, Executive Director of IBA, Karachi, spoke about the need to create more awareness about the importance of girls’ education and women’s participation in the workforce.

Consul General of USA Conrad Tribble highlighted the importance of diversity and inclusion, and lauded the organising of the International Women Leaders’ Summit over the past 12 years.

Ronak Lakhani, Chairperson of Special Olympics Pakistan, detailed the importance of inclusion of all, and shared the successes of the Special Olympics movement. Her emphasis on embracing diversity and fostering inclusivity resonated strongly, highlighting the path towards building a stronger and more supportive community.

Yasmin Hyder, who is also Adviser of Special Olympics Pakistan, reflected on the importance of inclusion as per the vision of the founder of our country, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah.

Nancy Wang, CEO of Advancing Women in Tech, and former GM of Amazon Web Services, actively participated in a panel discussion. Her focus centred on fostering growth mindsets, emphasising the importance of cultivating an environment that encourages positive change and empowers the next generation of women leaders.

Qashif Effendi from Canada spoke about the influence of diversity on organisational culture. His insights highlighted the importance of embracing diversity for creating a more dynamic and inclusive workplace environment.

Kamran Arshad Inam, Managing Director and CEO of EFU General Insurance, shared his unique perspective on how diversity shapes organisational culture. His insights provided a distinct lens on the positive influence of diversity, emphasising its role in fostering a vibrant and inclusive workplace environment.

Syeda Sarwat Gilani, renowned actress and entrepreneur, played an engaging role in the panel discussion on transitioning careers. Her insights added a valuable perspective from the entertainment and entrepreneurial sectors, contributing to a comprehensive exploration of career shifts for women.

Huma Amir Shah, TV anchor and host, skilfully moderated the panel discussion on transitioning careers. Her role added finesse and guided the conversation, providing a platform for valuable insights and experiences on navigating career transitions.

The conferences explored how diversity impacts organisation culture, gender equality, diversity and inclusion, transitioning career, building growth mindsets, and success stories of women leaders from Pakistan and across the globe.

The summit was well attended by members of the diplomatic community, renowned women entrepreneurs, heads of bilateral trade associations, teams from the World Bank Group, senior businessmen and members of the media.