Attending conferences is like getting a shot in the arm or better yet, visiting a spa! Not only do you get a break from your daily grind, but it also rejuvenates and refreshes you! It opens your mind to possibilities that you never thought existed. Often times, you start looking at the world with a different lens, a fresher perspective. It puts you out of your comfort zone, makes you exert yourself to put yourself out there.
When I got an opportunity to represent my company at the Watermark Women's Leadership Conference this year, I was beyond thrilled. I knew I was going to be in for a treat when I saw the keynote speaker's name in brochure, Ex-CEO of Pepsico, Indra Nooyi.
Indra Nooyi stressed the fact that it was harder for women to rise up to the top of the food chain because they were natural caregivers. Looking after the home, children, sick, elderly, etc. It does not make them the weaker sex! Au contraire, it makes them multi-taskers! She pointed out that statistically across the United States, although more women have higher degrees than men, data show that 45 percent of corporate workers are women but only 11 percent are top earners and only 5 percent are CEOs! She emphasized that in the era of rapid transformation, it was important to retain the women in the workforce, especially since the millennial and post-millennial workforce is made up of highly, often better-qualified women. The onus of providing a solution, like subsidized childcare, better working conditions for women, lay with "us", as an institution, a government or as a community in general.
That is precisely why I believe, it is important to have women in positions of influence like the government where they can be policy-makers or topline of the company, as decision-makers, or community leaders. She cited Quebec as an example of a significantly increased GDP after the childcare program was instituted.
Needless to say, I was inspired and impressed with her candor and passion!
When I got an opportunity to represent my company at the Watermark Women's Leadership Conference this year, I was beyond thrilled. I knew I was going to be in for a treat when I saw the keynote speaker's name in brochure, Ex-CEO of Pepsico, Indra Nooyi.
Indra Nooyi stressed the fact that it was harder for women to rise up to the top of the food chain because they were natural caregivers. Looking after the home, children, sick, elderly, etc. It does not make them the weaker sex! Au contraire, it makes them multi-taskers! She pointed out that statistically across the United States, although more women have higher degrees than men, data show that 45 percent of corporate workers are women but only 11 percent are top earners and only 5 percent are CEOs! She emphasized that in the era of rapid transformation, it was important to retain the women in the workforce, especially since the millennial and post-millennial workforce is made up of highly, often better-qualified women. The onus of providing a solution, like subsidized childcare, better working conditions for women, lay with "us", as an institution, a government or as a community in general.
That is precisely why I believe, it is important to have women in positions of influence like the government where they can be policy-makers or topline of the company, as decision-makers, or community leaders. She cited Quebec as an example of a significantly increased GDP after the childcare program was instituted.
Needless to say, I was inspired and impressed with her candor and passion!
No comments:
Post a Comment