November 3, 2022. Shanghai – The Women in Leadership Forum 2022 took place at CEIBS Shanghai Campus today, bringing together a host of inspirational speakers from various industries to share experiences and discuss female leadership in the VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity) era.

The forum, co-organised by the CEIBS Global EMBA and Executive Education programmes, featured senior executives from multinational companies such as Siemens, Kyowa Kirin, Sunkwan Group and Unicareer Education.

As the moderator of the event, CEIBS Professor of Management Jean Lee stated that there are always ups and downs in life and challenges in the workplace, and that the only way to turn things around is to give full play to our leadership skills and exercise a strong mind.

Member of the Managing Board at Siemens Healthineers Staudinger Elisabeth then gave a speech on the similarities and differences in female leadership between East and West drawing on her experiences in Germany and China.

She said she believes that the reason why she could become who she is today is because she grasped every opportunity in her life.

“Leaders need to stay humble, build trust with their teams, identify the strengths of their team members, and listen to different opinions,” she said.

CEO of Beijing Iris Management Consulting Iris Kang also shared her story of breaking through limitations and taking on different roles in her professional life.

She encouraged women in the workplace to go beyond their limits, unleash their potential, step out of their comfort zone and expand their breadth of cognitive thinking while enhancing their inner strength.

Chairwoman of Sunkwan Group Zhu Jing reflected on her journey of starting own business and leading the company for IPO. In her own words, she was “blown down by a storm just after she climbed to the top of the mountain” when the real estate industry began trending downwards in recent years.

The key to overcoming difficulties is to remain resilient, responsible, and self-reliant and face up to the challenges with consistent enthusiasm, she acknowledged.

Founder and CEO of UniCareer Barbara Yu then shared her views on how to have a clear positioning and deal with questioning in the workplace.

“We have an education system that doesn’t teach people how to see, hear and feel, so we often get the wrong perception of the world,” she told the audience.

Therefore, women in the workplace should develop a stronger mind by having a clear picture of what everything that comes along has done to them, and how it works, Barbara continued.

The event also featured an open discussion where speakers exchanged ideas on how successful women build their support systems, establish professional networks, deal with emotional needs and socialise in workplaces

During the discussion, Prof. Lee said she believes that women are more prone to having a sense of guilt, especially those who have established families. This is something they need to overcome.

“Build your own support system and don’t be afraid of seeking help from family and friends,” she concluded.