Karachi Pakistan and the South Asian region today are beset with problems; it is imperative that all of us unite and work for the good of all members of society regardless of caste, colour, creed or gender, said New World Concepts CEO Yasmin Hyder while welcoming delegates to the International Women Leaders Summit at a hotel on Wednesday. Titled ‘Explore, Energise and Enhance Success’, this year’s conference focuses on bringing together women professionals and entrepreneurs from around the world to learn from the experiences of women who have been pioneers of change in spheres as diverse as medicine, business, government, entertainment and entrepreneurship, said Yasmin. “This summit will provide inspiration to working women,” she said. “The summit is a unique opportunity for women in Pakistan to learn ways and means of exploring opportunities and overcoming personal and professional barriers.” The moot featured addresses by entrepreneurial women from a diverse set of countries. They all narrated their success stories in their respective fields of endeavour. Addressing the moot via video link, Dr Wandee Kunchornyakong, president/CEO of Thailand’s SPCG Public Company Limited and a winner of the United Nations Climate Change Award 2014, encouraged women to make a career in clean energy by procuring know-how and liaising with lending institutions. Laura Frati Gucci, world president of Italy’s World Association of Women Entrepreneurs, said women everywhere could be drivers of change and progress, as women had the potential to enhance their own economic status. Zuhal Mansfield, chair of the board of Turkey’s TMG Natural Stone Mining and Construction Company, elaborated on the role of women as pioneers in entrepreneurship and expressed readiness to advise prospective women entrepreneurs in Pakistan. Janaki Kuruppu, chairperson of the Sri Lanka Tea Board, said women needed to be more courageous and innovative at the workplace by empowering themselves through creation and utilisation of networks. The speeches alternated with panel discussions, one of which featured Daniella Ballard, head of the Economic Section of the Embassy of the United States in Islamabad; Gillian Atkinson, acting deputy high commissioner of the United Kingdom; Dr Masuma Hasan, first female federal secretary of Pakistan; and Fauzia Viqar, chairperson of the Punjab Commission on the Status of Women. In her highly erudite and analytical discourse, Dr Masuma dispelled the oft-held and oft-parroted notion that women did not constitute a substantial chunk of the Pakistani workforce. She said women had substantial representation and, in particular, comprised a very large part of the agricultural workforce. As for the sphere of politics, she said that true, women from political families had an edge, but that certainly did not imply that women from the less privileged segment were barred from the activity. There are 40,000 women at the local government-tier all over the country; however, the percentage of women in the local government has dropped from 37 percent to 10 percent, she added. Citing her own example, she said that for a long time she was the only top female bureaucrat, but there was never a hindrance in her functioning. Gillian, who has had a glistening career in diplomacy, including serving at the United Kingdom embassy in Warsaw and with the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, said it was a challenge for her to deal not just with men “but also with military men”; however, if one had the talent of negotiation and persuasion, the gender difference just did not matter. “That is my experience.”
