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8th Women Leadership Forum On October 1st, the European Brand Institute, in cooperation with UNIDO and partners such as ÖBB, NOVOMATIC, Wolf Theiss, DiePresse and the US Embassy, invited participants to the 8th WOMEN LEADERSHIP FORUM in a new location at the Vienna International Centre (VIC).
There aren’t really legal barriers, but in fact there are cultural barriers.
Monika Racek, CEO of ADMIRAL Casinos & Entertainment AG
Due to COVID-19, the event was carried out as a hybrid event. Female leaders, experts and participants from around the globe gathered online and on site at the VIC to exchange experiences and discussed how to empower women and achieve gender equality.
Women as the largest emerging market Under the motto WOMEN.FOR.PROSPERITY ‘What is taking so long?’ Renate Altenhofer, initiator and founder of the Women Leadership Forum, welcomed the international participants on site and online: “The female economy is the world’s largest emerging market. With 80% of all buying decisions, this Women Emerging Market represents the largest market opportunity globally – even bigger than China and India combined.” Fatou Haidara, Managing Director UNIDO, emphasized that the inclusion of women in
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entrepreneurial and leadership positions increases the quality and effectiveness of risk management while promoting gender equality. Sophie Karmasin, Founder Karmasin Research & Identity, presented a recent study on stereotypes of men and women that need to be drastically changed, as a first step towards change and progress. Nicole Smith, Director of Budget Execution at the European Commission, confirmed the need for stereotypes to be broken up and left behind. In his visionary and inspiring keynote Hjörtur Smarason, Founder and Director School of Astronaut Leadership Training S.A.L.T., spanned the bow from Iceland’s first female president to the first woman to be on the moon in 2024. Hosted by Elisa Aichinger, Director Deloitte Consulting; Andrea Gritsch, Managing Partner Wolf Theiss Rechtsanwälte; Divine Ndhlukula, Chairwoman of the National Chamber of Commerce in Zimbabwe and Bibusa Wißemann, CEO
