The unique experience of Singapore and it’s leadership shows and shares a beautiful path of making a difference with inclusion, influence and impact: of how we can change entrenched mindsets and passé patriarchal norms, with acknowledgment of their limitations and without denial of barriers women face across societal strata and life-stages. 

It was most inspiring to meet policymakers and changemakers. We learned about the  recent White Paper in Singapore for Women’s Development launched by the Singapore government in 2020 after year-long nationwide consultations on pressing issues and way forward, and a year of Celebrating Women in 2021. 

With a clear intent to review and mitigate barriers women face, reflecting women’s aspirations and voices, and centred around shared values of equality, fairness, respect, partnership and solidarity, the White Paper articulates a set of 25 collective actions as a whole-of-society effort, to take the next leap into a fairer and equitable world for women. 

Community efforts include improving male allyship and mentoring for women especially in STEM, and ensuring financial stability and independence for women, the lack of which hits harshly especially for women going through divorce as well as in cases of domestic abuse. 

Other areas where community and government  are working together include addressing hidden poverty, gender security online, social security and mental health concerns.  

Highlighting an important aspect of She-for-She sisterhood and solidarity, our inspiring sister Georgette Tan shared significantly on how women leaders also need to make room for more women to take the lead and support them by clearing the way and stepping out of the way. A takeaway being, don’t just be seen, help others be seen as well. 

 

Healing the hurt and fractured spirit of women is also equally important as we cannot step up to new possibilities and open up new horizons on Unhealed trauma that we have faced individually and collectively – the uneasiness around the word “feminist” being a case in point where the angst and anger of oppression and repression co-existed with the drive for change. Liberating activism or feminism from rupture, resentment, sorrow, blame and victimhood would be essential in order to cease the cycle of pain; else it may also create pushbacks in women’s advancement (such as conservative voices in South Korea to abolish the ministry of gender). 

 

This takeaway was developed on the important inputs made by Hon’ble MP Carrie Tan who advocates for change by clearing the consciousness and healing the way: the foremost way being the inner ways in which we think, feel and act.

 

We also discussed the need to promote women on boards and procurement from women-owned businesses. A date point was brought up that currently, out of the $11 trillion spent on public procurement, less than 1% is given to women-owned businesses. This needs radical change.  On a good note, among CEOs in Singapore, 13.5% are women – the highest in the world. While still further from parity, it’s a great milestone to celebrate.

 

Convenor:
Meenakshi Dabral, G100 Global Chair, Alliances & Alumni  

 

Participating Delegates 

 

G100 Secretariat Global Team

1. Dr. Harbeen Arora – Founder & President, G100
   Club 
2. Vinay Rai – Founder & President, G100 Denim
   Club 

 

G100 Global Chair 

1. Meenakshi Dabral, G100 Global Chair, Alliances &
   Alumni  

 

Along with G100 Country Chairs
from India & Singapore 

 

PROGRAM 

 

27th August, 3pm – 5pm, Sheraton

G100 Meet and Greet 

Guests of Honor: 

Carrie Tan, Hon’ble Member of
Parliament , Singapore

Georgette Tan, President, United
Wonen Singapore

Along with 

Dr. Deepika Saini, Managing
Director , Soluzione Credit Company

Aneesha Reihana, CEO, Queenbee

Deepali Chaturvedi, Founder and
Managing partner, Partners Consulting

Dr. Rishika Dey, Public Health

 

29 August

 

8am, Sheraton 

Kajol Tandon

Master in Public Policy Candidate at National University of Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, Singapore

 

11am, Tanglin Club 

K.V. Rao, Resident Director, ASEAN Region, Tata Sons

 

6pm, Sheraton 

Purnima Kamath

Founder & CEO, De Ideaz Pte Ltd 

Leading event management company 

 

30 August 

 

8:30 am, Sheraton 

Dr. Supriti Bezbaruah

Gender Consultant and Author, ‘Banking on Equality: Women, Work and Employment in the Banking Sector in India’, published by Routledge  2015, Research Fellow with the International Longevity Centre Singapore. Previously at UNDP India, IDS UK, and ISEAS Singapore.

 

10am, Mandala Club

Mrinalini Venkatachalam – Regional Director, South East Asia and Oceania at WEConnect International, Board Member, WISE 

 

Lin Shu Fen

Founder and Start-up Mentor 

Top 100 Women in Tech 2020, Singapore 

 

2 pm – 4 pm, United Women Office

Georgette Tan Adamopoulos, President at United Women Singapore

Simran Toor, CEO SG HER Empowerment 

 

31 August

Departures & Follow up meetings proposed.