Ruth A. Davis, former U. S. Ambassador, IWEC Chairwoman / US
Career Ambassador (Ret.) | U.S. Department of State​

Ruth A. Davis is an internationalist who retired from the U.S. Department of State with the rank of Career Ambassador, the highest rank in the Foreign Service of the United States. Her assignments in the U.S. Department of State include Director General of the Foreign Service and Director of Human Resources (2001-2003), Director of the Foreign Service Institute (1997-2001), Ambassador to the Republic of Benin (1992-1995), and U.S. Consul General in Barcelona, Spain (1987-1991). She was also posted in Kinshasa, Nairobi, Tokyo and Naples as a Consular Officer.

Ambassador Davis was detailed to Howard University in Washington, DC as Distinguished Advisor for International Affairs and she served as Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor in the Bureau of African Affairs from 2005-2008. She has received two Presidential Distinguished Service Awards, the Arnold L. Raphel Memorial Award for mentoring, the 2005 Department of State Equal Opportunity Award, the Secretary’s Distinguished Award conferred by Colin L. Powell, and the International Career Advancement Programme’s Award for visionary leadership and fostering diversity within foreign affairs. In 2015 she was named by the Economist Magazine as one of the ‘Top Diversity Figures in Public life’ and in 2016 she received the American Foreign Service Association’s Award for Lifetime Contributions to American Diplomacy and the Link’s Co-Founder Award for International Service.

Ambassador Davis has been the IWEC Chairwoman since IWEC’s inception.

Lan Yang, CEO, Sun Media Group / China

Lan Yang is a household name in China, as a leading broadcast journalist and media entrepreneur. She is the cofounder and Chairperson of Sun Media Group and Sun Culture Foundation. She, as the only person to represent Beijing twice, was chosen as the presenter for Beijing’s bid for both the 2008 Olympic Games and 2022 Olympic Winter Games. She was named as Goodwill Ambassador for 2010 Shanghai Expo. She is a Global Ambassador and International Board Member for the Special Olympics Movement and the first Chinese UNICEF Ambassador, the Co-Chair of Lincoln Centre China Advisory Council, and the Vice-Chairman of China Charity Alliance. Ms. Yang was honored with many awards, including Columbia University SIPA’s “Global Leadership Award”, the “National Philanthropy Award”, China’ “Women’s Achievement Award”, the Paley Centre For Media and AOL’s “Makers” award. She is one of The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women by Forbes.

Professor Pedro Nueno, IESE / Spain​

Pedro Nueno is a Technical Architect, Industrial Engineer and Doctor of Business Administration from Harvard University. He is also Professor of Entrepreneurship at IESE and Chengwei Ventures Chair on Entrepreneurship (CEIBS). He is the founder and current President if the China Europe International Business School (CEIBS), leading school of business in Asia, with campuses in Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, Accra and Zurich.  He was member of the Visiting Committee of the Harvard Business School, a supervisory board in practice, for six years (2005-2011).

Prof. Nueno is also founder of FINAVES, a venture capital corporation associated to the entrepreneurship activity of IESE Alumni that supported the launching of more than 40 companies, creating directly more than 3000 new jobs. His areas of interest include entrepreneurship, starting new ventures, global management, management of technology and innovation. He authored 17 books translated to several languages about corporate turnaround, innovation and entrepreneurship. He has received many Honors such as the Cross of Saint Jordi (2003), the Outstanding Contribution Award from the Chinese Government (2014), and “Commander by Number or the Order of Queen Elisabeth the Catholic” (2015).

Adela Subirana, Barcelona Chamber of Commerce and IWEC Vice President / Spain

Ms. Subirana was a member of the Board of the Chamber of Commerce of Barcelona for more than 15 years and since 2007 the Commissioner of the Presidency for Institutional Activities. Prior to joining the Chamber, she was a Member of the Board of OSHSA – GUINOVART, a company in the construction sector and SUFISA which went on to merge with Sacyr.  Partaking an active role in local and global fundraising efforts, she served as President of the private foundation “Grup Set” (Businesswomen) from 1989 to 2014, was a Member of the Board of the “Friends of Liceo Opera House,” and a Member of the Board of the Palau de la Música Catalana. Since 2015, Ms. Subirana is the Vice President of the IWEC Foundation.  She received the “Medalla President Macià” of the Generalitat of Catalunya for her outstanding work. And, in 2006, the Italian government awarded her the “Cavaliere dell’Ordine della Stella della Solidarieta’ Italiana.”

Ms. Subirana holds a degree in Philosophy and Humanities from the University of Barcelona as well as the “Maîtrisse et Licenses et Arts” from Sorbonne IV Université.

Shilpi Biswas, Vice President, AmCham Shanghai / China

Shilpi is a Transformation and Global Growth Leader and her roles include executive positions in Product development, P&L management, Business commercialisation at General Electric, Unilever, Delphi, General Motors, and SPX . Her 20+ year business career has been focused on growing and diversifying companies in adjacent markets and developing portfolios with innovative ideas, helping to shape concepts into viable products and launching them successfully in the global markets, along with being a change agent during critical transition period in legacy industries (Automotive, Telecom, and Industrials). Transitioning and innovating corporate culture to match the dynamic market requirements and enhancing staff capabilities in a continuous growth mindset to deliver P&L results has been her core competency through out her career. Shilpi has worked and lived in USA, India, Japan, Africa, Mexico and now in China.

Shilpi Biswas joined American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai, as Vice President, as of May 2017. In her current role at American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai, Shilpi leads the Chamber’s strategy and the operations to achieve growth in programmes, trade & investment, new services, partnerships and membership enhancement.

Inspiration, Aspiration and Transformation are her core values. She is a Believer that ‘If you can See it, you can Be It”. Shilpi lives in Shanghai with her husband and two middle school children.

Michele Ruiz, CEO, Ruiz Strategies / US​

Michele Ruiz is a communication specialist, a bi-lingual entrepreneur, an author and keynote speaker whose passions are entrepreneurship, empowerment, all things communication, content marketing, social media and technology. Through her personal brand “Michele Ruiz” she is focused on educating, inspiring and empowering business owners, women and minorities. She shares her experiences with her almost 100k followers across all channels by blogging, video blogging, and public speaking. She also represents Fortune 1000 companies as a brand ambassador wanting to harness the power of her influence. She has written a communications book for the legal industry, and has two more in the pipeline.  Ruiz Strategies is a certified minority-owned (MBE) and woman-owned (WBE) business headquartered in Los Angeles, California with operations in Washington, D.C. and Houston, Texas. Michele was recently featured as an "Inspiring Latina" by Latina Magazine, the number one Lifestyle and Entertainment Magazine for Latinas in the US. She has also been honored by many other organisations and received 16 Emmy nominations during her news broadcasting career, 5 Emmy’s and 4 Golden Mikes.  She was also elected to the Board of Directors of the IWEC Foundation in 2017 and is known for her charity work.

Mukta Jain, Chairperson Women’s Enterprise Council for Confederation of Asia Pacific Chamber of Commerce and Industry / India

Mukta was one of the IWEC Founders through the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry-Federation Ladies Organisation in 2007.  She was the President of FICCI_FLO from 2006-2007.  She is a partner in OPJK Paper Company, a family run enterprise tracing its roots back over 100 years. The company has firmly established itself as a trusted partner to its clients and suppliers and is one of India’s leading paper merchants.  She also worked in a lifestyle product company and for a marketing platform company focused on “Mompreneurs” in the past. Currently Ms Jain is the Chairperson of the Confederation of Asia Pacific Chamber of Commerce and Industry for the Women’s Enterprise Council.

Celina Chew, President, Bayer Group China

Celina Chew was appointed as President of the Bayer Group in Greater China on 1 September 2014. She joined Bayer in 1997 as a lawyer in the Bayer Greater China, Legal Department and became Head of Legal for Bayer in Greater China in 1998. Prior to this, she worked as a private practice lawyer. She holds a Bachelor of Laws (Honors) degree from the University of Western Australia and a Masters of Laws (Distinction) degree from the University of Hong Kong.

During her time as Head of Legal for Bayer in Greater China, Celina was also a member of the Bayer Greater China Leadership Team where she had special responsibility for topics such as Sustainability. In 2011, Celina moved to a management role and became Country Group Head for Bayer in the North ASEAN Region and Managing Director at Bayer Thai Co. Ltd. In this role, she was responsible for Bayer’s operations in Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar. In 2014, she returned to Bayer in Greater China as President of Bayer, Greater China.

As President of Bayer Greater China, Celina’s responsibilities include building bridges to China’s local innovation capabilities, including through Bayer’s start-up incubator programmes like G4A, digital health communities such as STEM4Health and social entrepreneurship initiatives. This coincides with Celina’s deep interest in connections – connecting ideas, connecting people, connecting cultures and connecting the dots. She is also honored to be named in the Forbes China Top 100 Businesswomen in China Lists for 2017 and 2018.

Ibukun Awosika, Chairperson, First Bank of Nigeria, Limited / Nigeria

Ibukun Awosika is the Chairman, Board of Directors, First Bank of Nigeria Limited, Nigeria's premier and most valuable banking brand. She is also the founder and CEO of The Chair Centre Group. The companies in the group include: The Chair Centre Limited, Sokoa Chair Centre Limited, Furniture Manufacturers Mart, TCC Security Systems and Cubes and Boxes Limited. These companies are involved in manufacturing, retail and bank-way security systems services.

Ibukun chairs a number of corporate and not-for-profit boards amongst which are: GEMS Africa, House of Tara International and Afterschool Graduate Development Centre (AGDC), a facility which she promoted to help address youth employability and enterprise issues in Nigeria. She sits on the boards of Cadbury Nigeria Plc., Digital Jewel Limited and Convention on Business Integrity (CBI). She was Chairman, FBN Life Assurance Limited, FBN Capital Limited and Kakawa Discount House Limited. She also served on the board of Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA). Ibukun is a graduate of Chemistry from University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University), Nigeria; an alumna of the Chief Executive Programme of Lagos Business School; the Global Executive MBA of IESE Business School, Barcelona-Spain; and Global CEO Programme of Wharton, IESE and China European International Business School (CEIBS).

María Victoria Zingoni, Executive Managing Director of Downstream, Repsol / Spain

Maria is also a member of the Corporate Executive Committee. She manages the Refining, Chemicals, Marketing, Trading and G&P, LPG, Lubricants, Asphalts and Specialised Products businesses, by identifying acquisition and business development opportunities, as well as liaising with local authorities.

She joined Repsol in 1999. After a decade in the Upstream business unit, she was appointed Director of Investor Relations in 2008. During her time in charge of this division, Repsol was recognised with various international awards for its investor relations management efforts.

From 2013 to 2015 as Corporate Director of Finance, María Victoria Zingoni was reponsible for the company's financial development and control, as well as the management and control of financial risk. In February 2014, she was in charge of the sale to investors of bonds issued by the government of Argentina as compensation for the renationalisation of YPF. In January 2015, due to her profile and extensive expertise in the business, she was chosen to coordinate the project to integrate the Canadian company, Talisman.

Maria Victoria Zingoni is a national public accountant certified by the University of Camahue in Nuequén, Argentina. She graduated summa cum laude from the Executive Master in Business Administration at IAE, the Business School of the University of Austral in Buenos Aires.

In addition to being part of the Corporate Executive Committee, she is Chair of Petrocat (Societat Catalana de Petrolis), Chair of RCPP (Repsol Comercial de Productos Petroleros), and member of the board at Petronor (Petróleos del Norte).

Jean Lee, Professor of Management, CEIBS / China

Michelin Chair in Leadership and Human Resources Management;
Department Chair (Organisational Behaviour and Human Resource Management);
Co-Director, CEIBS Centre for Family Heritage
Programme Director of Family Business Private Board

Dr Jean Lee is the Michelin Chair in Leadership and Human Resources Management, Professor of Management, Chair of the Department of Organisational Behaviour and Human Resource Management, and Co-Director of CEIBS Centre for Family Heritage. Prior to joining CEIBS, she was Professor of Management and Associate Dean at the Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business (CKGSB). Before coming to China, Dr. Lee taught at the National University of Singapore (NUS). She is the former Associate Dean and Founding Director of the International MBA and the Asia-Pacific Executive MBA (Chinese) programmes at NUS. 

Prof Lee’s research interests include leadership, corporate culture, women in management, Chinese business management, Change management, HR management and cross-culture management. She has published extensively in local and international journals, such as Human Relations, Family Business Review, Journal of Managerial Psychology, Asia Pacific Business Review, Journal of Leadership and Organisational Development, Journal of Management Development, Asian Academy of Management Journal, International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behaviour Research, Journal of Small Business Management, Women in Management Review. Applied Psychology, Management Education and Development, International Journal of Management, and Asia-Pacific Journal of Management etc. She has served as the Associate Editor of the Asia-Pacific Journal of Management. 

Dr Lee has consulted and conducted training programmes for many multinational, local and international organisations in South-East Asia and mainland China such as Singapore Airlines, Bank of China, Johnson & Johnson, Xian Janssen Pharmaceutical Co., Asahi Techno Vision Pte Ltd, Leader Steel Ltd, Public Package Sdn Bhd, Teckwah Industrial Corporation, Koh Brothers Ltd. etc. She is a Senior Consultant to the Grandtour Tire Co. (China Headquarters) and Hong Kong Coastal International Holdings Ltd. She also serves as Independent Director of several companies.

Dr Lee has received several Teaching Awards and Service Awards based on her excellent teaching and outstanding leadership and contribution in the profession. She has received the 2005 Outstanding HR Educator Award in China, 2007 Businesswomen Award (Professional Excellence), and the 2008 and 2009 CEIBS Teaching Excellence Award.

Winnie Chan, CEO and Founder, Bynd Artisan / China

Winnie Chan is the CEO and Founder of Bynd Artisan, an experiential retail concept that collaborates with artistic talents, personalises paper and leather accessories and runs crafting workshops. An Economics graduate of University of California, Berkeley, Winnie has spearheaded strategic initiatives in areas of branding, manufacturing and human capital to spur growth and improve efficiency.

Founded in 2014, Bynd Artisan is the modern interpretation of Winnie’s grandfather’s traditional bookbinding business in the 1940s. Building on the craftsmen’s years of experience on the production floor, Winnie has revitalised their roles, giving them a new lease of life by training them to multitask as both craft artisans and sales staff. She envisions the brand to inspire not just her team of craftsmen but also to reach out to the new generation via this tactile concept, which many have forsaken in the digital age.

In December 2016, Bynd Artisan was conferred Singapore’s most prestigious design accolade: President’s Design Award, Design of the Year - in recognition for its innovative design touch points. In 2017, Bynd Artisan was awarded Best Shopping Experience 2017 at the Singapore Tourism Awards. The brand was also cited by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in his May Day Rally Speech as a leading homegrown company that inspires local brands to continuously innovate.

Winnie represented Singapore at the 2017 APEC Women & the Economy Forum in Hue, Vietnam sharing her thoughts on women entrepreneurs in a changing global market.  She is also a mentor at the prestigious Young Women Leaders Connection (YWLC) mentorship programme, which seeks to enhance potential young women leaders in their personal development and learning through a sustainable and fulfilling mentoring relationship.

Renee Wang, Founder, Castbox / China

Wang Xiaoyu is the founder of Castbox. She graduated from the Peking University psychology department. She was the earliest android individual developer in China, used to work as the front-line engineer in Newseed (later acquired by Alibaba).

She joined in Google in 2011, worked in Beijing, Dublin and Tokyo office, served more than four thousand domestic and overseas developers, to help them with the realisation of mobile applications in the global market. In 2015, she came back to China and started CastBox, which ranked first in the android market overseas over a year.

Rossella Cyu, President, Smart Cargo / China

Rossella serves as the President of CJ Smart Cargo, Shanghai Office Director of WTO China Africa Industrial Forum, Executive Director of China-Africa Business Council and Vice Chairperson of Qingdao Logistics Association. She was named Female Leader of the Year in China’s Shipping Industry for three consecutive years, elected deputy to the Hongkou District People’s Congress in 2016 and named Shanghai March 8 Red-Banner Pacesetter in 2017. She was the only individual winner of Hongkou District Mayor Quality Award in 2017 and one of Hongkou District Leading Talents in 2018.

Rossella co-founded CJ Smart Cargo in 2002. In 2009, Shanghai Smart Cargo Supply Chain Management Co., Ltd. was set up as its wholly-owned subsidiary, specialising in project logistics, oversize and overweight cargo transportation, and RORO shipping of cars.

CJ Smart Cargo has been dedicated to providing global customers with professional logistic service, offering solutions in terms of oversize and overweight cargo transportation and project logistics. After 15 years of growth, it has become a provider of integrated logistic service with 12 domestic branch companies, 14 overseas branches, and over 200 overseas agencies as its strategic partners.

CJ Smart Cargo is a national 4A-level logistic company, ranking among Top 100 logistic companies in China . With ISO 9001 certification, it is also a modern logistic company up to international standards. It aims to forge ahead and provide customers around world with leading logistic solutions or help them obtain leading positions through effective and efficient service.  Its mission is to serve and navigate customers as a beacon on the Belt and Road.

Catherine Kang, Co-Founder & CEO, PhiSkin / China

Ms. Catherine Kang, co-founder and CEO of PhiSkin, holds a master’s degree in Engineering Science from Beihang University and an MBA degree from CEIBS. She used to work as senior executive and Greater China president at world renowned brands such as P&G, Sephora under LVMH, Tory Burch and Claire’s, making her a pioneer in cross-border luxury brand business and high-end chain retail trade.

She has been focused on the model of chain business and optimisation of customer experience and has unique insights in O2O and social media marketing. She was honored by the American magazine AD Age as one of “Women to Watch China” in 2013 and received “Outstanding Contribution Award” from China Association of Cosmetics Chain Business in 2014. In April 2018, she was invited by Harvard Business Review to deliver a keynote speech in the event “She Power”.

By starting up PhiSkin, Catherine is committed to optimising and improving the technology and business model of smart healthcare while exploring and expanding the new retail model. From a CEO to a female entrepreneur, she has gained inspiring insights in innovation and crossover. Catherine is also fond of arts. She has communicated and cooperated with many crossover artists and writers.

Maria Puig, International Meetings Director, IESE / Spain

Maria is a general manager with 30 years of experience in business development and project management in the executive education industry and in consultancy. She started her professional career at Andersen Consulting in the Financial Services Industry reaching Managing Director responsibilities. She joined IESE two decades ago to serve as Director of the Alumni Association and later as Executive Director of the Global Executive MBA Programme. She is currently enjoying her role as Director of Industry Meetings, where she gathers academic and business experts in strategic sectors around conferences, summits and publications.

Maria has combined her work at IESE with other responsibilities in Institutions related to Advancement, like CASE, where she served in the Board of trustees; and in initiatives related to Women Entrepreneurs, like the IWEC Initiative, which she has supported from the first years, and the Women-in-Business Committee of the AmCham in Spain. She is also involved in the “Women Angels for Entrepreneurs” group at IESE.

IESE is the graduate business school of the University of Navarra, and has been at the forefront of management education, developing and inspiring business leaders who strive to make a deep, positive and lasting impact on the people, companies and society they serve. IESE offers a portfolio of MBA and executive programmes in their campuses in Barcelona, New York, Sao Paolo, Munich and Madrid. With more than 45,000 alumni from 100+ countries and faculty representing 30+ nations, IESE develops executives from around the world. IESE has strong partnership with over 22 leading business schools around the world and it develops programmes in conjunction with institutions such as Harvard Business School or Wharton, among others. IESE has been ranked the #1 business school in the world in Executive Education by Financial Times in 2016, 2017 and 2018.

IESE Business School is committed to the executive development of women around the world by promoting their enrollment in IESE´s executive programmes, a scholarship for Women in Leadership and publishing cutting-edge research on gender balance at work. 

Montse Marti, CEO, Martiderm / Spain

Montse is an entrepreneur with 30 years of experience. Her expertise is in branding and marketing for her company.  Her background was working for different companies in the food, drinks, agrochemicals and cosmetic products. She has been working in the family business since 2004, developing their brand worldwide with successful development of MartiDerm.  Currently Montse is leading corporate investment in new business opportunities in cosmetics to enlarge MartiDerm’s group portfolio.  She is spreading their RSC programme based on the 3 “s’s”: Sustainability, Solidarity and SmartAging.

Sara Al Madani, CEO, Sara Al Madani Fashion / UAE

Her Excellency (HE) Sara Al Madani ventured into the business world at a time when very few Emirati women dared to do so. Defying gender and cultural norms, she started her fashion label Rouge Couture, now known as Sara Al Madani Fashion Design, at the age of 15.

Eager to give a new twist to the abaya (the robe-like dress worn by some Muslim women), she went on to create dozens of unconventional designs of the traditional garment and opened three branches of her boutique in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Following her early success, in 2014 Al Madani, now 30, was selected by Sheikh Sultan Al Qasimi, ruler of the UAE emirate of Sharjah, as a board member of the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce & Industry (SCCI). As a result, she is now known by the honorific Her Excellency.

Carmen Castillo, CEO, SDI International / US

Carmen Castillo is the President and CEO of SDI International Corp. (SDI), a $2.8 bill certified Woman- and Hispanic-owned company which she founded in Fort Lauderdale, Florida in 1992. The company provides its clients with fully scalable global indirect procurement solutions for the tail-end of complex supply chains.  Aside from being an active part of IWEC, Ms. Castillo is also the Chairwoman of the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC) and leads their Audit and International Committees.  She collaborates with the boards of many other Minority- and Woman-owned business organisations.  Ms. Castillo is very active in community affairs, direct mentorship programmes and business development organisations that further the entrepreneurial efforts of minorities and women worldwide. Ms. Castillo has received multiple awards for her advocacy and mentorship efforts, and proprietary business development programmes, among them the “Enterprising Women of the Year” award by Enterprising Women Magazine, “Elite Hispanic Woman” by Hispanic Business Magazine, one of the largest Hispanic- and Woman-Owned businesses in the U.S. (by Hispanic Business Magazine) and the “National Minority Supplier of the Year” award, by the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC). Carmen is the Vice-Chair for the IWEC Foundation.

Denise Evans, Vice President Women & Diversity B2S Marketing, IBM / US

Denise leads an organisation responsible for ensuring that businesses owned by Asians, Blacks, Hispanics, Native Americans in North America and women owned, led and influenced businesses, globally - understand how to leverage technology to accelerate the growth and success of their businesses.  She has served globally in numerous leadership and executive positions in IBM for 40+ years.   She currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Women Presidents’ Organisation, Enterprising Women Magazine, The Galt Foundation, The National Alliance for Mental Illness - MD, International Planning Committee - Global Summit of Women, advisory board of The S.O.L.V.E. Group, and is an expert community member of Catalyst.  Denise has been featured in several magazines as a “top IBM executive” advocating for diverse businesses, numerous magazines and books on leadership and received recognition – most recently the “Woman of Impact Leadership” Award from Impact Leadership 21 at the United Nations and the “World of Difference” Award from The International Alliance of Women. Denise is a global citizen who has traveled across 5 continents, a mentor to many in marketing and sales and a lifetime member of the Girl Scouts of the Nations’ Capital.  Denise earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics and Economics from Brown University and MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. 

Harjinder Kaur, Managing Director and CEO of Comvision (India) Pvt. Ltd / India

Ms. Kaur has 20 years of successful experience behind her, is a dynamic, result-oriented entrepreneurial leader with a strong track record and with good interpersonal skills who resolves multiple or complex issues as well as motivates staff to deliver maximum potential.

She is MD & CEO of Comvision (India) PVT Ltd and Comvision Q Free, leading companies in system integration, e-governance as well as proven hardware/software solutions for automated toll management respectively.

Harjinder founded her $5.0 million business in 1995 in India.  In the last 21 years she has provided one stop shop for IT solutions in e-governance arena of India as well as Intelligent transport solutions and free flow traffic solutions.

The company has done international strategic partnerships to give specialised solutions in Indian roads and highways sector apart from being a domain expert in implementing solutions for Govt. sector in India.

She has received recognition in “India Today” Among top 10 Women CEO’s of India & India’s Most Deserving Men & Women, is ex – YFLO Chairperson, Hyderabad Chapter & is the President of FICCI-Flo 2018-2019.

Ulrika Nilsson, CEO,  Secure State / Sweden

Ulrika started to work with IT projects at a bank and in the Swedish healthcare system. After a couple of years she decided that it was time to try her own wings and started a small business offering consultancy services in the information security area. This was in 2005. For the first year there were only two in the company, but slowly they started to hire people and work in a structured way with the business development. In 2013 Ulrika won the “Company Owner of the Year” award in her hometown and in 2015 she was invited to participate in the “National Entrepreneur Day”, held by the Prince of Sweden, Prince Daniel.

The last four years the business has had a significant expansion with an increase of revenue between 20-50% each year. The staff has doubled during the last two years. Today Secure State is a mixed female/male team consisting of lawyers, IT specialists and management consultants, all focusing on cybersecurity and privacy. This year they opened their first international office in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada to be able to offer more services to their global clients. “It is very exciting to get to know new countries and cultures, and I hope that we are able to expand to several more countries that would like to have our services,” states Ulrika.

Regina Llopis, CEO AIA Elequant, EQ-Kids / Spain

Regina Llopis, UC Berkeley Math PhD, is Founder, Investor, President & CEO of Group AIA, since 1988. She and her husband started the company with a dream to transfer basic science into industry.  Currently she leads their intra/entrepreneurship initiatives as well as develops strategy and expansion of all group technology driven companies in software and engineering, finding solutions in the fields of energy, banking, telecom, health and music Industries. Clients include 25 of the Forbes 2000 company list. Products they have developed include those adopted by NASA. The vision of the company is to become leaders in Basic Science transfer to Industry, and Building Algorithms for a better world and converting big data analytics into the change of paradigm from causality to correlations.

Janine Myburgh, President of Cape Chamber of Commerce & Managing Director Myburgh Attorneys / South Africa

Janine has for a cumulative period of 20 years been practicing as an attorney.

Janine was admitted as an attorney in 1996 after completing her two-year articles at Malcolm Roup and Associates Attorneys.  After a brief stint at the Road Accident Fund (in 1996), she was employed as a Professional Assistant at the respective firms of Attorneys, Pincus Matz Marquard Hugo Hamman (1996 to 1997) and Steyl Incorporated Attorneys (1997 to 1999) she commenced to practice for her own account, under the name and style of Myburgh & Associates Attorneys in 1999 (Myburgh & Associates was formally registered as Myburgh Attorneys Incorporated on 01 March 2013).

Janine has since 1999 built up a substantial client base locally, nationally as well as internationally.  The majority of her practice is litigation based, but she has also diversified her practice into Mediation and Facilitation.  She is very involved in her community, organised business, the legal profession and civil society, which is noted by the numerous leadership positions she has held or still holds on the boards of several community and professional institutions.

Janine has been the president and chairperson of the board of the Cape Chamber of Commerce since 2012 and was the first female president elected in the chamber’s 212-year history.

Liana Chaouli, Founder, Image Therapist / United States

Liana Chaouli has been doing Image Therapy for over 30 years. When she was 22, she worked as a translator in Hamburg, Germany. Part of her official duties was to guide visiting dignitaries and officials on tours of the city and translate for them.  Her motivation to start the company came from one of her most impactful experiences while she was working with the proud, strong wife of a Middle Eastern dignitary.

“She was a dignified, beautiful, intelligent woman, who looked like royalty. She wasn’t tall, yet she was quite striking with wonderful, voluptuous curves and a small waist (even after having five children!). She was very excited to go shopping, and she had the money to spend.  When we walked into the Chanel store, her face lit up with excitement, as her eyes fell on rows upon rows of exquisite clothing. We explained to the salesclerk that we needed something elegant – a suit my client could wear to an important event.  The sales clerk glanced at my client for an instant, and said with noticeable disdain, ‘We don’t have anything in your size.’  My client instantly collapsed into a puddle of nothing.

I realised that in just one fleeting moment, that sales clerk robbed my client of her joy, her self-esteem, and her excitement with a handful of cold words. Loud and clear, she embarrassed my client – she told her that she wasn’t good enough to wear those clothes.  I was mortified. My heart sank. This woman deserved to feel GOOD about herself!! EVERY woman deserves to feel beautiful!

And right then, in that instant, my mission was born: to help as many people as I could to see their own beauty – to become empowered through their clothing choices.  I would teach them how to choose clothes that flattered their bodies and made them feel WORTHY, strong, and as uniquely beautiful as they truly are, so they could show up authentically in the world!  Now, when I first began working in the clothing industry, there was no such thing as an “image consultant,” so I became a custom clothing designer. This way, I could literally hand out self-esteem – one garment at a time.

With thirty years’ experience as a custom clothing designer, color specialist, and a Master Couturier, it means I am a high-level clothing craftsman, patternmaker, and seamstress who really understands all the facets of clothing that fits the way it should on your body.

But more than that, I am an Image Therapist!”

Sunita Bajaj, Managing Director, Fortis Lux Financial / United States

Impact, indeed, was what caught Sunita’s attention when she was first introduced to financial services fifteen years ago. What appeals to her, is educating clients, creating roadmaps and preparing them for financial stability, based on their very unique goals. “When I started out as an advisor, I deliberately adopted a service-oriented model,” she says about her client-first approach. “Knowing that my clients put their trust in me was as rewarding as the economic gains of this work.” Today, Sunita plays a leadership role at Fortis Lux as the Managing Director.

As the MD, Sunita leads with her advisors as her clients and her commitment to their professional growth fuels her success. Sunita continues to maintain a personal financial services practice. Her clients include business owners, professionals and executives. A recipient of the 2016 NY City Reports Corporate Social Responsibility award for Banking and Financial Services, Sunita has continued to give back and be involved with the community in various capacities. She sits on the Executive Board of the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce. Sunita is the NYC Co-Chair and founding member of IWEC (International Women's Entrepreneurial Challenge) that celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2017. She serves on the Executive committee of IWEC.

The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference! This quote by Malcom Gladwell resonates with me … “We have, in short, somehow become convinced that we need to tackle the whole problem, all at once. But the truth is that we don’t. We only need to find the stickiness Tipping Points,”Family is a priority for Sunita. In her free time, she enjoys the creative arts and learning about the world through travel. She enjoys yoga and has a Master of Arts degree in history.

Ingrid Sidiadinoto, Customer Solutions Group Managing Director, UPS Asia Pacific Region / Singapore

Ingrid Sidiadinoto is the Managing Director of the Customer Solutions Group in UPS Asia Pacific Region. She leads UPS’s solutions team that provides consultative services and creates innovative end-to-end supply chain solutions tailored to specific client needs. In this role, she also helms the Programme Management function which offers logistics advisory and support to UPS’s enterprise customer accounts in the region.

Prior to her current appointment, Ingrid served as the Managing Director of UPS Singapore and was responsible for the strategic management of the Singapore business. Under her leadership, UPS Singapore became the first UPS market in Asia to pioneer the use of Telematics to enhance safety and boost efficiency of its delivery fleet. Singapore was also part of the largest one-time expansion of the UPS Worldwide Express® Service in history where more than 23,000 new postal codes were added in Asia Pacific.

Ingrid started her career with UPS in 1999 as a fresh graduate and was part of the pilot batch of management trainees in the Industrial Engineering department at UPS in Seattle, Washington. In 2000, she was promoted to Engineering Supervisor responsible for package operations for the Seattle Division. She then relocated to San Francisco, California, in 2001, and within a year, she was promoted to Engineering Manager in the UPS North California District. She took on various engineering roles with the last one being the Manager for Operational Excellence.

In 2006, Ingrid relocated to Singapore as Operational Excellence Manager for UPS Asia Pacific Region and was promoted to Director of Industrial Engineering at UPS South Asia District a year later. In this position, she expanded the business in India and Vietnam, and led efficiency improvements and cost-saving initiatives for operations, building and facilities across Asia. She also implemented major projects such as the UPS Worldwide Express Plus Service at the district level.

Ingrid is a native of Jakarta, Indonesia, and she graduated from the University of Washington with a Bachelor's Degree in Industrial Engineering. She served on the Editorial Advisory Board of Logistics Insight Asia in 2013 and was the first Chairperson of UPS’s Women Leadership Development in Singapore.

Jennifer Petsky, Customer Experience Director, Global Payments / Australia & New Zealand

Experienced Business Executive focused on Customer Experience, with a demonstrated history of working in the financial services industry.  Jennifer has been a part of Global Payments since their acquisition of Ezidebit Pty Ltd in 2014, originally commencing her employment with Ezidebit in 2007.  Jennifer oversees a broad scope of responsibilities, from account establishment and maintenance, to advocating improvements in features and services for existing clients and internal teams, to building strong relationships both with clients and within the business. Further to this, Jennifer represents the perspective of the customer in many internal projects and campaigns to continually improve customer retention and satisfaction.  Skilled in Business Relationship Management, Business Planning, Requirements Analysis, Payment Systems and Business Development.  Strong operations professional graduate from Qld University of Tech.

Conchie Fernandez, Owner & Managing Partner of CF Creative / US

Conchie is the owner and Managing Partner of CF Creative, a strategic communications, digital marketing and demand generation provider that helps clients to streamline their brand and go-to-market strategies to surpass revenue goals. As a business development evangelist and corporate author, Conchie had a successful career in executive roles at HP, Microsoft and American Airlines, generating close to a billion dollars in wins through her sales and proposal writing strategies.  In 2017, CF Creative was awarded the Minority Marketing and Communications Firm of the Year Award by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Minority Business Development Agency.  Conchie is further the author of an Amazon #1 best-selling novel, "Undrawn".  

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An Hao
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Email: ahao@ceibs.edu