On November 15, representatives from eight different chambers of commerce gathered together at the AmCham China offices for a joint lunch meeting to discuss collaboration plans for 2018. The discussion focused on how the chambers could better collaborate on programs to promote gender diversity and to develop female leadership in the coming year under the framework of the Gender-8 Program (G8).
The G8 program was jointly initiated by eight chambers of commerce in China, including the American Chamber, British Chamber, European Chamber, Australian Chamber, Finnish Business Council, Swedish Chamber, and Benelux Chamber. The G8 aims to showcase and develop inspiring and professional women in each chamber’s respective community, and also serves as a platform to enable established leaders to share the career stories and insights on policies to promote gender diversity and career advancement.
During the meeting, representatives from each chamber shared their priorities for gender work in 2018, brainstormed ideas for next year’s G8 events, and explored synergies to cooperate. AmCham China and the Finnish Business Council also shared lessons from successful events in 2017 on "Career Women Forward," and more G8 programs are expected for the coming year.
In 2017, AmCham China held the first annual 女 Economy Summit, a sold-out event that brought together experts from different sectors to discuss issues related to gender and the workplace. Following on the success of last year’s event, the Second 女 Economy Summit is scheduled for March 23, 2018. The summit is the largest gathering of women leaders in the community, and provides a platform for networking and sharing of best practices.
Qian (Louise) Liu, the co-chair of AmCham China’s Women Professional Committee and a founder of the G8 initiative, expressed optimism about the results of the lunch meeting and about the plans for 2018: "Together with 8 chambers we send a bigger, stronger and more consistent voice."
Yining Liang is a forum and committee coordinator at AmCham China.