Ms. Selima Ahmad, President of the Bangladesh Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BWCCI) and who chaired the roundtable discussion on women entrepreneurship, informed the CACCI Council that the session of the CACCI Women Entrepreneurs Council (CWEC) was attended by some 20 local and overseas delegates and featured the following panelists: […]
History of the CACCI Women Entrepreneurs Council (CWEC)
Given that nearly fifty percent of total population is female, CACCI believes that it is necessary to develop women entrepreneurship for the achievement of economic development of the nation. Many countries in the Asian region are in such position where the growth of women entrepreneurship has risen greatly over the past few years. Recognizing this development, CACCI has established the CACCI Women Entrepreneurs Council (CWEC) to provide members the forum to discuss the challenges faced by women entrepreneurs in the region and what the private sector and governments, through programs and pro-active policy measures, can do to support women entrepreneurs and help them become important contributors to the country’s sustainable economic growth.
Activities
CACCI held its first breakout session on women entrepreneurship during the Tbilisi meeting in Georgia on October 27, 2005 with the view to formally organizing a CACCI Women Entrepreneurs Council (CWEC). The idea of forming the CWEC was broached by CACCI President Mr. K. K. Modi during the CACCI Planning Committee meeting held in April 2005.
The Tbilisi meeting was chaired by Dr. Manju Kalra Prakash, Director at the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). It was attended by representatives from Georgia, Armenia, the Philippines, Japan, Singapore, and Taiwan. The meeting deferred the selection of the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the proposed Women Entrepreneurs Council to the next meeting due to inadequate representation from CACCI member countries. However, the meeting agreed on the importance of setting up the Council in promoting the interest of women entrepreneurs in the region.
Among the issues and suggestions discussed by the session included participation in the training programs or exchange programs; signing of MOUs with different women organizations from CACCI member countries; participation in CACCI-organized trade fairs and exhibitions; and sharing and posting relevant information and inquiries on trade and investment opportunities in the CACCI Profile.
Subsequent meetings were held in Taipei on November 1, 2006 in conjunction with the 21st CACCI Conference, where Mrs. Mukta Nandini from India was elected as Chairperson; in Perth, Australia on July 26, 2007 during the 73rd CACCI Council Meeting: and in Yokohama, Japan on May 31, 2009 during the 23rd CACCI Conference.
The CWEC also held the International Women’s Conference on “Retail Marketing on November 15-16, 2007 in Taipei, and a Workshop on “Effective Marketing Strategy: Domestic and International” on December 1, 2008 in Jakarta, Indonesia; on July 6, 2010 in Colombo, Sri Lanka during the 24th CACCI Conference; and on March 7, 2011 in Istanbul, Turkey in conjunction with the 25th CACCI Conference.
The eighth meeting of the CWEC was conducted on March 14, 2013 in Cebu, Philippines in conjunction with the 27th CACCI Conference. The Session was chaired by CWEC Chairperson Mrs. Mukta Nandini Jain who emphasized that women have made significant advances in gender equity, political participation and personal economic empowerment in recently years. Three local speakers were also invited to make presentations, and they were: (1) Dr. Maria Socorro, President & CEO Standout Group of Companies; Vice Chairperson, CACCI Women Entrepreneurs Council, who talked about the status and prospects of women entrepreneurship in the Philippines; (2) Mrs. Teresita M Yujuico, Chairman, Istana Foundation, who shared with the participants her experience as well as the best practices as a successful woman entrepreneur; and (3) Ms. Myrna Yao, Chief Operating Officer, Richewell Trading Corp.; Chairperson, Philippine Commission on Women, who spoke of the prospects of women entrepreneurship in the Philippines.
The CWEC co-organized a breakout session on “SME Development and Women Entrepreneurship” during the 28th CACCI Conference held on September 19, 2014 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. During the session, the panelists spoke about the policies and programs of their governments to promote the growth and development of SMEs and women entrepreneurship in their respective countries, and “to empower women entrepreneurs”. The women speakers who were running their own businesses themselves shared their experiences in putting up their businesses, the challenges and difficulties they faced, and what they did to overcome those problems. Some of the speakers advised women entrepreneurs to register their businesses to better their chances of getting funding from banks.
This is the list of past CWEC meetings:
* Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Meeting, September 19, 2014 * Cebu, the Philippines Meeting, March 14, 2013 * Istanbul, Turkey Meeting, March 7, 2011 * Colombo, Sri Lanka Meeting, July 6, 2010 * Yokohama, Japan Meeting, May 31, 2009 * Workshop on Effective Marketing Strategy, December 1, 2008 * International Women’s Conference, Taipei Conference, November 15-16, 2007 * Perth, Australia Meeting, July 26, 2007 * Taipei, Taiwan Meeting, November 1, 2006 * Tbilisi, Georgia Meeting, October 27, 2005
Ms. Lillian Chu from Taiwan shared with the audience her experience and observation on women entrepreneurship. According to Ms. Chu, the primary barriers faced by women entrepreneurs in Taiwan are insufficient capacity building and limited channels of information or social networks. Women entrepreneurs need to be educated to have a keen perception on the competition in the market. In building capacity, women entrepreneurs have to understand the characteristics they possess and from there they can develop their capacity to allow them to hear all different voices and to manage uncertainty and risk in the business world. Ms. Chu pointed out that with sufficient capacity, when others see only potential down-sides, they can see potential business opportunities. The capacity will also allow women to leverage and transform their experience (which might be deemed a disadvantage) into an advantage in competition. To sum up, having sufficient information across all sectors is crucial for women entrepreneurs to achieve their full potential.
The second panelist was Mrs. Magvan Oyunchimeg from Mongolia who used her work experience in the Chamber as an example to explain how to keep a balance between work and family. In addition, she also discussed the opportunities and challenges facing businesswomen in Mongolia.
Mrs. Carmel De Pio-Salvador from the Philippines, as Managing Director of a company, talked about her idea on how to develop women entrepreneurship. In her presentation, Mrs. Pio-Salvador encouraged ladies to dream and make their dreams come true, as it is the way to realize goals. Also, whenever changes happen, they could be opportunities for development and growth which could help people move forward. Emphasized the importance of family and learning, Mrs. Pio-Salvador shared several examples and photos of her own company to demonstrate the best practices of a corporate.
