Women are powerful agents of innovation and drivers of growth and job creation in emerging markets. Research shows a link between women in leadership roles and better financial outcomes, more family-friendly policies, robust disclosures on ESG, and gender-equitable hiring and promotion practices.

Despite the clear business case and the vast opportunities for investment, the economic potential of female entrepreneurs and industry leaders remains unrealized. One reason for this is that women have less access to finance than men. In emerging markets, women-owned SMEs have a financing gap of about $1.5 trillion.

This event will bring together an impressive list of high-level speakers to discuss how to advance the business case for gender inclusion and equality. Speakers will discuss the role of the public and private sectors in creating an enabling environment that helps advance opportunities for women’s full economic empowerment and participation. Real-world experiences will highlight some of the universal challenges that many women face in advancing their careers and how they were able to overcome them along the way.