Sebastien Bazin, CEO, Accor
Speaking on behalf of Accor, CEO Sebastien Bazin remarked on the conference’s objective of providing a platform for diversity and inclusion, and how it aligns with his group’s mission to advocate for gender parity, while Maud Bailly, Chief Digital Officer of Accor noted the significance of the platform as a driver of growth for women in the business arena. Getting the conference started with her welcome note, Hanan Ahmed, Senior Vice President – Corporate Governance and Company Secretary at du, and Chairwoman of EITC Women Council, pointed out the rising opportunities for today’s women in business in the region, and how the future requires a more united front from both women and men. “Together we are stronger, together we can rise,” she said. Moderated by Julia Chatterley, anchor and correspondent, CNN, the first of the panel discussions under the title Overcoming Adversity explored perceptions around roadblocks in lives and careers, the different ways they can be overcome, and how such
situations can be turned into learning experiences. The panelists included Sebastien Bazin, CEO, Accor; Hannah Beswick, Partnerships Development Specialist, UN Women; Dr. Nazli Neftci, clinical psychologist and psychotherapist, Hamdi Kulahcioglu, General Manager – The Deal, Chalhoub Group; Lily Hoa Nguyen, owner and Executive Chef, Vietnamese Foodies; and Jessica Smith OAM, paralympian, author and speaker. The discussion was followed by a keynote speech by Erik Weihenmayer, the world’s first blind person to reach the summit of Mount Everest, who gave his personal take on overcoming barriers and fears, and engineering your own path for the future. The second panel discussion, titled Breaking The Glass Ceiling, looked into tried-and-
tested techniques and tactics that female executives have (and should make use of) to advance themselves in the workplace, with them sharing actionable advice that can be implemented to advance women’s careers. The discussion was driven by panelists Roula Jouny, Group Managing Director, FTI Group; Debbie Stanford-Kristiansen, CEO, Novo Cinemas; Dr. Alia Al Serkal, Vice President – People Learning and Growth, du; and Assia Riccio, founder, Evolvin’ Women. The forum came to an end with a fireside chat featuring Julia Gillard, former Australian Prime Minister, and Maud Bailly, Chief Digital Officer, Accor, both of whom advocated for more women in leadership roles to foster new ideas, as well as for creating new avenues for diversity and inclusion.
November 2019 / E N T R E P R E N E U R . C O M / 35
