BNP Paribas, Shin & Kim and Korean-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry successfully host the ‘Gender & Power Talks’ event
Shin & Kim announces today that the ‘Gender & Power Talks’ event jointly hosted with BNP Paribas and Korean-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KGCCI) on 17 February was finished successfully.
The event was held to celebrate International Women’s Day while also supporting the #HeForShe movement by UN, which promotes gender equality through men’s participation, to promote a culture of gender equality within the workplaces. This event was the second edition, after successfully holding the first talk event in November 2019 where gender equality and women’s leadership were discussed by leaders from various industries. Amid the ongoing Covid-19 situation, the event was held via live broadcasting following the social distancing guidelines.
The event consisted of two interview sessions, with Barbara Zollmann, Head of the Korean-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Peter KIMM, senior foreign attorney at Shin & Kim, participating as the host. Philippe Noirot, Territory Head of BNP Paribas South Korea, and Jean DeSombre, Executive Vice President of Fresenius Medical Care Asia Pacific, participated as main speakers and discussed about several topics including nurturing female leadership within the organisations, ESG goals and gender equality, and the role of men to achieve gender equality.
Jean DeSombre, Executive Vice President of Fresenius Medical Care Asia Pacific, said “Diversity should be defined in a broad way, including the way of thinking, culture and experience. Our focus at Fresenius Medical Care is to build an organization where everyone feels valued, encouraged, and empowered to achieve success. I have also witnessed increasing number of female leaders within Fresenius Medical Care. We will continue to enrich and strengthen our diversity.”
Philippe Noirot, Territory Head of BNP Paribas South Korea, said: “We have been striving to spread the culture of gender equality around the world, including setting a goal of achieving a 31% female executive ratio by 2021. We are actively participating in various gender equality initiatives including our global partnership with #HeForShe, the UN’s global solidarity movement for gender equality, and also by signing #JamaisSansElles, making a commitment to stop participating in events with more than three speakers without a woman included (debates, expert panels, round tables, etc.). In Korea, we are supporting discovery of female talents in the film industry by sponsoring the Seoul International Women’s Film Festival since 2019. As a leading global bank with a strong ESG strategy, BNP Paribas will continue to help resolve various social issues and give positive impact.”
Barbara Zollmann, Head of the Korean-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry, stressed the importance of male allies. “When governments and companies create a gender equality culture, they should encourage men as well as women to participate actively in gender equality with actions, and allow good fellow employees to be also good husbands, brothers and sons at home,” she said. Zollmann has been running a mentoring program by establishing the Women in Korea (WIR), a leadership organization composed of female executives in domestic and abroad, in 2017.