3rd Annual #galswithLEI Forum Highlights Local & International Female Leaders
Celebrate the Leadership, Entrepreneurship and Inspiration of female business.
Join us for the #galswithLEI Forum on June 29th at the IMIN Conference Center to celebrate the Leadership, Entrepreneurship and Inspiration of female business and social entrepreneurs in generating jobs and strengthening communities. #galswithLEI offers six interactive workshops focused on Leadership, Entrepreneurship, and Inspiration followed by an attendee driven open space and a networking reception featuring local female chefs. Workshop panelists and special guests include local established women leaders, bold millennials, prominent international women, and the innovative Changing Faces entrepreneurs – blending experience, ambition, and passion.
This year the East-West Center in partnership with EY (formerly Ernst & Young) is hosting an international W20/G20 meeting here in Honolulu, bringing prominent female political and business leaders to the #galswithLEI Forum as panelists and attendees, including former Prime Minister of New Zealand, Jenny Shipley; Marshall Islands President, Hilda Heine; Secretary General of the Council of Women Leaders, Laura Liswood; EY Managing Partner, Lucille Halloran; CEO of Hand in Hand International, Kalpana Sankar; and many others.
Now more than ever women must learn from as well as collaborate and network with one another. To reserve your seat and for more information visit: www.eastwestcenter.org/galswithLEI.
Agenda & Workshop Panels Include:
1:30 – 2:00pm REGISTRATION
2:00 – 2:35pm WELCOME & CAPITOL WOMEN KEYNOTE PANEL
#galswithLEI Keynote: Capitol Women
Long muted, the voices of women around the world have found an important medium for expression – participation in politics and public decision-making as elected officials. While women remain woefully underrepresented at the highest levels of government, the panelists of “Capitol Women” are leading their nations and reinventing the face of political leadership for the next generation. Hear the first female Prime Minister of New Zealand, the first female President of the Marshall Islands, the second female elected to the U.S. Congress from Hawaii, and one of the youngest Hawaii state legislators discuss their journeys to elected office, the barriers they’ve faced, their significant mentors, and how they’re helping other women follow in their footsteps.
Moderator: Amanda ELLIS, Special Adviser, East-West Center and Former New Zealand Head of Mission and Ambassador to the United Nations, Hawaii
Jenny SHIPLEY, 36th Prime Minister, New Zealand
Hilda HEINE, President, Marshall Islands
Patricia F. SAIKI, Former Member, U.S. House of Representatives, 1st District
Beth FUKUMOTO, Representative, 36th District, Hawaii House of Representatives
2:45 – 3:45pm SESSION ONE WORKSHOPS
#galswithLeadership: Mobilizing & Sustaining a Movement
Ignited by voluntary grassroots action, a movement builds and unites a coalition of likeminded individuals and organizations to challenge social values, norms, and trends. Learn how local and international women have successfully mobilized communities, both real and virtual, to create social change or introduce trends and learn how to best sustain a movement.
#galswithEntrepreneurship: Funding Hacks
In today’s mutable funding environment business and social entrepreneurs must think smarter and work harder to identify funding opportunities, leverage partnerships, attract capital, and return investment. Explore the differences among grant and impact investing, microfinancing, crowdfunding, and angel investment; understand which funding strategy might be right for you; and learn how investors are redefining return on investment.
#galswithInspiration: Fail Forward
For entrepreneurial mavericks such as Thomas Edison, Henry Heinz, Steve Jobs, and Oprah Winfrey, failure served as powerful impetus to later innovation and success. Hear local and international serial entrepreneurs share their failure stories and by inspired by how they’ve developed the skills to reframe failure as opportunity and “fail forward.”
3:45 – 4:15pm COFFEE BREAK
4:25 – 5:25pm SESSION TWO WORKSHOPS
#galswithLeadership: Trailblazing the Road Less Traveled
While women are moving into historically male-dominated fields, these jobs often demand longer and less flexible hours, penalizing workers with family responsibilities and personal interests outside of work. Learn from trailblazing women who have established inroads into industries and job titles traditionally dominated by men. Hear their candid assessment of “gender neutrality” in the workplace, and be inspired by their efforts to make workplaces more flexible.
#galswithEntrepreneurship: People, Planet, Profit
The creation of a more sustainable and inclusive economy is often a mentioned goal of business, nonprofits, and governments, yet discerning and conveying sustainability can be difficult. Discover how leading organizations create competitive advantages by successfully incorporating people, planet, and profits into their everyday operations through fostering the growth and empowerment of vulnerable and marginalized communities, sustainable supply chains, reduced waste, and sharing these stories to sell products and/or services.
#galswithInspiration: Forget Balance, Make Choices
For most, juggling the demands of a career and a personal life, whether that involves a relationship, parenting or elderly care, community activism or creative/athletic interest, is an ongoing challenge. Achieving “work-life balance” is elusive at best and mythical at worst. But by making deliberate choices and prioritizing which opportunities and activities to pursue and which to decline, leaders can and do engage meaningfully with work, family, and community. Hear women leaders share advice that includes defining success for yourself, leveraging technology and hired services, and building support networks at work and at home.
5:30 – 6:15pm OPEN SPACE
6:15 – 7:30pm NETWORKING RECEPTION
