Bank of America and Vital Voices Empower Women to Reach Their Full Economic Potential Across Southeast Asia
Bank of America and Vital Voices have convened a mentoring forum in
Singapore, which brings together several influential women from the
public and private sector who are committed to strengthening women’s
economic empowerment across developing nations in Southeast Asia. The Global
Ambassadors Program, a Vital Voices and Bank of America partnership,
mobilizes accomplished professionals as mentors for emerging women
leaders in developing countries and brings leaders from the private and
public sector together to share and discuss the skills and resources
necessary to help women achieve their full economic potential.
The United Nations estimates that the Asia Pacific economy would grow by
an additional $89 billion annually if women were able to achieve their
full economic potential. There are nearly six million women-owned
businesses in East Asia, with an increasing rate of women entrepreneurs
in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. Despite this trend,
challenges hinder the progress of working women across the region.
Social norms often lead women to exit the workforce after marriage or
motherhood, and the macroeconomic, institutional, and legal structures
of many countries often result in more women living and remaining in
poverty. The Global Ambassadors Program will address the barriers women
face to enter and advance in the workforce, and explore opportunities to
help companies support the rise of women to senior levels of management
and enhance government initiatives supporting entrepreneurship.
The week-long forum, taking place May 6 to 10, brings together seven
Global Ambassadors (mentors) and seven mentees, representing a diverse
set of industries and countries in the region to move women’s
empowerment forward across Southeast Asia. Centered on the theme of
“Women in Southeast Asia: From Poverty to Prosperity to Prominence,” the
forum will include one-on-one mentoring sessions and a public forum at
which social and business leaders from the region will discuss the role
of women in advancing social and economic growth.
The seven mentors participating in the program are:
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Nancy Brennan, managing director, head of marketing, Global Banking
and Markets, Bank of America Merrill Lynch.
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Michelle Garnaut, founder, M. Restaurant Group.
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Kate James, chief communications officer, Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation.
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Virginia Littlejohn, president, CEO and co-founder, Quantum Leaps Inc.
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Susan McPherson, senior vice president/director of global marketing,
Fenton Communications.
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Burnet Tucker, senior human resources executive, Bank of America.
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Susan Roos, employment attorney; wife of U.S. Ambassador to Japan.
“We are thrilled to kick off the second year of the Global Ambassadors
Program with a mentoring forum in Singapore, in a region in which women
have so much potential to drive economic growth,” said Candace Browning,
head of global research at Bank of America Merrill Lynch and a Global
Ambassador. “Connecting women leaders to the expertise and perspective
of mentors is one way that we are helping advance women’s economic
empowerment, creating stronger communities and ultimately strengthening
our global economy.”
The Singapore mentoring forum is the first Global Ambassadors Program
gathering this year. When the program launched in 2012, ambassadors
visited Haiti, South Africa and India where they worked with mentees and
a growing international network to create platforms that enable emerging
women leaders to achieve economic, political and social change in their
country and globally.
The Global Ambassadors Program is part of Bank of America’s and Vital
Voices’ ongoing commitment to investing in leadership development, a
goal guided by the belief that strong leaders are vital to healthy,
vibrant communities and help advance economic growth. Over time, mentors
help their mentees build critical communications, advocacy and business
skills and develop strategies to advance their work. Since the forums in
Haiti, South Africa and India, mentees have continued to advance on a
path of leadership through government appointments, participation in
high-level policy meetings, and planning their own events focused on
inspiring future leaders.
“What we’ve seen in recent years is a recognition that women are a
leadership force with a measurable impact as drivers of business and
economic growth,” said Alyse Nelson, president and CEO, Vital Voices
Global Partnership. “We’re proud to partner on this innovative global
program to leverage the strengths of the public and private sectors and
together build a community of leaders who are committed to strengthening
women’s economic empowerment in Southeast Asia.”
The next Global Ambassadors Program mentoring forums are set to take
place later this year in Brazil and Turkey.
For more information on the Global Ambassadors Program, visit www.bankofamerica.com/globalambassadors.
Bank of America
Bank of America is one of the world's largest
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Vital Voices
Vital Voices Global Partnership is a leading
non-governmental organization that identifies, invests in and brings
visibility to extraordinary women around the world by unleashing their
leadership potential to transform lives and accelerate peace and
prosperity in their communities. Founded by former U.S. Secretary of
State Hillary Clinton in 1997, the organization trains and mentors women
leaders as agents of transformative change in economic development,
human rights and political participation. The Vital Voices Global
Leadership Network includes more than 14,000 leaders representing 144
countries who have trained and mentored 500,000 additional women and
girls in their communities. Visit www.vitalvoices.org
to learn more.
www.bankofamerica.com