The 2019 Global Woman & Future Conference organized by sHero was held at the Portman Ritz Carlton, Shanghai, China on March 29, 2019. sHero is a non-profit organization focused on empowering women through employment, education and engagement. The conference aims to respond to the International Women’s Day theme – Balance for Better: Creating Inclusive Growth and Sustainable Prosperity.
Aptar won the silver award for “Best Company for Female Executives”, among many well-known companies. Becton Dickinson (BD) also won a silver award and the gold award went to Honeywell. The awards celebrate the exceptional companies in the China region that are committed to moving women to the top. The awards also recognize the outstanding companies dedicated to creating an inclusive culture that identifies, promotes and supports women reaching their career goals.
Dr. Andy Zou, President, Aptar Greater China, accepting the award on behalf of Aptar said, “I am happy to work with a great and diverse leadership team and I expect more men to engage in these activities. Let’s all contribute to create inclusive growth and sustainable prosperity together.”
The founder of sHero, Christine Liu said, “The most inspiring thing about Aptar is that they support women’s leadership acceleration from top to bottom, from their global CEO, Asia President, and Greater China President, to their employees. They all demonstrated consistent commitment to women’s advancement in the workplace. What is more impressive is that the local leadership team participated this conference for the full day program. They actively interacted with speakers and delegates from other organizations and companies.”
She also explained, “When we see more and more people around the world mobilizing for a more equal future, it clearly shows that we need women leaders more than ever before. When women use their power and connections to achieve their goals, they are unstoppable. Women and girls are innovating and working together to design a better future for everyone. We are not going back. We have to build for a more equal future.”
Nearly 50 well-known entrepreneurs, celebrities and industries from all walks of life were invited as speakers. They discussed and reflected on the importance role of women in participating in company development and social economic development with more than 200 delegates from renowned enterprises such as Jala, Mary Kay, BD, GSK, Pfizer, and Honeywell. Aptar’s Asia President, Ms. Xiangwei Gong, was also invited to be one of panelists to share her opinions on growth through diversity.
Diversity and Inclusion is one of the most important strategic priorities at Aptar. Today, Aptar’s Board of Directors consists of eleven members, three of whom are women. The Board has three functional committees, the Governance committee, the Management Development and Compensation Committee and the Audit Committee, and Aptar’s women directors are the chairpersons of each committee. In Aptar’s China management team, women leaders account for 50%. Aptar strongly supports employee development, advocates gender equality, and creates an inclusive culture that identifies, promotes and supports women reaching to the top. Aptar is extremely proud of its diverse, global, highly skilled workforce and of all of the accomplishments achieved together. The company looks forward to making continued progress in the area of diversity and inclusion as it looks to the future.
Linda Lian, an Aptar employee and volunteer for the conference, said, “I have learned a lot from these speakers which will have huge influence on my future career and life. Personally, I am very passionate about women’s leadership acceleration. I am very happy that I joined Aptar, a company really cares about women’s leadership and I can feel it every day at work. I’m so proud of my company.”
Top photo: Aptar’s team from Asia attends the 2019 Global Woman & Future Conference organized by sHero. From left to right: Season Zhang, Kelsey Qiang, Selina Lin, Grace Ding, Peter Zhu, Weida Zhang, Andy Zou, Xiangwei Gong, Helen Zhu, Tina Xu, Susan Gu, Linda Lian, Jenny Cao
Dr. Andy Zou, President, Aptar Greater China (center), accepts the silver award for “Best Company for Female Executives”
Ms. Xiangwei Gong, President of Aptar Asia, participates in a panel discussion regarding growth through diversity
