As the only woman on the three-person team of our small section, I looked forward to covering the AWEN Women CEOs Summit 2019 in Bangkok last week. The first-ever meeting of the Asean Women Entrepreneurs Network (AWEN) brought together female leaders from across the region to discuss issues including digital disruption, the ageing society, automation and its impact on the future of work.
As expected, other familiar topics that arise at gatherings of women were also aired. They included gender equality, harassment, and the many kinds of discrimination many women experience as they climb the corporate ladder. Women may occupy a lot of senior positions in many Southeast Asian countries, notably in Thailand, but that doesn't mean they haven't experienced discrimination from male peers, authorities and others in power.
Sometimes, it seems, women have to juggle so much -- family and career and, I have to admit, emotional responses to those challenges. We all know that women are good at multitasking and many have the capability to become CEOs, but some choose family over advancement at work. Some even quit their jobs to pursue full-time motherhood or homemaking.
Statistics show that women in Asia contribute 36% of the region's gross domestic product (GDP), in line with the global average. However, the percentages vary. In India, for example, the contribution is below 20%, compared with 41% in China.
Therefore, there is a lot of scope for women to raise their economic contribution and role. Raising female participation in the workforce will give a boost to economic growth.
Asia is also one of the most dynamic regions when it comes to showing the world that the needle can be moved in terms of expanding the role of women. In China, for example, the explosion in the tech sector has made the country home to 114 of the world's 150 self-made female billionaires.
In India, 160 million unbanked women have opened bank accounts in just a three-year period. A basic need like financial inclusion has been bridged very dramatically.
So there is dynamism in terms of development but there are challenges still. The proliferation of digital and automation technologies is going to fundamentally change the nature of work and this will affect women through job displacement.
On the other hand, there will be new job opportunities across a range of sectors, but women will have to reskill themselves to remain relevant. CEOs need to take action in helping women transition into the future of work. Their companies will be the biggest beneficiaries because they can minimise the loss of female talent.
Attending the conference, I got various tips that I can apply personally. As the female head of the team, albeit a pretty small one, I feel stressed sometimes, but hearing advice from a female CEO from Singapore, the mother of two daughters, got me thinking about resisting negative thinking.
"I believe nothing in life starts with a negative mindset. If we start life with a negative mindset, then we can never accomplish anything," she told the audience. Instead of looking at the glass as half empty, we should start any endeavour looking at a half-full glass and embrace all the opportunities and challenges.
Suphajee Suthumpun, CEO of the Thai hospitality group Dusit International, also offered some helpful advice: "Every one of us has 365 chances in a year to tell yourself every day that you can do it. If you tell yourself enough, then you can overcome everything."
For Ms Suphajee, who was appointed in 2016 as the first group CEO from outside the family that founded Dusit, everything starts with purpose and passion.
For women who struggle to find a work-life balance, she proposes work-life integration. "Because the world is moving in a very dynamic environment. So if you try to balance things, at some point you can't actually do that perfectly. Sometimes it makes you stressed."
With support from technology and modern infrastructure, your presence in every meeting or situation is no longer essential if you want to "stay connected".
I also took to heart the message that I can do more to inspire others on my team. As one panelist advised: "The role of the CEO is to inspire people, to motivate to get people to believe in their potential and their talents."
One more valuable piece of advice I heard is that women shouldn't discriminate against each other. We should stand by our sisters so that we can do much more with what we have.