Sias University held the 14th Women's Symposium from the 14th to the 16th of May. The Symposium was organized by Global Interactions and the World Academy for the Future of Women (WAFW). The theme of this year's Symposium was "Leadership: A World of Possibilities!", and it aimed to explore the importance of discovering leadership in female students, encourage them to explore new possibilities, and guide them to serve their communities, the nation, and the world.
The Opening Ceremony of the 14th Women's Symposium was held on the morning of the 15th of May. The speakers at the opening ceremony included the President and Party Secretary of the Zhengzhou Yuanfang Group, and delegate at the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, Xue Rong; Partner at McKinsey & Company, Shi Junna; the former Vice President Commercial (Greater China) of Rolls Royce, Helen Twite; the Chairman of ExxonMobil (China) Investment, Fernando Vallina; and the former Senior Director for Market Research and Intelligence at SAIC Volkswagen, Sebastian Knauer. The speakers came from 12 countries with students, teachers, and parents present for the ceremony. Sias Executive President, Wang Jialin, and Vice President Xu Shengdao were also present.
After the singing of the national anthem of the People's Republic of China, Wang Jialin welcomed the guests and thanked them on behalf of Sias. He said that Sias University was unique because of its international characteristics and was committed to nurturing international and well-rounded talent with a particular focus on leadership among its female students. He said that he hoped that through the annual Women's Symposium, students would be inspired to work hard and learn from the experience and knowledge of the guests. Following this introduction, a video with a speech from the President of Global Interactions, and Founder of the World Academy for the Future of Women, Jerrie Ueberle, was played on the big screen.
Xue Rong delivered a keynote speech titled, "Heroines Under the Party's Flag". She spoke about the heroines throughout the past 100 years since the founding of the Communist Party of China. She said that they were an inspiration for generations and many more to come. Shi Junna delivered a speech titled, "When Women Become Leaders, the World Should Listen". She said that she hoped that all organizations should take measures to promote openness and equality and improve social inclusion.
On the afternoon of the 16th, Sias held the Closing Ceremony of the 14th Women's Symposium. Sias leaders and both Chinese and international guests were present. Sias' Deputy Party Secretary, Li Huafeng, presided over the Closing Ceremony.
At the ceremony, Helen Twite delivered a keynote speech titled, "Eliminating Prejudice in the Workplace and Achieving Workplace Equality". In it, she explored how women can break from convention, identify prejudice, and formulate strategies to change their career development. Fernando Vallina then delivered a speech in which he spoke about gender equality in the workplace. He stressed the fact that women should have lofty goals, focus on their advantages, and strive to be role models for other women.
Huang Jiehan, the Executive Assistant of the World Academy for the Future of Women, announced the awardees of the 12th Women's Symposium. After the swearing of the oath of candidates of the 13th Women's Symposium, Jerrie Ueberle delivered a closing speech through a video, and officially closed the 14th Women's Symposium.
The 14th Women's Symposium at Sias University brought together nearly 40 guests from various fields, from China and the rest of the world. There were 55 sub-fora that involved exchanges with students. The diverse background of the guests provided students with an opportunity to broaden their horizons and tap into the experience of the guests. The forum also shared views on cultural collision, the empowerment of women, and social welfare, based on the sustainable development goals of the United Nations.
