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INSEAD iW50 Summit reaffirms the school's commitment to gender balance and inclusion

INSEAD iW50 Summit reaffirms the school's commitment to gender balance and inclusion

INSEAD iW50 Summit reaffirms the school's commitment to gender balance and inclusion

iW50 Summit Live Stream – inse.ad/live

INSEAD, the business school for the world, today hosts the iW50 Summit at its Europe campus in Fontainebleau. The Summit is a culmination of its iW50 campaign a celebration of the 50-year anniversary of the first INSEAD women MBA graduates.

Since September 2017, the iW50 campaign has raised awareness of gender imbalance and provided solution-oriented and academically sound actions to address the issue. Highlighting faculty and academic research, the 50 Years, 50 Women, 50 Ideas initiative shows big ideas that have emerged over 50 years of academic excellence. Students have been engaging through the Women in Business and Manbassador clubs, which expand the networks and resources women need to succeed and help men become champions for gender parity. The Limitless outreach campaign profiled leading alumnae to showcase strong female role models. INSEAD also published articles on the Knowledge platform to give leaders actionable solutions.

INSEAD is also actively pursuing gender balance. Female participation is rising across its degree programmes, women represent 33 percent of the INSEAD board and, for the first time, the Dean of Faculty is a female academic. The iW50 Summit builds on this foundation to further empower women moving forward.  

Ilian Mihov, Dean of INSEAD and Professor of Economics, emphasises that, “Gender imbalance isn’t just a women’s issue. It is a business issue and a societal issue that impacts us all. All of us, therefore, must be part of the solution.”

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The INSEAD Gender Initiative should help us strike the right balance. With a mission to advance women leaders and optimise their contributions in and beyond their organisations, the initiative engages women and men to inspire action by all.

Zoe Kinias, Academic Director of the Gender Initiative and Associate Professor of Organisational Behaviour, will chair an iW50 Summit session to discuss the INSEAD report on “Alumnae Impact”. She asserts that, “Our alumnae are not just breaking through barriers to have successful careers. They are using their time and talents to serve as a force for good in business and society. That is a model that everyone - men and women alike - can find inspiring.”

The iW50 Summit features lectures and panel discussions led by prominent academics, government and business leaders that explore gender parity.

  • The Honourable Bill MORNEAU PC, MP, MBA'90J, Canada’s Minister of Finance will deliver a keynote session titled ‘We Can All Succeed: Gender Equality in Canada’.
  • Maria GUADALUPE, Associate Professor of Economics, will lead a CEO Roundtable on the importance and benefits of diversity.
  • Annet ARIS, MBA’86D, Adjunct Professor of Strategy, will discuss “Women on Boards: How to Maximise Your Impact”, in a session with Hélène PLOIX, MBA’68, Co-Founding Partner, Pechel Industries, one of the first female INSEAD MBA graduates.
  • Erin MEYER, EMBA’04Dec, Senior Affiliate Professor of Organisational Behaviour, will speak about her book in a session titled “The Culture Map: Breaking through the Invisible Boundaries of Global Business”.
  • Jennifer PETRIGLIERI, PhD’11Jun, Assistant Professor of Organisational Behaviour, will discuss “Couples that Work”.
  • Ivana NAUMOVSKA, Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship and Family Enterprise, will talk about “Why Diversity Programmes Backfire, and How Organisations Can and Should Promote Diversity”.
  • Other distinguished speakers include:
  • Sadia KHAN, MBA’95D, CEO, Selar Enterprises and President, INSEAD Alumni Association
  • Cindy ROBBINS, President and Chief People Officer, Salesforce
  • Marcelle SPELLER, MBA'82, Founder & CEO, Localgiving
  • Lucy QUIST, MBA'05J, Former CEO, Airtel Ghana
  • Eric LABAYE, MBA’87J, Senior Partner, McKinsey & Company
  • Karien VAN GENNIP, MBA’95D, CEO, ING France
  • Monika QUEISSER, Senior Counsellor and Head of Social Policy Division, Directorate of Employment, Labour and Social Affairs, OECD
  • Nida JANUSKIS, Associate Dean of Advancement, INSEAD

Join INSEAD in its global efforts to make gender balance a new norm for future generations. For more information, visit inse.ad/iw50summit.

Watch the live stream of the iW50 Summit at inse.ad/live.

About INSEAD, The Business School for the World

As one of the world’s leading and largest graduate business schools, INSEAD brings together people, cultures and ideas to develop responsible leaders who transform business and society. Our research, teaching and partnerships reflect this global perspective and cultural diversity.

With locations in Europe (France), Asia (Singapore), the Middle East (Abu Dhabi), and now North America (San Francisco), INSEAD's business education and research spans four regions. Our 162 renowned Faculty members from 40 countries inspire more than 1,300 degree participants annually in our Master in Management,  MBAGlobal Executive MBA, Specialised Master’s degrees (Executive Master in Finance and Executive Master in Change) and PhD programmes. In addition, more than 10,000 executives participate in INSEAD Executive Education programmes each year.

INSEAD continues to conduct cutting-edge research and innovate across all our programmes. We provide business leaders with the knowledge and awareness to operate anywhere. Our core values drive academic excellence and serve the global community as The Business School for the World.

Contacts for press: 

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Cheryl Ng
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Gwenaelle Hennequin
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