KUALA LUMPUR: Following its successful session last year, Eco World Development Group Berhad (EcoWorld) held their second instalment of the EcoWorld Women’s Summit on the 8th of March at the Bukit Bintang City Centre (BBCC) sales gallery. This year’s theme is Women 360° – illustrating women managing several roles and always doing their best to ensure all aspects are well managed. The objective of the sharing session is to create a space of sharing, exchange and inspirations between women from all walks of life and experience.

The full day event which was broken into two sessions, featured stories, inspirations and even ‘battle scars’ from women of various backgrounds and experiences. Both sessions featured a sharing session by women leaders from various sectors like the entertainment sector to even leaders from the government and corporate sector.

The event kicked off with a powerful welcoming address by Eco World Development Group Berhad Director Dato’ Noor Farida Ariffin and continued on with the keynote address by Current British High Commissioner to Malaysia H.E Victoria Treadell, who shared her experience actively on the ground rescuing and treating survivors of the massive earthquake that hit New Zealand in 2011 during her tenure as the British High Commissioner to New Zealand.

The other two speakers for the morning session include Hong Leong investment Bank CEO Lim Jim Leng and TalentCorp CEO Puan Shareen Shariza Dato’ Abdul Ghani.

Tan Sri Liew Kee Sin, Chairman of Eco World Development Group Berhad said the Group was excited to hold the second instalment of the summit after a successful debut last year.

Inspired by the success of last year’s summit with sharing sessions by women leaders from the Government and corporate sector, EcoWorld has expanded the scope of this year’s summit to include successful women from different walks of life.

“We are honoured to have these power women with us today and are grateful for their time spent with us sharing their life’s journey. Such opportunities do not arise often and we are delighted to be able to share this experience not only with our staff but with our partners, business associates and members of the public,” Liew added.

Dato’ Chang Khim Wah, President & CEO of Eco World Development Group Berhad said: “EcoWorld is proud to be driving its women agenda in our workforce and this summit is only a small part of what we are doing as a whole in our journey to provide a platform for our staff to achieve their goals and aspirations.”

“It has been a great journey for EcoWorld the last three years and our achievements would not have been possible without our strong women workforce. We are proud to have a dedicated Team EcoWorld of approximately 1,100 employees, 50% of which are female,” Chang added.

The summit’s afternoon session continued with a sharing by personality Bernie Chan who has had a hand at modelling, acting and hosting live shows in front of thousands of audiences. Women:girls founder and president Low Ngai Yuen and IBM Malaysia Managing Director Chong Chye Neo took the stage thereafter with valuable insights.

Both sessions were held in a casual yet personal manner followed by a panel discussion between the speakers and the moderators and set up in a cosy and conversational talk-show style to further engage with the audience.

The summit is a continuation of a series of engagement workshops by EcoWorld for its Professional Women’s Network (PWN) which was launched on 8 March 2016 in conjunction with International Women’s Day.

PWN includes all EcoWorld female employees and features a series of structured learning events to empower and help women realise their full potential on the professional front.

Angelin Low, Divisional General Manager of Group Talent Management said: “EcoWorld has always made our people a priority, as we believe nurturing a great team is an important asset for any company. Hence, we place great emphasis on learning and personal development. At EcoWorld the learning never stops. The summit is one of the platforms where knowledge sharing is not only for the benefit of the orgnanisation but for a larger community which includes our business associates, consultants and the general public.”

Apart from PWN, EcoWorld has a host of initiatives and policies to ensure that the workplace is conducive and enjoyable for all employees. Amongst the many efforts rolled out:

EcoWorld’s Parents’ Network. Branching out of PWN, the Parents’ Network is dedicated to help parents in areas pertaining to childcare and parenting related issues

• The Pink Possible.
  This initiative focuses on the health and wellbeing of employees. A series of campaigns such as Weight Management, Quit Smoking, Healthy Lunch, Cancer Awareness and Blood Donation Drive are held all year-long
• Childcare Leave.
  Employees with children 12 years old and below can apply in the event their child falls sick
• Flexible Work Arrangement.
  Employees can opt for Staggered Work Hours or School Holidays Work Arrangements should the need arises
• A Supportive Physical Environment.
  Special parking lots are given to expectant mothers. Nursing rooms and emergency childcare rooms are also available

The summit welcomed about 400 guests as well as staff of EcoWorld who gathered to listen to the six inspiring women sharing their valuable life and career experiences in the corporate world and was also streamed live via YouTube.