In observation of International Women’s Day, Microsoft SEA New Markets will hold three special virtual panel discussions on 8 March to build inclusive economies that harness the power of diversity to create opportunities and positive business outcomes for all.
Microsoft has long urged individuals and organizations of the importance to imagine the economies and opportunities that emanate from a truly inclusive workplace. The company will continue to advocate and take action by working with other, likeminded organizations in the non-profit, private, and public sectors to bring about awareness and change for the benefit of women in the workplace.
Taking this year’s International Women’s Day theme of #breakthebias, Microsoft will explore the daily challenges still faced by women in the workplace and society and discuss what can be done to change perceptions and move the conversation forward to create positive change.
The first panel discussion — chaired by Jannatul Fardous Popy, Partner technology Strategist, Microsoft SEA New Markets — will tackle how we can overcome inhibitors to gender parity in the technology industry. Popy will be joined by Annie Mathew, Director of Developer Relations, Microsoft APAC; Natalja Rodionova, Founder, Sisters of Code (Cambodia); Melisha Ghimire, Managing Director, Girls in Tech (Nepal); and Poonam Brijesh Sampat, Cloud Solution Architect, Microsoft (Singapore).
The second panel discussion — chaired by Ashiq Niyas, Small & Medium Business Lead, Microsoft SEA New Markets — will explore the current structural barriers driving the underrepresentation of women entrepreneurs and learn how entrepreneurship can help women achieve more. Niyas will be joined by Pratima Amonkar, APAC Lead for Cloud AI Business Strategy, Microsoft; Lorida Leon, Managing Director, Brite Digital (Cambodia); Momtaz Faruki Chowdhury, Vice President of DMNAPK and Advisor for JMCL (Bangladesh); and Jayomi Lokuliyana, CEO of zMessenger and Chairperson of Women’s Chamber for Digital (Sri Lanka).
Each of these organizations is a partner with Microsoft in creating awareness of gender-equality issues, and each panel participant is a seasoned leader, passionate about gender diversity and experienced in the implementation of gender-diversity measures.
The final panel discussion — chaired by Thilanka Abeywardena, Chief Marketing & Business Operations Lead, Microsoft SEA New Markets — will feature personal stories and learnings from extraordinary leaders to inspire the next generation of female leaders. Abeywardena will be joined by Sook Hoon Cheah, General Manager, Microsoft SEA New Markets; Yen-Lu Chow, Executive Chairman, WholeTree Foundation (Singapore); and Katsuri Chellaraja Wilson, Executive Director Group CEO, Hemas Holdings PLC (Sri Lanka).
Join us online
Individuals and organizations interested in insightful sessions around women empowerment in the workplace, can virtually attend the event via Microsoft Teams or Facebook Live.
| Session 1: | She Codes | 9:30am – 11am (SLST) | Microsoft Teams |
| Session 2: | Founders Break the Bias | 11:30am – 1pm (SLST) | Microsoft Teams |
| Session 3: | Making it Real | 2pm – 3:30pm (SLST) | Microsoft Teams |