The Third Women Leadership Panel Series: Women who Startup

December 03, 2017

With the rising voice of women rights and the development of gender studies, more and more women have realized their potentials in different roles and numerous possibilities in life. They began to pursue their own personality and individuality in inner worlds as well as leadership in the workforce. In today's China, while they have inevitably encountered difficulties, challenges and criticism, women entrepreneurs are redefining power in traditional male spheres and leading startup trend.

On December 3rd, Columbia Global Centers | Beijing hosted the 3rd Women Leadership Panel Series: Women who Startup. The panel featured Jiujin Ren, Founder and CEO of Particle Fever; Joyce Lv (GSAS '08), Founder of Beijing BelleHarmo Technology; Tracy Hu (SSW '13), Founder and Director of Beijing Loyal Social Work Development Center; Mandy Ma, Founder of iModern Cosmetics and Partner of Silver Lining Group. Julia Qian (Barnard '15), Senior Analyst of Strategy Development Department of Tencent, moderated the conversation. The four panelists shared insights on the key elements in starting a business, women's strengths in leadership, the impact of overseas experience in their career paths as well as the attitudes towards challenges encountered in their start-ups.

Most of the panelists agree that starting a business should be seen as a life style,a process of self-developmentPersonalities, professionalism, teamwork spirit, modesty along with efficiency in time and energy management are key words during the process. They also found study abroad experience has made a positive impact on imagination and artistic taste, originality, cultural competence as well as open-mindedness. But on the other hand, panelists reminded the audience that it was also important to learn from local entrepreneurs. As a woman, when it came to the question of how to balance responsibilities and many different roles in life, the moderator concluded that "One does not have to be perfect, to have it all at one time. You can focus on one thing at a time or multiples things at different times. Eventually, they will map out a blueprint of life."

Around 65 people attended the event, and more than 75,000 people watched the event live through Beijing Center's live-streaming platform.

The Third Women Leadership Panel Series: Women who Startup