The Asia Gender-Smart Investing Forum will present the foundations and applications of gender-smart investing, a strategy that uses capital to address gender disparities, on November 2–3, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. (GMT +7). This two-day forum will bring together industry leaders from across Asia to provide investors, entrepreneurs, corporates, and advocacy organizations with guidance and good practices to advance women’s economic empowerment and women in leadership roles.
The forum consists of four seminars covering crucial topics.
ESG Integration Drives Inclusive Innovation and Growth
Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) reporting and social impact factors continue to influence the way organizations think about their operational, financial, and regulatory data. This panel provides an introduction to ESG risks and opportunities in Asia’s VC ecosystem, and aims to offer practical advice about investing responsibly in early-stage, tech-focused businesses in emerging markets.
Introduction to Gender-Smart Investment Tools and Frameworks
This session will introduce the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) as a framework for companies, investors, and investees to create gender-inclusive businesses. Practical tools like the gender assessment tool (GAT) will be shared to empower participants as they become part of the WEPs community. Gender lens investment experts will also discuss how the WEPs as well as other transparency and accountability frameworks can guide investment decisions to make them gender-smart.
The Gold in Inclusive Investing in Bringing Financial Returns
In this session, gender lens investors will shed light on why and how they incorporate gender considerations into their investment processes, portfolios, and teams. The panelists will discuss the ways these considerations have impacted their funds’ performances, including increased returns, better risk management, or access to new sources of capital. The session also unpacks how the panelists’ experiences inform their outlooks on future opportunities and challenges in gender lens investing, their thoughts on the disproportionate effects of COVID-19 on women, and actionable advice.
Building an Inclusive Ecosystem—Bringing Women-Owned Businesses and Investors Together
Investors, investees, and ecosystem builders will discuss the ways gender-smart investing (GSI) has impacted women and how gender equality is practically enacted in the GSI landscape. GSI encompasses the benefits of gender diversity within organizations, the need for more female decision-makers (for instance, as fund managers), and how men have been and should be part of gender equality discussions. GSI also emphasizes the need for an inclusive ecosystem that brings together investors, entrepreneurs, policymakers, accelerators, corporates, and social media influencers to promote the vision of gender inclusion and diversity.
The forum is presented by Gobi Partners. It is co-organized with the UN Women’s WeEmpowerAsia program, which is funded by the European Union. This partnership aims to advance women’s economic empowerment and leadership in Asia with the joint development of an ecosystem that champions women entrepreneurs as well as businesses led or supported by women.
Visit the forum’s official Eventbrite page to register for the event and access the full agenda.