The Club generation #Startuppeuse ESSEC provides support, through digital means, as well as one-to-one, for projects created or co-created by women. The hackasprint is being held in partnership with Impact organizations and Girls In Tech, to help 12 startups within the club design their impact measurement for their website. Women’s Forum participants are warmly invited to join one of the teams during this event to bring their own experience and insight to the table. No preparation is necessary, all backgrounds are welcome! The Hackasprint is sponsored by UN Women, Bpifrance and the French Secretary of State for Digital Affairs.

The Women’s Forum for the Economy & Society is pleased to invite you to the Learning Expedition “Women’s Energy for sustainable cities” in partnership with C3D (Sustainable development director association), welcomed by Bouygues Immobilier. Please note that lunch is included. Programme : · Discover the universe and flex-offices of Bouygues Immobilier · Testimonies of influential women on sustainable urban programs · Intervention of Sue Riddlestone, CEO & Co-Founder, Bioregional

Economic, societal and cultural forces can drive deepening divisions between genders, between those at the top and bottom of the wealth scale, between geographies. So fundamental is this challenge that the G7 named tackling inequality its top priority for 2019. How can we harness technology, markets and human behaviour to accelerate inclusion instead of driving division? How can we re-envision truly inclusive economies and societies, communities, organisations and systems, and devise new ways to overcome resistance to change? How can business leaders, policymakers and citizens better contribute to the G7 and G20 conversation, to create a rising tide that lifts all boats fairly?

Men have a pivotal role to play to advance gender equality and become change agents. In this experiential session, based on the MARC™ (Men Advocating Real Change) mission developed by Catalyst, you'll step back and challenge your understanding and beliefs around equality, and reflect on how you can change the conversation and drive actions inside and beyond your organisation. This session is facilitated by MARC™ alumni who have run Dialogues with over 1,000 managers.

How have leaders taken a courageous and inclusive stand on thorny societal challenges and how are they empowering others to do the same?

Globally, just 9% of health-tech businesses are founded by women. But we need women’s input into the design and implementation of health technologies to have the best chance of closing gaps in access to health. How can women health entrepreneurs gain equal access to the investment and finance they need to grow their businesses? How can they access the infrastructure they need to succeed, from insurance coverage to knowledge of the legal and regulatory environment that underpins health solutions?

From climate science to a massive revolution in how business thinks about value, how are women leading action to build an equitable future for all humanity? What are the elements we need for a new narrative that spurs human institutions – from governments to business to other organisations – to work together to achieve inclusive solutions and a sustainable future for all?

How can corporations use their purchasing power to catalyse inclusive, prosperous and sustainable communities around the world, while uncovering new innovations and business opportunities? Why do corporations look for certified women-owned businesses and how can buyers connect with women suppliers of relevant products and services?

Gender bias is the most overlooked barrier to addressing climate change - and climate change, if not addressed, risks derailing the gender-inclusion initiatives of businesses and nations. On the flip side, gender offers a massive opportunity to combat climate change, and the power to tackle climate challenges may be the strongest argument for diversity and inclusion yet. How can businesses integrate their gender and climate strategies and deepen their environmental work through inclusive innovation, policy and investments?

The next generation of women’s health tech has the potential either to alleviate the gender inequalities in assumptions, thinking, data, and practice, or replicate them. In practical terms, how can multinationals use mentoring, venturing, funding, and their voice in the marketplace to support the next generation of women health tech entrepreneurs, and help them build companies which have a fighting chance to serve millions or billions of women around the world and foster the next wave of women-led health technologies?

Tech companies are notoriously male-dominated with women holding less than 30% of tech jobs in the US and Western Europe. But done right, diversity and inclusion (D&I) can drive innovation and competitiveness for tech companies, ranging from employee engagement to inclusive product design. This session will explore the impact and value of D&I programmes through examples from the Lenovo Foundation, Women in Lenovo Leadership Network (WILL) and Google’s D&I programme based on personal testimonials from business leaders and NGO experiences.

Learning to see people as people – and not merely as objects of desire or control – is essential to a just and thriving society. Gender-based violence affects people’s ability to live and work. In both conflict and peacetime, gender-based violence inhibits a country’s stability and growth. How can governments, corporates, individuals and organisations collaborate to uproot the cultural dynamics underpinning gender-based violence, using tools that include early education, legal frameworks and advocacy?

How can women entrepreneurs and corporate champions break down the barriers to women's entrepreneurship, and what are the key interventions that drive significant change? In this interactive panel discussion, McKinsey present a report on the state of UK female entrepreneurship, and corporates and women entrepreneurs discuss how they address and overcome the barriers that women entrepreneurs face.

As investors, funders and philanthropists seek new ways of making an impact, the methods by which societal and environmental good is financed are changing. Philanthropic foundations are turning venture capitalists. Public-private partnerships, social impact bonds and other new financing models offer returns contingent on performance. How can such innovative finance tools drive a shift toward more inclusive social impact, and ensure inclusive and sustainable solutions get the funding that they need to scale? How is diverse leadership accelerating the adoption of innovative finance in the first place? How might inclusive impact be measured?

As we rethink the way we work to harness the power of AI to create personalized experiences, how do we ensure we respect personal privacy and ensure we promote inclusive human decision-making? How do we keep human creativity, interaction and empathy in the context of increasingly tech-driven workplaces and industries? Join this interactive discussion among leaders from Oxford, Publicis, and Microsoft.

For the last 12 years, the Women’s Forum Rising Talents initiative has supported highly talented young women world-wide who are future leaders in our economies and societies. In this session, the initiative's 'godmothers' and Rising Talents themselves share the initiative's importance for them and their organisations, as well as plans for its future.

When women entrepreneurs are empowered by access to markets, they can also drive wider cultural and societal change, from building a more inclusive tech sector to leading climate action through recycling or renewable energy. What can entrepreneurs in developed and developing environments draw from each other’s experiences? What policies and support do they need from governments and businesses? How can governments, corporates and entrepreneurs from Francophone countries and cities use their shared connections to drive greater inclusion and empowerment of women?

If humanity is to survive climate change, we need to speed up the transition to clean energy, and stick to clear roadmaps to get there. How is the private sector, and specifically the energy industry, transitioning away from fossil fuels, and who holds whom accountable? What policies, financial signals, and support are needed to accelerate an industry-wide transition to keep up with science-based targets? And how are women in the energy industry leading the charge?

The World Bank estimate that businesses owned by women make up 35% of the formal economy, but receive only 1% of public and private spend – a clear obstacle to expanding women’s entrepreneurship and empowerment. What does more-inclusive economic empowerment look like? What role do gender-responsive public and corporate procurement and access to markets play in supporting women entrepreneurs? What infrastructure and support – legislation and policy, financial safety nets, new ways of working – is needed to achieve economic empowerment for all?

When companies make inclusion, sustainability and other social and environmental issues central to their core strategy, they find new opportunities for competitive advantage, growth and societal impact. How are investors encouraging this shift and what are some tools and techniques for integrating sustainability and inclusion into investment? What can other investors and companies learn from the responsible investing journey?

Hear climate entrepreneurs and intra-preneurs share their tips to successfully innovate on climate and why it is important to include a women's perspective.

Understanding young girls’ codes to capture their interest and build their self confidence towards STEMs skills

Around the world, 1 in 3 women will be raped, coerced into sex or abused in their lifetime; boys and men also encounter sexual violence in both conflict and peacetime. But they are not alone: there is strength in uniting against violence, and also in calling on male allies to counter it. From individual self-defense strategies to collaborative advocacy and allyship, what are some key strategies to counter gender-based and sexual violence? How can women both escape gender-based violence and take a stand against it?

What is gender-responsive procurement, and what does women’s empowerment mean in the supply chain of companies? How can we measure women’s empowerment? How else does gender-lens procurement offer businesses new opportunities to do well, to innovate, and to serve clients and customers better? This interactive conversation with case studies examines the issues, the challenges, and how organisations can successfully develop and implement gender-lens supply chain strategies.

In a challenging context (low interest rates, increased competition, regulatory constraints), Artificial Intelligence (AI) is one of the most promising technologies to help renew our value proposition, enhance personalisation and propose tailored advice to clients. The vast majority of current wealth management algorithms have been designed by men for male investors. Should we introduce gender-differentiated algorithms based on women-specific investment criteria? Which criteria should be used, and how do we avoid replicating bias? Is this approach ethically acceptable? ING and Gambit are taking up this discussion and would be very happy to hear your thoughts.

Technology was supposed to increase everyone’s leisure time, but instead it’s enabled people to work from wherever they are, or work where employees are scheduled by algorithm. How can technology empower women, both by expanding their opportunities for meaningful work, and also by countering the ‘greedy’ nature of work to expand everyone’s opportunities for leisure? What is the future of work, and how can employers, employees, and citizens harness technology and policy measures to ensure that the work of the future is meaningful?