The Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Singapore, in partnership with High Commission of Canada in Singapore, was pleased to host a successful Women's Leadership Event with the Honourable Mary Ng, to a full ballroom at the The Fullerton Hotel Singapore.
The event opened with welcome remarks from His Excellency Jean-Dominique Ieraci, High Commissioner of Canada to Singapore, followed by a keynote address from The Honourable Mary Ng, Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development. Minister Ng's address included an announcement that Canada has requested to join the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA), she recognized the importance of an agreement like the CPTPP and mentioned that Canada is continuing to work hard on an Canada-ASEAN free trade agreement. Minister Ng is committed to help Canadian businesses start-up, scale-up and access new markets. Part of this commitment includes the Women's Entrepreneurship Strategy (WES) where she will work to double (even triple) the number of female entrepreneurs, in Canada. Minister Ng also announced that she is launching a design study for Canadians to access a Trade Gateway to Southeast Asia! She noted the importance of Canadians in the region extending a helpful hand to other Canadians looking to enter these markets.
Minister Ng proceeded to join an engaging panel discussion on Achieving Success for Canadian Companies in Asia-Pacific, with four inspiring women business leaders: Ms. Deborah Wong, General Manager & Head of Legal and Regulatory Compliance, Bank of Montreal; Ms. Delphine Duguay, Area Leader for CAE Kuala Lumpur, Indonesia and CAE Perth; Ms. Wendy Chen, CEO, Omnistream and Moderator, CanCham President, Ms. Caroline Berube, Managing Partner, HJM Asia Law & Co. LLC. The discussion was thoughtful, candid and unscripted. The women shared their thoughts on topics ranging from how the Canadian brand has influenced their professional careers to discussing views on gender parity in within their organisations. Minister Ng offered some very good advice when she said that hiring women is just good business, it’s good for their bottom line.
We are grateful to Minister Mary Ng, the High Commission of Canada in Singapore, our dynamic panelists, special guests and the Canada-Singapore business community, for making this event a huge success!
We look forward to our next visit from Minister Ng and her team!
