YWLC Partners’ Night 2024: Leading with Heart | Celebrating Women’s Leadership

On 20 November 2024, the Young Women’s Leadership Connection (YWLC) hosted its annual Partners’ Night—an evening dedicated to celebrating the impact made and expressing our gratitude to our corporate and community partners. These partnerships are instrumental in empowering young women leaders in Singapore.

The event brought together a vibrant and inspiring community of partners who share a commitment to fostering leadership and growth among young women. We were honoured to have Minister of State of Social and Family Development and Home Affairs Sun Xueling, join us as our esteemed Guest-of-Honour.

YWLC shared key highlights and initiatives from the past year, across its four core pillars of Leadership Development, Mentorship, Social Impact and Networking (building the YWLC community). 

A highlight of the evening was a dialogue session with Minister of State of Social and Family Development and Home Affairs Sun Xueling. The conversation revolved around issues such as breaking barriers to women’s advancement in leadership, the transformative power of public-private partnerships, and the vital role organisations like YWLC play in nurturing professional growth for women.

Key Takeaways from the Discussion:

1. Celebrating Progress: While Singapore has made significant strides in women’s leadership and workforce participation, emotional and societal pressures – such as balancing career and caregiving responsibilities, continue to pose challenges for many women.

2. Addressing Leadership Challenges: Statistics have shown that women are 4 times more likely to leave their jobs for caregiving roles. Government initiatives, such as flexible workplace guidelines and enhanced parental and paternity leave, are steps in the right direction. However, the success of these measures depends on cultural shifts, male allyship and employer support to normalise shared caregiving responsibilities.

3. Strengthening Partnerships and Shifting Mindset: Achieving greater gender diversity and inclusion is a shared responsibility that requires collaboration across government, community partners and employers. Although Singapore ranks 8th globally on the UN Gender Inequality Index, there are still opportunities for improvement, particularly in increasing access to flexible work arrangements and part-time roles. 

The evening was filled with engaging conversations and invaluable knowledge sharing as partners exchanged insights and best practices on fostering environments that nurture women leaders.

YWLC extends its heartfelt gratitude to our partners for their unwavering commitment and contributions. We look forward to shaping a future where women leaders thrive.

Corporate partners: Amazon, Accenture, BCG, Bloomberg, Bumble, Bynd Artisan, CPA Australia, Citi, EY, Fairmont, Goldman Sachs, Google, Grab, Huggs, Intellect, Lendlease Global Commercial REIT, Meta, MoneyHero, National Gallery Singapore, Sephora Singapore, Temasek Shophouse, UBS, Visa

Community partners: AWARE, International Women’s Forum, Persatuan Pemudi Islam Singapura (PPIS), SHINE Children and Youth Services, Woodgrove Secondary School, Broadrick Secondary School, Edgefield Secondary School, Seng Kang Secondary School, Queensway Secondary School

With thanks to People’s Association, Singapore Council of Women’s Organisation

As YWLC reflects on this event's success, we look forward to welcoming more partners to join us in our mission of empowering young women leaders. Together, let’s continue to celebrate partnerships, progress and possibilities!

Organising Committee: Natalie Eng, Adreena Lau, Nyx Chong, Kathleen Koh, Hilarie Foo

Venue Partner: 39+ Artspace

Author: Blanche Lim