Leadership

A NEW ACT

25. November 2021

Our campaign for female empowerment at Forbes DACH began in 2017. Since then, the “ForbesWomen” initiative has evolved through our magazine covers, lists and our annual Women’s Summit. This year, we came together to celebrate the Superwomen in our lives and to chart a new course in our mission for an equitable future.

“When I hear Superwoman, many pictures come to mind,” says Dr. Musimbi Kanyoro, Board Member of the United Nations Global Compact. “I’m thinking of those women that handle so much that nobody calls them Superwoman.” Kanyoro’s remarks left a lasting impression with us at the digital Forbes Women’s Summit on November 18th under the banner of “Superwoman”. Because as Kanyoro rightly suggests – those who deserve to be celebrated are not always playing the leading role. They are the women in our community, in our daily lives, who are making an impact on us irrespective of their position or title.

Through our Women’s Summit – broadcasted from our studios in Vienna, Berlin and Zurich – we hoped to shine a light at least on a few who had risen above in the past year. We heard from Olympic gold medalists Belinda Bencic and Anna Kiesenhofer on their successes on and off the field, digital entrepreneur Caro Daur and activist Carla Reemtsma on inspiring Gen Z in the Fridays for Future climate movement. In this process, honest learnings and new perspectives were exchanged. Headspace’s Chief International Officer Jolawn Victor showed us how we can destigmatize mental health in the workplace; Vitra CEO Nora Fehlbaum made us rethink the purpose of offices; Zoom COO Aparna Bawa emphasised the need for servant leaders in times of extreme growth and crisis.

Our digital summit was made possible through a strong network of partners. This includes the German streetwear and sneakers company Snipes, United Nations Global Compact, luxury carmaker Porsche, Uniqa Insurance Group, Dorda Rechtsanwälte, the family company Schramm and Park Hyatt Zurich. Furthermore, we had the support of leading educational institutions such as Vienna University of Technology, University of St. Gallen and WU Executive Academy. Together, they helped us bring the 2021 Forbes Women’s Summit to life and gave us the platform to put female empowerment in the spotlight.

In 2021, we chose to focus on Superwomen. But if the pandemic has taught us anything, it is that we can’t be rooted to one way of thinking. In this time of transformation, we are also reviewing our own approaches in working and doing business. What do we take with us forward? How can we best reflect the changing times in our own coverage and events? For us, the summit isn’t simply a one-day gathering but a long-term movement we will continue to work on in the future. On this note, we are open to hearing your thoughts as we turn our attention to the next Women’s Summit.

We look forward to writing the next act, and hope you will join us along this journey.