On September 12th, CaixaBank gathered a group of female executives in Shanghai for its international debating program known as Diversity Talks. The meeting was for the first time ever held in the Chinese mainland.

A group of female business elites from both China and Spain took part in the event to discuss the status quo and future of the Sino-Western economic and trade pattern.

IWEC Chairwoman Ruth A. Davis was also present and gave a welcoming speech. Facing the outstanding female leaders on the stage, Ms. Davis said with great excitement that she was extremely excited to see that women around the world are becoming more and more successful in the economic arena. Women who want to be successful in international business recognize the diversity of the world marketplace and are eager to search for business opportunities in foreign countries that have a healthy welcoming business climate.

(Ruth A. Davis delivers the welcoming speech.)

In the sharing session, Lily Li (CFO at Chery Jaguar Land Rover Automotive), Shen Qing (Director of the Foreign Economic Cooperation Division of the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce), Elaine Zhang (Chairman Assistant and Global Strategy and Business Development Director, Aier Eye Hospital), Gong Yi (Chairman of the Bright Food Group - Shanghai Tangjiu (SSCW)) and Rocío Hervella (CEO of soluble product company Prosol) shared their business experiences and common practices on the subject of bilateral trade between China and Spain and also explained the differences and similarities between both countries when it comes to trade.

How can women have equal opportunities in the business world? In response to this question raised by the moderator, Elaine Zhang pointed out that,“there are no differences between men and women in the business world. Once you enter this universe, what matters is being professional.”

(Female executives share their insights with the audience.)

As a Chinese woman working in a foreign-funded company, Lily Li shared the key factors of success. “What matters is bonding with the operational team, building relationships based on mutual respect and understanding business levers, displaying a natural sense of curiosity and answering why, why, why? to everything... Challenging the status quo, showing passion and pride in the work you are doing and in your role within the team. This is how you make a real difference to business.”

When it comes to leadership, Rocío Hervella pointed out, “Leading means distributing leadership. Otherwise, talent will wilt. Yet it is important that we establish a certain degree of coordination when steering the company. For this reason, we must invest not only in people but also in infrastructure and procedures. It is an endless process and that is what makes it so challenging and fun.”

With this latest event complete, CaixaBank has now held eight editions of its Diversity Talks aimed at stimulating thought and discussion on diversity and business management. Diversity has been one of the central pillars of CaixaBank’s Socially Responsible Banking plan. As a forerunner when it comes to managing diversity in Europe, CaixaBank believes that in the case of international banking, diversity not only provides an excellent view of human resources, but is also a key part of the business model. The Bank rolled out Diversity Talks this year with meetings in Turkey and Poland, where local representatives explored diversity and how it can improve business. More recently, it has staged events in Dubai, Johannesburg, Milan, New York and Casablanca.