Virginia and Nadine, tell us more about the PWN Global Summit!

We thought it would be fun to interview the PWN Global Co-Presidents, Virginia Otel and Nadine Castellani, on their thoughts about the upcoming PWN Global Summit in Strasbourg. Here's what they had to say.

Can you shed light on the significance of this event, the choice of venue at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, and the date?

First, we would like to remind you that PWN Global has 3,500 members and is one of the largest networks of professional women in Europe. It's been a long time since our members had the opportunity to gather, in-person, at European-level event, and we are particularly proud and happy to chair the PWN Global Summit.

This Summit is a great opportunity for knowledge-sharing, connecting, and networking of the entire PWN community, as well as a safe-space in which we will tackle important issues that are particular to women. We are honoured that the European Parliament in Strasbourg has opened its doors to welcome us at the heart of the European democracy. Moreover, the Summit takes place on March 8th, International Women's Day. In these troubling times, we more than ever need democracy, the defense of women’s rights and a society with a gender-balanced leadership. The theme for International Women's Day 2024 is 'Inverst in Women: Accelerate Progress' - and that's exactly what are Summit aims to do. 

What can attendees expect form the Summit?

We first did a survey among all our City Network Presidents asking them to come up with major themes to talk about. This is how we’ve chosen the theme Women, Peace, Health & Wealth.

Peace, because it is the basis for all human rights, and we know that women are the first victims when peace and democracy are under attack. We would like to learn how we can each contribute for PWN Global to be a strong network of women, and men, united for a safe future in Europe.

The theme Health aims to bring together a panel that will look at topics such as work-life balance, physical and mental health at all stages of women's lives, quality of life, parenthood, the employment of senior women. In most European countries there is still a lot of work to be done on these issues.

And finally, Wealth, which is too often a taboo amongst women. It is time we talk about our relation to money, our salary and pension, which is key to independence. Gender-balanced governance and engaging men to support women in organisations are crucial themes to explore. The way women view entrepreneurship is often based on skepticism, or even fear; they must take more risk and think big.

Can you provide more details about the expected participation and the type of discussions and sessions that make up the Summit 2024?

The Summit is expected to draw up to 300 participants, who will have the opportunity to attend roundtables with experts, listen to motivational keynote speakers, and exchange views during interactive working sessions. Our City Network Presidents will be on stage to present their actions and ask questions of our speakers and experts. 

We are thrilled to announce that many great speakers and partners have accepted our invitation to attend and share their views at the Summit. We are looking forward announcing more eminent guests soon. Our speaking guests represent both the private and public sectors, and the academic world, so we can expect an enriching exchange of opinions. And we don't just give women a voice; we consider the dialogue between men and women essential to achieving our mission.

Networking will be possible during the whole day: working sessions in small groups will allow participants to express themselves; lunch time will give the opportunity to mix with people coming from everywhere.  We will no doubt continue our conversations at the cocktail party that will take place at the Strasbourg townhall, following the day's proceedings.

For those wishing to extend their stay during the weekend, we invite you to discover and enjoy this magnificent city!

How can organisations, companies, and members interested in becoming partners, get involved?

We have already secured support from partners such as Allianz, a global insurance company, ESCP, a renowned European Business school, Unesco, Women’s Cardiovascular Healthcare Foundation as well as Financi’Elles Federation. We also welcome micro-sponsors thanks to engaged members from our city networks; Nourishi Consulting, Be Your Own Best Friend Forever, and Resilience Institute.  

We welcome more corporate partners on board; so, if you want to contribute either through the company you work for or as a micro-sponsor, we invite you to check our partnership conditions on the website.

A few concluding words?

We would like to remind our readers that PWN was founded in 1996, in Paris, from the willingness of women to join forces and to advance women in leadership.

Over time, not only our reach, but also our goals have evolved. From supporting women in the workplace to changing the workplace and removing systemic barriers and behaviors to redress the balance. Our core beliefs in the value of gender-balanced leadership in the workplace represent a compass that we share with our corporate partners, sponsors, and members. 

The PWN Global Summit 2024 is a wonderful opportunity to reaffirm our beliefs, our objectives and rally around issues that are more important than ever in the fight for gender-balanced leadership. What a great way to celebrate International Women’s Day, together.

Above all, never take women's rights for equality for granted!

We are particularly grateful to the European Parliament and Strasbourg City Hall for their immense support. 

On behalf of PWN Global Board members and our 25 City Networks, we would like to extend our gratitude to the PWN Global Summit 2024 team who have done an amazing work with a lot of passion and professionalism for this fantastic project, namely Corinne Albert (Lead), Sabine Zilberas, Caroline De Gezelle, members of PWN Global & PWN Paris. 

Interview conducted by: Caroline De Gezelle, PWN Summit Team
Copy edited: Rebecca Fountain, Marketing Consultant, PWN Global
Date: January 2024