On March 8, 2024, the “Nissan Women’s Leadership Salon” with the theme of “Take The Wheel She Power NI Takes Charge” was held in Beijing. Ms. Zhang Lei, Director of International Cooperation Office of China Women’s Development Foundation, Ms. Zhu Ge, Partner of Nokia Growth Fund in China, Ms. Chen Yao, Editor-in-Chief of Weibo and Sina Auto, Ms. Gao Kun, Editor-in-Chief of TOPHER, a Chinese women’s financial media, and many other heavyweight guests from the automotive and financial industries, along with female executives and designers from Nissan Investment Limited, conducted in-depth discussions on empowering women’s development, leadership, talent, and inclusiveness.
At the Nissan Women’s Leadership Salon event, outstanding female representatives from the China Women’s Development Foundation, Nokia Growth Fund, and automotive and financial media were awarded the title of “Nissan Women’s Development Honorary Mentor” to encourage and recognize their contributions to the industry’s transformation and development, as well as to the growth of women in the automotive industry.
Inspiring “her” strength shaping women’s leadership in the workplace McKinsey’s 2023 report “Diversity matters even more” shows that China has the most women in the workplace in the world, and there are many female entrepreneurs in emerging industries, with women accounting for 41% of female founders in Chinese science and technology innovation enterprises. Similarly, in early 2023, the Fortune 500 achieved a milestone for the first time in history, with over 10% of the listed companies being run by women. Obviously, women have made remarkable achievements in breaking through industry gender norms and demonstrating leadership. Regarding the shaping of women’s leadership, the guests participating in this women’s leadership salon stated that many fields, including the automotive industry, have always been seen as a “male-dominated world”, so companies need to gradually eliminate this traditional perception through practical actions and create opportunities for women to enhance their leadership. Ms. Zhang Lei, Director of the International Cooperation Office of the China Women’s Development Foundation, said: “We hope to work together with all sectors of society to strengthen exchanges and mutual learning, deepen cooperation in the fields of women’s digital economy, technology empowerment, health care, family support, environmental improvement, and international cooperation, and help women’s development, actively fulfill social responsibility, carry out more and better public welfare projects, and share in building a better world.”
Nissan CEO Mr. Uchida said that talent is the company’s most valuable asset and diversity and inclusion are key to maximizing individual potential. The cultivation of female talent is influenced by various factors such as social, gender, and cultural differences, as well as individual skills and the corporate environment. To fully unleash the value of women in the workplace, both women themselves and the company’s talent development mechanism are crucial. Wang Zijiao, the color design director of Nissan China Design Center, attributed her growth from graduate to manager to Nissan’s diverse and inclusive corporate culture and mechanism. She mentioned her unique talent and perception of color as a woman, and how Nissan’s environment allows creative women like her to unleash their potential freely.
When new energy electrification and digitalization represented by artificial intelligence become the new trend and trend of development in the automotive industry, women need to take a more active stance at the forefront of the era of change. Therefore, the continuous development of professional capabilities of women in the automotive industry is the key to unleashing their “superpowers”. For this trend topic, Chen Yao, the chief editor of Weibo and Sina Auto, said, “Women’s rich emotions and perceptual advantages can fill the real emotional output on the basis of artificial intelligence filling repetitive labor, making ‘better use of artificial intelligence tools’ a more meaningful thing.”
When it comes to this topic, Zhu Ge, the partner of Nokia Growth Fund in China, said, “Whether it’s the automotive industry or other industries, every technological advancement is a process of women’s liberation. In the workplace, from physical strength to mental capacity to high emotional intelligence, women are increasingly advantaged. Therefore, the new era may be the era of women.”
Encouragement and Inclusion: Empowering “Her” to Shine Across All Circles According to data released by global leadership consulting firm DDI, 72% of female leaders under the age of 35 report an increased sense of professional burnout. Despite their ambition, women still lack significant progress, requiring a more inclusive approach to ensure fairness for all. During in-depth discussions, participants agreed that the inclusivity of workplace environments and policies is a crucial factor in women’s professional development and life fulfillment. Fairness and respect are essential conditions for contemporary women to achieve their professional development and life fulfillment. When discussing the role of corporate values in women’s career development, Zuo Liping, Senior Vice President of Corporate Governance at Nissan Investment Limited, stated: “Companies need to establish a diverse, fair, and inclusive environment, meaning that every woman is valued and respected, and has fair access to resources and opportunities, allowing them to work and grow based on their strengths and talents.”
This year, Nissan’s theme for International Women’s Day is “INSPIRE INCLUSION,” reflecting the company’s long-term direction. Nissan promotes diversity, fairness, and inclusion to maximize the potential of diverse talents and inspire employees, especially women, to be passionate about their work and feel a sense of belonging to the company. At Nissan, there are outstanding female leaders in fields such as racing, design, engineering, marketing, and mechanical manufacturing, who achieve freedom in their lives, dreams, and careers.
In this salon, the topics discussed by the participants focused on the perspective of women’s career development, analyzing the theories and methods of achieving self-worth and steering life in the current workplace. Just as this year’s International Women’s Day theme advocated by Nissan – INSPIRE INCLUSION, only by aiming for diversity, fairness, and inclusivity can we maximize the potential of diverse talents and inspire employees, especially female employees, to work with enthusiasm and a sense of belonging to the company.