Bangkok, Thailand, May 12, 2020 / TRAVELINDEX / Over 1,000 women are expected at the world's leading business forum for women. Bangkok has been selected to host a major international gathering of female leaders from October 8-10, 2020. The Global Summit of Women, considered the leading international business forum for women, is celebrating its 30th anniversary and will be held in Thailand for the first time. Over 1,000 female business and political leaders from more than 60 countries are expected in Bangkok to actively network across borders, share best practices, and experience inspiring presentations. The focus will be on creative solutions to promote the economic progress of women worldwide.

“We are excited to bring women from around the world to Thailand, a country known not only for its beauty but also for its dynamic economy, where many women lead businesses of all sizes,” said US Summit President Irene Natividad. “Thailand’s high level of women’s economic participation, both regionally and globally, makes it the ideal host for the 2020 Summit theme: ‘Women: Revolutionizing Business.’ This theme reflects the role women have played in driving national GDP growth worldwide since entering the labor market and entrepreneurship in recent decades, as well as how women are transforming business models and practices today and in the future.”

As in previous years, numerous female leaders – including ministers from various departments, CEOs of major companies, entrepreneurs, and senior executives of multinational corporations – are expected to attend the three-day summit. Large delegations of businesswomen are anticipated from countries as diverse as China, South Africa, Vietnam, France, Spain, Mexico, Germany, and Kazakhstan – to name just a few. “Given the global momentum for gender equality sparked by #MeToo, the global women’s marches, and the public support for the US women’s national soccer team’s fight for equal pay, we expect a dynamic, informative, and stimulating conference on what can be done to advance economic equality for women,” added Natividad.

“The Thai host committee and I are delighted to welcome female leaders from around the world to Bangkok, and we are working diligently to ensure a successful 30th anniversary summit,” stated Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul, Chairman of the host committee, current Chairman of Toshiba Thailand, and former Minister of Tourism. A special session on “Doing Business with Thailand” will be offered to all summit participants, some of whom may be interested in future business partnerships and opportunities. In addition, a ministerial roundtable will be held prior to the summit, with over 30 ministers expected to participate. The focus will be on exchanging views on effective legislative measures to improve the economic situation of women, particularly on programs where business and government collaborate.

The Global Women's Summit 2020 will take place at the Centara Grand Hotel and Bangkok Convention Center.

About the Global Summit of Women: Founded in 1990, the Global Summit of Women is a program of the GlobeWomen Research & Education Institute, a non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C. GlobeWomen is dedicated to improving women's economic opportunities through its annual international forum, research on women in leadership positions worldwide, and other programs. These programs equip leaders with the tools to enhance their efforts to improve women's economic well-being—including the annual Global Diversity Colloquium, the Legacies of Women Forum, and stock market events in various countries. For more information, please visit www.globewomen.org.

About Irene Natividad – President of the Global Summit of Women: As President of the GlobeWomen Research and Education Institute, Irene Natividad has brought together female leaders annually for the Global Summit of Women for three decades to discuss best practices in promoting women's economic progress. For 22 years, she has pioneered global research on female board members through Corporate Women Directors International, which she chairs. Through the Legacies of Women Forums, she introduces female CEOs to students at leading universities worldwide. She also integrates issues of economic justice into international forums such as the OECD, APEC, T-20 and W-20 (for G-20), UN and World Bank meetings, to name just a few. As a former Chair of the Board of Directors of Sallie Mae Corp., she served on the Blue Ribbon Commission on Board Diversity of the National Association of Board Directors and was appointed by French President Macron to the G7 Advisory Council on Gender Equality in 2019. She was awarded the Trailblazer Award by the Huffington Post in 2015, chosen by Women's eNews as one of the "21 Leaders of the 21st Century" in 2004, by Working Mother magazine as one of the "25 Most Influential Working Mothers" in 1998, and by Ladies Home Journal as one of the "100 Most Powerful Women in America" ​​in 1988.

About Kobkarn Wattanavrangul – Chair of the Thai Host Committee for the 2020 Global Women's Summit. Kobkarn Wattanavrangul, currently Chair of Toshiba Thailand, has a successful three-year tenure as former Minister of Sports and Tourism. She was appointed by Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha to a key ministry that contributes a significant portion of Thailand's GDP. A business professional, Wattanavrangul has held various leadership positions, including Vice President of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, President of the Thai-Japanese Society, Vice President of the Board of Directors of Kasikorn Bank, and member of the Prime Minister's Special Advisory Council. However, her formal education is in art and design, which she studied at Wellesley College and the Rhode Island School of Design in the United States. A passionate advocate for Thailand's rich culture and its people, she was known as the "People's Minister" during her time in office.