Firing Forward: The Future in Focus

In 2021, the proportion of women in senior management roles globally grew to 31%, the highest number ever recorded. 90% percent of companies worldwide have at least one woman in a senior management role as of 2021. 26% of all CEOs and managing directors were women, compared to only 15% in 2019. The Fortune Global 500 reported an all-time high of 23 women CEOs in 2021, including six women of color.​

However, despite compelling evidence that more diversity in senior management ranks increases organizational performance, the proportion of women in key leadership roles remains low in most organizations. Women face a unique set of challenges when progressing into senior leadership positions, including unconscious bias, a scarcity of role models, and a peer group that continually shrinks the more senior they become.​

This panel will showcase women/men who have risen to the most senior positions in their organizations and had significant impact. They will share their stories, highlighting their challenges, learnings and successes. They will also guide on how they have navigated the leadership terrain, stayed motivated and pushed through boundaries to lead world class organizations. The focus should be in providing key insights and strategies for delegates to learn from.​

At the end of this session, the audience should leave with a leadership mindset and a resolve on how to be more inclusive as a 21st century leader.​

Ambassadors serve as Heads of diplomatic missions, representing a sending state’s interests abroad. ​

Historically, these roles have been male dominated, with little or no female representation. Exclusion from governance and politics has been identified as a major hindrance to sustainable economic development. ​
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In 2022 for the first time in the history of Nigeria, there are 6 female foreign Ambassadors from America, Europe, and the United Kingdom. Thus, breaking diplomatic glass ceilings and reaching the highest echelon of leadership within the international community of the nation. Women responsible for making decisions that affect citizens in their country and beyond inspire others to see the possibilities beyond their country. It provides a platform for women to bring their national and regional solutions to the global stage and an opportunity for us to showcase one of our own as well. ​
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This panel will have a story telling element of these extraordinary women, to glean from their highs, and lows and everything in between to inspire the delegates to also learn or aspire to lead beyond the borders.​

Since the 2020 #ENDSARS movement, there has been an increase in public discourse, rallies/protests of injustice and what has been termed bad governance as well as a demand for accountability from our political leaders. Women & youth, who would have been the minority, are now found to be speaking up & leading the charters seeking more diversity & active participation in our political office holder profiles and seats. A more recent example of such would be the recent women’s rally at the NASS advocating for pro-women changes in the Gender Bill.​ ​

Noting all of these coupled with the INEC reports, which record up to a 100% growth in voter registration in June from earlier this year - it would seem that 2023 elections should seemingly have less Voter Apathy to deal with. But we all know that registering to vote and actually voting are two different things. Highly noteworthy in the status quo though is the active reduction in age and an increase in female participation as contestants. Both of which are presenting inclusion and people-driven manifestos that could deliver the things being demanded by the people of their government.​ ​

In this session, we seek to address, enlighten, motivate, and spark further encouragement for why Voter Apathy should be reduced to the barest minimum and diversity should be encouraged and upheld to the maximum limits. Discussion highlights would include the realities of women and youth taking up candidacies and making a difference, collective security measures for election day and the importance of continued participation by these two groups. Martin Luther King said, ”the ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people”. May we keep being good people! ​

What does it mean to be visionary, and how can change be ignited? In today’s world, being visionary involves having a clear idea of what the future looks like and then taking one step further to create that picture.​

Taking that one step towards creating the future we desire can ignite explosive change that communities need. It is about working to ensure that others are lifted-up within the community, neighbourhood and sometimes our friends.​

Visionary women are passionate about sparking significant, positive changes for people in their world through small but consistent steps, inspiring others to do their bit in their sphere of influence.​

At the end of this plenary, women will be one step closer to becoming the agents of change that the world needs, with the aim to be much closer to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDGs 5 & 10 that relate to gender equality.​

To secure an enduring financial future requires planning for the now and the future. Planning into the future brings time into our finances and time introduces risk. In order to understand and plan accordingly and most importantly understand how to mitigate the risks properly. ​

A major part of this is to demystify the concepts of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs), Meta, Crypto Currency & Bitcoin in order to understand the future as it pertains to money and the digital financial instruments. ​

While Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs), Meta, Crypto Currency & Bitcoin have disrupted the world, a lot of women do not have an in-depth knowledge of how this technology functions and the opportunities it presents for investment. Unfortunately, as a country we are already considered late adaptors. ​

The conversation around this subject is characterized by suspicion which principally stems from the lack of regulations and the propensity for speculation. The use of the blockchain itself is not limited to cryptocurrency. The understanding of what it’s working as an open immutable ledger that tracks both transactions and assets. The lack of relevant knowledge in this area is at the root of the hesitation of most women to enter the space . There is also the need to become savvy about real estate investments which has been touted as the “safest” investment class and to the need to confirm whether this is truly so. ​

At the end of this plenary, we hope to have a greater understanding of these concepts which should lead to financial freedom, wealth creation for the next generation and legacy building.​

Despite Nigeria being associated with a lot of negative publicity, we are starting to see the Naija flavour being embraced and celebrated on the global scene through various genres of life-style influencers, from Tech to Entertainment to Governance and Sports.​​

Focusing on the creative industry and its impact on the world, there are lessons and strategies that could be easily overlooked by the hype, glitz and glam of it all.​​

For members in attendance, who might be interested to tow these paths, let’s us discuss the things they should look out and plan for. ​​

We all know that the creative industry is the easiest place for emerging talents to shine so:​​

• What are the key traits of such personalities that has helped them achieve such levels?​​
• How does one get started and on a similar path of potential success?​​
• What are the business structures that are needed to ensure success?​​
• How does one build a team that works and if a team is not the way, what is?​​
• On a personal level, what skills and emotional preparation should be done?​​
• What is required to break world records and remain at the top?

It is popularly insinuated that people need to be ready when opportunities come, the question every delegate needs to extensively ponder on is will they be ready when such open doors and windows present themselves?​

How do they get ready? How do they stay ready?  How do they know that they are ready? ​

When COVID-19 emerged, no one was ready for the unprecedented changes that needed to happen immediately, which was easier for some to adapt to than others. Some scampered and were able to leverage on opportunities from the challenges all around them while others were almost crippled and at a standstill. ​

It is therefore important for the delegates to reflect on who they would rather be – men and women who are willing to stretch themselves beyond their limits in order to be strategically positioned for opportunities or the one who life happens to with unexpected outcomes blowing them around aimlessly. ​

Hence the need to be able to decide and see the possibilities around what they need to do, why they need to do it, who they need to help them achieve it, and where they need to go to make things happen and who they need to align with in order to identify what value they bring to the table.  ​

To visualize what it means to “Evolve” the deep dive will focus on practical tips, personal stories, highlights, insights and a range of relevant tit bits on how women can position and present their personal brands to attract opportunities in their own niche. Delegates should leave with a mindset that preparation meets readiness, and it starts with THEM!!​

We know we now live in a world of both rapid and multi-dimensional changes. This makes it imperative to determine what to focus on. 

The future might be unwritten, and perspectives may appear elusive, but this experience is not exclusive to one individual, company, organization, or institution. One central theme around navigating the future is risk-taking and innovation. For this reason, combining fresh ideas, new thinking, and inspirational people can enable us to identify opportunities, trends, and threats and how to use them to our benefit. Utilising these can give individuals and businesses enough distance to evaluate their individual or corporate journeys and the future in a new light. 

So, how do we manage the future? This deep dive session will help attendees understand that keeping the future in focus will include becoming comfortable with innovation as a continuous phenomenon. The need for digital transformation, the inevitability of all disruptions, and the need to drive a highly competent and adaptive workforce is a significant factor in the new reality. 

The Great Resignation, also known as the Big Quit and the Great Reshuffle, is an ongoing economic trend where many people leave their jobs as the world returns to ‘normal’ and learn to live with the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic. This pandemic-driven phenomenon is primarily attributed to people re-evaluating their priorities and re-thinking how and where they work. 

This phenomenon was recent explored in a Gartner survey that showed that up to 65% of employees pondered the place that work should have in their lives amid the pandemic. Potential causes of this re-evaluation include wage stagnation amid the rising cost of living, long-lasting job dissatisfaction, safety concerns of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the desire to work for companies with better and remote working policies. Some economists have described the Great Resignation as akin to a general strike. 

Instead of Work-Life Balance, we are currently dealing with Work-Life Integration, which is also causing many people to join the Great Resignation. Managers are now navigating the ripple effects of the pandemic as employees re-evaluate their careers and leave their jobs in record numbers. 

It is important to note some of the trends that the research highlights about the Great Resignation: 

• Resignation rates are highest among mid-career employees 
• The impact of generational differences in the workplace 
• A growing ‘gig economy’ 
• The impact of work in our lives and the need for flexibility, especially for those with growing families 

Viable solutions include: 

• Strengthening manager/direct report relationships 
• Embracing flexibility 
• Expanding company wellness policies 
• Offering career growth opportunities