A company’s success is as much about its employees as it is about the quality of its product or service. Yet, for STEM companies in particular, attracting and retaining highly-skilled and diverse professionals in an age of immense competition is proving to be an increasingly difficult task.

With regards to gender, the figures are frightening – In Singapore only 29.57 percent of professionals in this field are women, way behind other countries such as Finland (32.25 percent) and Norway (36.2 percent) (Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development).

Anecdotal research also shows that young girls are unaware of opportunities in typically male-dominated careers, such as in the STEM industries and, as a result are not inclined to pursue careers in these areas (Singapore Committee for UN Women).

STEM companies need to ensure that female employees are supported from day one. They need to create a working environment that is welcoming and shows no gender bias.

The event will open with a keynote presentation from PwC Digital Business Leader, Greg Unsworth, followed by a debate panel of key diversity and inclusion advocates from across the STEM industries.
Moderated by Clair Deevy, Head of Economic Growth Initiatives at Facebook, the debate panel includes: Virginia Cha, Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship at Insead; Bianca Stringuini, Head of Diversity and Inclusion at J. P. Morgan Asia Pacific; James Stanbridge, VP at Declara; Jacqueline Rolf, Advisor of Inclusive Leadership and Diversity; and Agnes Tan, Head of Human Resources at Lend Lease Asia.