Around 80 participants gathered at Hotel Parc Alvisse on Wednesday evening to attend an exclusive event hosted by the Nordic Professional Women club in Luxembourg.
Addressing topics such as gender diversity, Nordic values and keeping a work-life balance, the event reunited Nordic members and their guests for a panel discussion with Thorben Sander, CEO at Nordea Bank S.A., and Erika Lundquist, CEO at SEB.
Moderated by Monica Jonsson, Founder of CoachDynamix, the event’s agenda included questions on career development and flexible hours arrangements, action plans to support more women taking managerial positions and also discussed what it takes to be at the helm of a Nordic bank in the Grand Duchy.
Referring to research on gender equality in the workplace at the European Union level, Monica Jonsson engaged the 2 participating CEOs in the discussion, revealing the status quo in Luxembourg and the need for more local initiatives to empower women.
At the end of the panel discussion, members of the audience were also given the opportunity to share their views and ask questions, showing a strong interest in part-time positions and more flexible career opportunities, especially in the financial industry.
“I am glad that the Nordic Women Club invited me to take part in the event. I strongly believe we should all do more to promote the discussion on gender equality. There are many reasons why this topic is important. Equal rights and opportunities are fundamental values in democracies, and just for that reason we should put gender equality on the agenda. But also seen from a business perspective it is important. Without providing equal opportunities for women to develop professionally, we are missing a big part of the talent pool. In a nutshell, gender equality is not only good for our society, but also for our companies,” said Thorben Sander.
He is backed by CEO of SEB S.A, Erika Lundquist, who stated “One of the most important things when it comes to leadership for the 21st century is to recruit the right people, and in my view that means team players with the right mindset. As a leader in this rapidly changing environment, I also think it’s crucial to have the skills to lead through change, to stay relevant and be creative. Gender equality and equal opportunities for men and women are very important, too. The clients are obviously both men and women, so in order to understand their needs and deliver world class service to our clients, we need to have a good mix of both genders, as well as diversity in all areas”.
Sponsored by Nordea Bank S.A. and SEB Luxembourg, the event was hosted by members of the Nordic Professional Women, part of the well-established Nordic Women’s Club in Luxembourg, founded in 1974.
More details about their members and activities are available on www.nwc.lu.
