Moderator : Thái Thị Ngọc Dư, Former Founder and Dean of the Faculty of Women's Studies at HCM City Open University
10 years ago I started my personal journey of discovery that led me from huge admiration for the remarkable women of Vietnam to realising the constant pressures many of them face to be 'perfect', and finally, to being challenged to become part of the solution and to contribute to sparking change and more gender equality. I'd like to introduce you to some of these remarkable women's stories I captured in my book and in my events. I named them Ba Trieu's21st Century Daughters, as for me, they carry the warrior spirit of Ba (or Lady) Trieu, the woman warrior of the3rd century in Vietnam into Modern Vietnam. Ba Trieu famously fought the external force of the Chinese occupation as well as the internal suppressor, the patriarchy, when she famously declared: "I will not resign myself to the lot of women who bow their heads and become concubines. I wish to ride the tempest, tame the waves, and kill the sharks in the Eastern seas. I have no desire to live the life of a concubine".
Irene is a highly experienced, certified global executive coach and international facilitator, with more than 25 years' experience working on 4 continents with leaders from the corporate and government sectors.
Irene has been based in Vietnam since 2012 and has since become a sought-after expert for her work to promote women leadership. Irene has pioneered a number of initiatives to inspire women to connect and lead: she co-authored an awarded and bestselling book on Vietnamese women leaders, Ba Trieu's21st Century Daughters. Stories of Remarkable Vietnamese Women, founded the Women's Storytelling Salon, an intercultural and inter-generational events series, in 2014, which runs in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, and created SPARK! CONNECTION, an ecosystem for women leadership development under her brand Lightpath Leadership - www.lightpathgroupleadership.com.
As part of the SPARK! CONNECTION ecosystem Irene offers two women leadership development programs: SPARK! - A 1.5 day energiser to ignite the spark of leadership, and IGNITE!, A comprehensive online coaching program with the power of a community.
Irene also consulted to the Australian Consulate-General in Ho Chi Minh City to organise Vietnam's first Women's and Gender Conferences, and to write a Landscaping document on 'advancing gender equality in Vietnam', and the CEO Brief to Promote Inclusive Leadership and Gender Equality in Vietnam.
She's also been a consultant and coach to 4 years' of the 10-month Women In Leadership Journey program for Vietnamese government officials sponsored by the Australian Embassy in Vietnam, implemented by Flinders University.
