There is no country in the world where women have attained equality. While progress has been made in many sectors, a critical issue before us is women’s rightful place within the innovation system. “Women & Innovation” was the theme of the International Women’s Day 2023 celebrations co-organized by the Chulalongkorn School of Integrated Innovation (ScII) on March 8, 2023.

“Unfortunately, not enough women are represented in the innovation sector,” said Ms. Orna Sagiv, Ambassador of Israel to Thailand, who spoke on “Making Your Mark Like Israeli Women.” While stating that over 300 Multinational Companies have their development centers in Israel, hardly 10 percent of the workforce in the high-tech industry are women. Encouraging the younger generation to take up STEM education, she called for a mindset change and the need for more female role models. Referring to Israel, the Ambassador stated that three of the 50 most powerful women in startups came from Israel. “Among the MasterCard Index of Women Entrepreneurs, Israel is ranked at the top,” she added.

Highlighting the glass ceilings women in Israel have broken, the Ambassador stated that Israel has had a female Prime Minister (Golda Meir) and a female Nobel prize winner in Chemistry. Following a favorable Supreme Court decision granting women the right to serve as fighter pilots, women now serve in that capacity in artillery and combat units in the infantry. Speaking from personal experience, Ambassador Sagiv narrated how she served as a tank instructor during her military service. She hoped that by the time she met young audiences five to seven years later, one audience member would have become the founder of a unicorn.

Ms. Saranee Sanguanruang (Faunglada), owner of Flourish Digital and Ladies of the Digital Age (LDA), spoke on “Overcoming Challenges as Ladies of the Digital Age.” Narrating her experience working as a television host, Ms. Saranee stated that while she enjoyed speaking in front of the camera, she was unsatisfied with the content she delivered. However, when she launched her own channel, she achieved a sense of fulfillment. As a business owner and a mother, she faces multiple challenges, but being both an entrepreneur and a mother is intensely satisfying.

Ms. Maneerut Anulomsombut, CEO of Sea Thailand, delivered a talk on “Women’s Economic Empowerment,” highlighting the difficulties and challenges women face in entrepreneurship. “Passion, Patience, Perseverance, and Purpose are the 4P s that can guide us,” Ms. Maneerut said. As an entrepreneur running three companies, she outlined the challenges women entrepreneurs faced during COVID-19, when they suffered financial losses and faced depression. This stresses the need to provide women with more digital skills, support them with fundraising, and encourage them to achieve the confidence to overcome challenges.

Professor Kaywalee Chatdarong, Vice President for Strategic Planning, Innovation, and Global Engagement at Chulalongkorn University, spoke about “Women in University Research and Innovation.” Chulalongkorn University is committed to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and SDG 9 in particular focuses on “ Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure.” Women excel at the 3C s: Communication, Collaboration, and Critical thinking , and they should capitalize on these, Professor Kaywalee added.

Ms. Daria Dmitrieva, International Affairs Officer at ScII, emceed the event. Welcoming the speakers, Ms. Daria mentioned that while the global gender gap has shrunk by 68.1 percent, it will take another 132 years to close fully. Similarly, women receive only two percent of all venture capital funding.

The event was co-organized by ScII along with the Embassy of Israel in Thailand. A panel discussion followed the talks.