IWD Breakfast – Give to Gain: Building Success Ecosystems Through Social Capital

Marcia Chen graduated from Imperial College London with a Master’s degree in Strategic Marketing. She has worked at DiDi Chuxing and Google China, serving as a senior marketing consultant and overseas marketing account manager.

In 2020, Marcia Chen co-founded China’s first cross-enterprise women’s development and DEI platform—Women Alliance Group (WAG). The platform has gathered notable global companies like Google, McKinsey, Intel, GE, DiDi, Tencent, Amazon Web Services, Tiffany, Nike, Eaton, Sanofi, Kering Group, and Carrier, covering over 250,000 employees, making it China’s largest cross-enterprise platform for women’s development and DEI. The platform aims to promote the development of DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) in China.

Previously, with the mission to support more lives to flourish, she introduced Google’s global DEI project #IamRemarkable to China, building it from the ground up. In three years, the workshops have reached over 5,000 participants from more than 50 companies, training over 100 local instructors. During the promotion of #IamRemarkable, she was inspired to establish the Women’s Alliance to gather more strength to support the growth of professional women in China, officially co-founding WAG in 2020.

She has traveled to over 50 countries, and has a deep interest in and practices traditional culture, aesthetics, and mindfulness. In the future, she hopes to integrate Eastern and Western philosophies to find a way to empower personal growth and a diverse and inclusive culture in China, leading businesses towards goodness and achieving sustainable human development.

With a passion of self-development, psychology and female empowerment, Nancy is an active participant in the Shanghai British Chamber of Commerce Women in Business Committee. She regards this as a long-term commitment and humble contribution to female community building project.

Nancy has acquired her education and professional experience in Australia, Singapore – An alumnus of University of Melbourne and University of Queensland, and her previous experience includes Hilton Worldwide, Pan Pacific, ShineWing Australia. After relocating to Shanghai in late 2019, she joined Star (Shanghai) Accounting & Consulting as the Business Development Manager/Business Assistant to CEO to take on more a strategic management role.

Harriet has spent the last decade in China helping MNC’s and NGOs grow, through corporate communication, media, brand, and marketing strategy. Now guiding OUTFORM, a global retail manufacturing agency through market entry into the APAC region, with commercial, creative, marketing, and brand planning.

During this time Harriet has been active in creating communities, and running not-for-profit organisations in China; facilitating programs for the UN Gender Equality Conference China, Start-up Weekend for Google, and chairing the board of the British Chamber of Commerce Southwest China, to advocate for British Businesses in the region during Covid-19. She is excited to assist the chamber with brand, marketing, and strategy to support members in a new era of British Business in China.

Joanne is the Founder and Managing Partner of Capital Eight, a corporate finance house headquartered in Shanghai.  Her investment banking career spans more than 40 years, having worked with UBS, Jardine Fleming (JP Morgan) and GE Capital across Europe, UK, USA and Greater China.  At Jardine Fleming, Joanne was a member of the first dedicated team of M&A professionals based in Asia and was internationally ranked as a leading Asian-emerging markets corporate finance advisor.

Joanne actively represents the foreign financial services industry in China.  She is a former Chair of BritCham Shanghai’s Financial Services Group, Vice Chair of the EUCCC Investment Working Group, Chair of AmCham Shanghai’s Ethics Council and inaugural Chair of AustCham Greater China.

She enjoys mentoring young and aspiring tech entrepreneurs and currently sits on the Advisory Boards of 3 tech start-ups focused on Web3, marine renewable energy and life sciences.

Joanne is a regular speaker at international conferences addressing aspects of China’s financial services sector and the China investment environment.  A graduate of London Business School and the University of Adelaide, she reads, writes and speaks Mandarin.