The 2015 Global Summit of Women is an event where things happen. Talented women are found around the world, but many need help coming out of the shadows to express capabilities. Often hemmed in by male-dominated cultures, socially and in the business world, they are calling upon their desire to achieve by finding ways to network, develop global skills, and grow women-owned SMEs. Often overshadowed at conferences run by men, they are forming their own associations, run by and for women, while fully embracing diversity in all its forms – gender, racial, cultural, disability, and sexual orientation.

The annual Global Summit of Woman was held May 2015 in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and over 1,000 women from around the world attended. The theme, ‘Creative Women, Creative Economies’ reflects the deep-seated belief that women are an untapped human asset and will play an enormous role in righting a world in economic and social distress. The focus is on advancing women in the global economy. Now in its 25th year, the recent event was a combination of celebration and business. The President of the Global Summit of Women, Irene Natividad, is also is Chair of the Corporate Women Directors International, and Founder and CEO of GlobeWomen. Every organization and business she is connected with is focused on leveraging her gift for giving international women a voice. Bringing talented, business-driven women to the forefront year-after-year is producing stunning results. There was a sense of growing confidence and power at the conference, purposefully held in a country where women continue to struggle with work-balance issues and are expected to act feminine at all times. It was not necessary to look far to find the proof the world is changing. One of the speakers at the conference was Raissa Muller, a 19-year-old Brazilian inventor who spoke on “Water: the ‘Oil’ of the 21st Century.” It supports what Julie Katzman, Executive Vice President and Chief Operation Officer, Inter-american Development Bank, spoke about: The economic impact of women is a global megatrend.

The Global Summit is not just speeches and workshops. It is a place of action. Consider the Afro-Brazilian student who spoke up at a workshop to explain that she felt hopeless that she would ever get an engineering job because of discrimination. The end result: She was offered a job. In the words of Laura Gonzalez-Molero, President Latin America for Bayer Health Care Pharmaceuticals, “Everything is possible, and this event proves it. In this forum, we see the strength of international women. We also see the true diversity with people attending from different continents, societies, and cultures and facing different economic challenges.”

The topics covered in the workshops prove that this is an event for women who embrace the vision of a world where gender equality is a fact. The speakers and attendees talked about global and regional megatrends, strategies for getting women on boards, leadership development, doing business across borders, negotiation skills, Millennials and Gen Y, ethics, and unconscious bias. It was attended by high ranking government officials like the Hon. Joaquim Levy, Brazil’s Minister of Finance; corporate executives like Rohini Anand, Senior Vice President, Global Diversity & Inclusion; and a 1,000 women who are pursuing careers in the corporate world, own businesses and looking for new opportunities, and/or running nonprofits that contribute to the women’s efforts in all sectors. Women attend to find their voice and strengthen their courage in a world where gender inequality is rampant. Please visit the GlobeWomen website and read more about the recent conference, but be prepared to be amazed at the quiet revolution that is taking place.