Champions of Diversity and Inclusion: the Panel Pledge Remarks

To celebrate International Women’s Day, AusCham Vietnam was honored to co-host Champions of Diversity and Inclusion: the Panel Pledge on March 8th at the Reverie Saigon, with a welcome 50/50 female:male participation ratio! 

The event was coordinated with and co-hosted by an inter-chamber coalition of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion advocates, including: AmCham; AusCham; BritCham; CanCham; and EuroCham.  
 
The Panel Pledge is both: 1) an achievable step to enhance Diversity and Inclusion at public and professional forums; and 2) a practical action and a public commitment made by company leaders and senior executives to support and promote gender equity in thought leadership at every forum and influence system-wide change.

A key part of the event, officiated by Panel Pledge Secretariat Vietnam Irene Oehler, was the public commitment of prominent Consuls General, Business Leaders, and Chambers as signatories to The Panel Pledge, a commitment to seek Gender Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in public forums which they organize or in which they participate to avoid male-only panels, aka “manels”.  Australian Consul-General Sarah Hooper provided background on the genesis and importance of the Panel Pledge.
 
AusCham Vietnam proudly involves and commits to creating a movement of Champions and Allies of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.