Private Roundtable with Wenchi Yu

MUMBAI, 16 June 2015 – Asia Society India Centre was delighted to bring Wenchi Yu, Head of Corporate Engagement, Goldman Sachs and Asia 21 Young Leader to the platform as part of its Breakfast at the Asia Society India Centre (BASIC) series.

Yu, who leads the 10,000 Women Programe launched by The Goldman Sachs Foundation in 2008, offered prefatory comments to begin the discussion. The initiative provides women from across 43 countries-specifically from emerging markets- with business and management education, mentoring, and networking. Eighteen months after completing the programe, nearly 70% of the “graduates” increase their revenue, 60% add new jobs, and 90% are able to pay it forward by mentoring and teaching business skills to other women. “Investing in women truly does lead to economic growth, as they reinvest in their children’s health and education,” declared Yu.

Participants at the discussion had the opportunity to meet three of the graduates who confidently expressed that the programme taught them how to delegate, meet targets, market effectively, and strategize – skills essential to scale their businesses. The programme, they stated, helped them to overcome some of the biggest challenges faced by women entrepreneurs who own small-medium enterprises, including access to capital and loans and navigating the inflexible banking system.

Programme attendees also had an opportunity to share ideas for ways in which to improve the programme. One such idea came of creating an online platform for the 10,000 Women that allow them to network and connect, share ideas, and support one another. Most women develop businesses to solve social problems which exist in their communities. This helps generate revenue and create a social impact. “Above all, this initiative empowers women to think beyond their existing situation,” Yu said in her closing remarks.

Reported by Maneka Chotirmall, Programme Assistant, Asia Society India Centre

This discussion is a part of Asia Society's BASIC series. The BASIC series presents intimate, invitation-only breakfast round tables that bring together eminent speakers from the fields of Asian business and policy. This represents the kind of informed forum, nuanced insight and new connections that Asia Society aims to bring to bear around key topics of relevance today.