Tuesday, June 11, 2024 – Asia Society Northern California hosted an Executive Roundtable on Women’s Leadership in U.S.-Asia Relations with Ambassador Caryn R. McClelland, the U.S. Ambassador to Brunei Darussalam. The roundtable was moderated by Karen Tay, co-founder of Inherent. Ambassador McClelland covered a range of topics which addressed positive trends of increased gender diversity in the workforce while also recognizing concurrent challenges to inclusivity. 

She shared her personal experience in joining the foreign service and how it has shaped her work in Brunei with the Academy for Women Entrepreneurs, a program which empowers women to develop necessary skills and become successful entrepreneurs. The AWE provides women with the chance to work around the family by allowing them agency over their own money and time. She provided anecdotes which compared the various barriers and opportunities for women’s leadership across the United States and Asia.

Ambassador McClelland answered attendees’ questions on the digitization of the economy, the impact of remote work on women’s agency over their time, and the necessity of in-person interactions for effective diplomacy.

Thank you to KPMG for partnering with us to host this event.