KGCCI’s Female Leaders Group ‘WIR 2.0’ Kick-off Event

(Seoul, March 09, 2023) On March 8, the female leadership group ‘Women In koRea (WIR: ‘We’ in German) 2.0’ of the Korean-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry held a successful kick-off event, marking its return to in-person meetings after a hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The event, jointly hosted by the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany Seoul at the residence of German Ambassador to Korea Michael Reiffenstuel, brought together over 90 participants, especially female executive mentors and mentees from a wide range of industries and companies. This includes KGCCI, Kyobo Life Insurance, Deutsche Bank AG Seoul Branch, Korea International Finance Institute, CJ Corporation, Yulchon LLC, Bayer Korea and Korn Ferry.

Under the theme of “Sowing, Nurturing, Growing” renowned knitting artist, Yoon-nam Seo, displayed her artworks as a symbol of women’s solidarity. As the special guest, the 90-year-old artist, shared her journey and wisdom on cultivating personal and professional growth.  

“The fight for women’s rights and gender equality is a fight for the most basic human rights and a fight against social prejudice, economic inequality and invisible discrimination. It is high time we start seizing all opportunities to accelerate the progress towards gender equality and equity – in Germany, in Korea, worldwide. In this regard, Germany last week presented new feminist foreign policy guidelines that are to ensure that all people have the same right to representation and access to resources,” said German Ambassador to Korea Michael Reiffenstuel. “I am convinced that WIR program provides great opportunities for women driving change in Korea”

Kumjoo Huh, Co-Chairperson of WIR Mentorship Program and International Relations Officer of Kyobo Life Insurance, said “We’re thrilled to be back together in person and continue to spearhead our mission of promoting gender equality and supporting women in business, especially at a time when the percentage of women on board has reached a historic 10% for 500 listed companies in Korea.” She also added, “Based on WIR's framework, we have come up with 2023 roadmap comprised of lots of productive and exciting activities and look forward to working together to create a better future for women in South Korea and beyond.”

Susanne Woehrle, Vice President of KGCCI stated, “It’s crucial that women worldwide are vigilant of the importance of women’s rights and the need to raise their voices. With WIR 2.0 we aim to empower Korean businesswomen to take the lead into the future.”

KGCCI WIR group and its mentorship program

The KGCCI WIR group is a cross-industry, cross-national network of female executives which helps young professional women in Korea to unlock their leadership potential and accelerate value-driven leadership with focus on gender, generations and geographics.

‘Women In koRea (WIR) 2.0’ mentoring program provides a platform for young professional women to build a strong and sustainable network and grow professionally. It is created with the belief that mentorship is a two-way exchange where all participants, regardless of background and job titles, gain from shared insight. WIR 2.0 is aiming to collaborate and solve the pressing issues facing women leaders in today’s dynamic business environment through the mentorship program.