Women’s Leadership in ESG Agenda: Sustainable Development Strategies for the Future of the BRICS Countries

Within the framework of the BRICS Women’s Entrepreneurship Forum, a panel session “Women’s Leadership in the ESG agenda: Sustainable Development Strategies for the future of the BRICS countries” was held.

The general partner of the BRICS Women’s Entrepreneurship Forum was Sberbank.

The session was moderated by Ekaterina Salugina-Sorokovaya, First Vice President of GazpromBank.

During the session, the guests discussed initiatives of different countries to support women in leadership positions promoting the sustainable development agenda, as well as the opportunities and risks faced by women entrepreneurs in different countries.

“For BRICS, cooperation in a wide range of areas related to sustainable development plays an important role. In the BRICS member countries sustainable development is closely linked to national priorities, and despite the fact that the tasks at national levels may be different, the goals of our countries are similar. That is why it is especially valuable to study each other’s initiatives and share experiences on such platforms. This expands the possibilities for creating the most effective tools both in the field of ecology, climate, and in the field of social responsibility,” said Ekaterina Salugina-Sorokovaya, First Vice President of Gazprombank.

Opening the discussion, Smriti Puri, Director – HR and Corporate communication of SCV and Co.LLP Charted Accountants, spoke about government policy measures in India aimed at strengthening the role of women in company management, in particular, presented a special platform for women entrepreneurs that allows women to gain new career opportunities.

Speaking about the promotion of the ESG agenda in Egypt and the role of Qalaa Holdings in this area, Ghada Hammouda, Chief Marketing & Sustainability Officer of Qalaa Holdings, noted that the BRICS countries can offer an alternative to the Western economic model, giving priority to ESG principles, promoting the establishment of a balanced, inclusive and sustainable global order with their fundamental principles of peace, security, development and cooperation.

eresa Cristina Corpa Vendramini, Counselor at Embrapa (Brazil), Liu Xiaowan, General Director of the branch of Zimai Technology in Russia (China), Farah Mohammed A Algharib, CEO , environmental advocate, social contributor, and founder of Precision & Choice (Saudi Arabia),Farrana Kader, Chief Executive of DCX Bullion (South Africa), Olga Yudina, Director of Department of International Cooperation of Russian Energy Agency by the Ministry of Energy of the Russian Federation also shared their ideas on the importance of the ESG agenda and the role of women in this area.

Summing up the session, the moderator thanked the participants for their interesting and informative presentations.

“The ESG agenda is an essential element of our lives. Only by discussing these issues will we be able to move forward,” Ekaterina Salugina-Sorokovaya stressed.