Australia’s female entrepreneurs will take the world stage when the Global Summit of Women comes to town

We’ve become used to talking about the emergence of national economies like Brazil, Russia, India and China as new superpowers, but maybe we should add another emerging economic power into that mix — women.

A recent report from leading global consultancy firm EY outlines the case for why we should be excited about the global potential of women to bring new energy and ideas to the world’s economy over the next couple of decades.

In fact, the report, Women: The Next Emerging Market, sees the potential contribution women around the world could make to global prosperity as nothing short of the impact made by China or India.

“Over the next decade, the impact of women on the global economy — as producers, entrepreneurs, employees and consumers — will be at least as significant as that of China’s and India’s respective one-billion-plus populations, if not more so,” the reports says.

That is an incredible prospect and one that Australia’s very capable female entrepreneurs should grasp with both hands. It’s such an empowering idea to think we can not only have a positive impact on our own country but also on a global scale.

One big opportunity Australia’s female business leaders and entrepreneurs will have to showcase their talent and ideas is when the Global Summit of Women comes to Sydney next year.

The summit has been held annually since 1990 and is a who’s who of women from business and politics worldwide. With Sydney being awarded the rights to host this “Davos of women’s events”, Australian women will get the chance to meet and network with some of the most powerful women from around the world.

The 2018 Summit is expected to attract more than 1,000 leaders across private and public sectors from 80 countries, and inject over $2 million into the New South Wales economy, according to Business Events Sydney.

Executive chair of Carnival Australia and GlobeWomen International Planning Committee member Ann Sherry AO said in a press release that the summit will give Australia the chance to showcase our many gender diversity and inclusion initiatives.

“World leaders can learn from Australia, and we, in turn, still have much to learn from the rest of the world,” said Sherry.

The summit will give Australia’s female business leaders a fantastic chance to meet and exchange knowledge with women from all over the world, offering the potential to forge new partnerships and broaden our connections globally.

This will be the first time the summit has been held in Australia and it’s so exciting to think about all the truly wonderful things that will come out of this event.