Event Report: Diversity Education
Updated: Oct 17, 2020
WomEnpowered International Biannual Panel Discussion
On Friday the 13th of December WE Int. held a biannual event above Tokyo’s skyline, which was centred around diversity education and how disparities in the treatment of men and women in the workplace are shaped at different stages of education in our lives. The discussion was led by WE Int. co-director Emily Larcombe. WE Int. had the honour to welcome four incredible guest speakers who spoke about their experiences across different sectors surrounding diversity education in Japan.
Natsuko Sugihara
“The legal profession is not diverse”
Natsuko is a Partner at Clifford Chance LLP specialising in private M&A, cross-border transactions and joint ventures, acting for private equity clients as well as Japanese and foreign corporate clients on their domestic and cross-border transactions across a wide range of sectors.
Jackie F. Steele
“How we diversify and create space for diverse being in the world is a general problem we see in multiple different spaces across Japan, especially in the cooperate space”
A trilingual Canadian political scientist and author, Jackie (PhD) is the Founder of en-joi Diversity & Inclusion Consulting and Training. A Japan resident for two decades, Jackie shares expertise in women's empowerment, public policy, disaster risk governance, and diversity mainstreaming into organizations and decision-making bodies.
Andrew O’Brien
“In my school the girls don't get a diverse exposure to opportunity”
Andrew has been teaching in Japan for 17 years, including 15 years as a full-time teacher at Kyoritsu Girls’ Jr./Sr. High School, in Hachioji. Andrew has developed a teaching style influenced by coaching, facilitation and mediation, and always has human development and potential in mind.
Kirsten O’Connor
“A lot of the girls, even in primary school were expecting to have a very clear trajectory of what their life is going to be as mothers.”
Kirsten O'Connor is the Founder and Director of QUEST TOKYO KK, a company launched in 2018 to provide educational services and tutoring to the international and Japanese communities in Tokyo.