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Has the tech world done enough to check #MeToo? These speakers are discussing this topic at Echelon

With the #MeToo campaign turning two years, Echelon is examining whether the tech world done enough to create a safe space for diversity and level the playing field

It has been almost two years since The New York Times published a story detailing decades of allegations of sexual harassment against Hollywood heavyweight Harvey Weinstein. Actresses Rose McGowan and Ashley Judd were among the women who came forward to speak up against him.

This news story opened a Pandora’s box, with hundreds of women across the world coming out to share their sexual assault stories at workplaces, offices, hotels, and even streets and public transports, under the hashtag #MeToo on popular social media platforms, including Facebook.

The #MeToo campaign had massive repercussions not just in the movie world, but the tech world, too. Many high-profile women came forward to narrate the stories of sexual exploitations by widely-admired men in the tech world. The list included Cheryl Yeoh, the Founding CEO of the Malaysian Global Innovation & Creativity Centre (MaGIC), who in a detailed blog post shared the story of sexual assault by Dave McClure, former Head of 500 Startups, at her apartment back in 2015.

Echelon Asia Summit 2019 is just a few days away –and we have more FREE tickets to give!

Now, with #MeToo campaign turning two years, has the tech world done enough to create a safe space for diversity and level the playing field? Echelon 2019 is examining this through a panel discussion.

Titled #Metoo 2 years on: Has the tech world done enough to create a safe space for diversity and level the playing field?, the discussion will be moderated by e27’s Senior Writer Anisa Menur Maulani.

The panelists are:

Gail Wong, Co-founder, Ladies Investment Club

Wong is a champion of women’s causes. She empowers women with their finances/business via proprietary programs, and coaches business leaders to bring their whole selves to work and life, and thrive on their terms. She has compassion for women resigned to fear, overwhelm, or dependence with their money, or those in gender-skewed business. She enjoys connecting with women about money strategies and aspirations.

She also organises and invests financial, human and social capital in women-led companies. Fusing both specialties as a practitioner and coach, she engages in uncommon conversations about what matters most to a person, and guide them through challenges to win in their lives.

Born in Singapore and a mother of two, Wong has worked in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and London. She is also a vocalist, yogi, and a mental wellness advocate.

In Wong’s own words, human beings are the happiest and most productive when all three facets of being — mind, heart and spirit — harmonise. “My own search for higher purpose over a lifetime of academic and professional success propels me to coach talented people, who desire to serve the world to own their unique brilliance, truth and values. Together, we design life on their terms, one that fully expresses and maximises who they are.”

“My passion to forge a new normal – financial zen and mastery for every woman – inspired “Courageous Conversations about Money”. I bring women together in a safe space to demystify money and learn to handle it as naturally as our homes, careers and children.

She also leads investment platforms pairing female capital with women-led ventures. She champions and advises women leaders out to make money meaningfully.

Ling Lin, Head of Product, TransferWise Asia

Lin is all about product and customers. She has 10-plus years of experience in startup, product, general management, people operations, user experience, and international expansion.

As the Head of Product, Lin looks after 15 currencies across three products – send money, borderless, and cards. She has spent her time across North America, Asia, and Europe.

Prior to joining TransferWise, she was Senior Product Manager at Amazon. Previously, she was Chief of staff for OnePlus.

Also Read: We need to change the way we talk about sexual harassment, an interview with Cheryl Yeoh

Lin holds an MBA from INSEAD and a Master of Science/Bachelor of Science from Stevens Institute of Technology.

Mike Davie, Founder and CEO, Quadrant

Currently based in Singapore, Davie has been leading the commercialisation of disruptive mobile technology and ICT infrastructure for over a decade with leading global technology firms in Asia, the Middle East and North America.

He parlayed his vision and knowledge of the evolution of ICT into the creation of DataStreamX, a data analysis platform, in 2014. DataStreamX ultimately evolved into Quadrant, a blockchain-based platform that allows organisations to verify and interpret complex datafeeds, with a primary focus on location data. With Quadrant, organisations and individuals can now have full trust in their data and use it to build targeted solutions and allocate resources efficiently to meet the requirements of their customers, citizens, and colleagues.

Prior to founding Quadrant, Davie was a member of the Advanced Mobile Product Strategy Division at Samsung where he developed go-to-market strategies for cutting edge technologies created in the Samsung R&D Labs. He also provided guidance to Asia and Middle East telcos on their 4G/LTE infrastructure data needs and worked closely with them to monetize their M2M and telco analytics data.

Davie is a frequent speaker at ICT and Big Data conferences around the world. Topics of his talks include Monetisation of Data Assets, Data-as-a-Service, the Dichotomy of Real-time vs. Static Data.

In his personal time, Davie maintains a lifelong passion for extreme sports including Xterra, kite boarding, triathlons, snowboarding, and ice and rock climbing. He has participated in Xterra triathlons in places around the world including Malaysia, Thailand, and the APAC Championship in Philippines. He has also run the DMZ Half Marathon along the border between North and South Korea.

Have you booked your ticket yet? Use the code ECHELONFUTURE to secure yours.

Photo by Mikkel Frimer-Rasmussen on Unsplash

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